Sparkling wine

Be it New Year’s Eve, a party or brunch, a Formula One or a horse race – whenever people are bubbling over with joy, it’s hard to imagine them without a glass of bubbly, the sparkling crown jewel of winemaking.

8 - 10°

are ideal drinking temperatures
3,5

bar minimum
9 Monate

Fermentation in the bottle
0-3g

residual sugar content correspond to "brut nature".

German gourmets are the world champions of Sekt consumption. And that’s why many wine estates have established Winzersekt as a fixed component on their list of offers.

Extra Effort brings Extra Flavor

Classic fermentation in the bottle: At the beginning of the production of Sekt, sugar and a special kind of yeast, able to withstand great pressure, are added to the base wine. This initiates the second fermentation, producing the CO2 that will later make the Sekt sparkle so pleasantly in the glass. The pressure exerted by the carbonic acid needs to amount to at least 3.5 bar – up to 6 bar can be achieved. In the original method of Sekt manufacturing, the so-called Méthode champenoise, and in classic bottle fermentation, the second fermentation takes place in the individual bottle.

In a dark and cool cellar, Winzersekt lies and matures on its yeast for a minimum of 9 months, sometimes for years. After this, the bottles are placed upside down into so-called riddling racks. For a period of four weeks, they get turned daily and set ever more steeply upright at the same time. At the end of this laborious process, all the yeast has collected in the bottle’s neck. The bottle necks are then immersed in a brine (a freezing cold solution) to make the yeast freeze. If the bottles are opened now, the pressure from the carbonic acid ejects the yeast clot. The technical term for this process is “disgorging”.

Since the term “Méthode champenoise” has been exclusively reserved to the products of the French Champagne region for many years, Sekt manufactured by this method in Germany uses the term traditional or classic bottle fermentation.

Designations of styles

The designations for the styles of Sekt as defined by German Wine Law are different from those of wine, because the natural carbonic acid content of Sekt reduces the perception of sweetness. Accordingly, the permissible residual sugar levels of a dry Sekt are markedly higher than those of a dry wine.

brut nature: 0-3 g/l
extra brut: 0-6 g/l
brut: 0-12 g/l
extra dry: 12-17 g/l
dry: 17-32 g/l
semi-dry: 32-50 g/l
mild: over 50 g/l

Not everything that foams is sparkling wine:

Schaumwein is the generic term for moussing, i.e. foaming wines with perlage, with a minimum pressure of 3 bar.

Sparkling wine is sparkling wine whose carbonic acid is produced during fermentation and generates at least 3.5 bar of internal pressure.

Perlwein has less pressure, the carbonic acid may also be added. Good sparkling wines are fresh, light, summery-fruity and at the same time relatively inexpensive, as they are not subject to sparkling wine tax.

Secco is the modern term for trendy sparkling wines.

Crémant can be called German sparkling wines that meet certain specifications for grape varieties, harvest and fermentation.

Which wine-growing region was the first to introduce sparkling wines to the market?

Rheinhessen launched the first vintner sparkling wines in Germany more than 25 years ago.

Varietals

with herb crust Roast turkey

with herb crust

600 Gramm Putenbrust am Stücke
0,25 Liter Weißwein
0,25 Liter Gemüsebrühe
4 ganze Tomaten
4 Scheiben Toastbrot
2 ganze Eier
2 Stück Zwiebeln
75 Gramm geriebener Emmentaler
1 Stange Porree
1 Bund Schnittlauch
1 EL Olivenöl
nach Belieben Salz & Pfeffer

Wash the meat, pat dry and cut a deep pocket lengthways. Crumble the toast. Wash and chop the herbs, peel and dice the onions.

<p>Preheat the oven to 200°C (top and bottom heat). Place the bread, herbs, onions, cheese and eggs in a bowl, mix thoroughly and season. Stuff 2/3 of this mixture into the turkey breast. Pin the opening with wooden skewers and tie up crosswise with kitchen twine. Place the roast in a roasting tin and brush with oil.

Roast in the preheated oven for approx. 1 hour. Gradually pour in the white wine and vegetable stock.

<p>Clean and wash the vegetables. Cut the leek into pieces and add to the roast with the whole tomatoes after 30 minutes.

About 20 minutes before the end of the cooking time, spread the remaining third of the herb mixture over the roast and finish cooking.

Arrange on plates with the vegetables and serve. Serve with rice.

Pinot Gris (trocken)
Chardonnay (trocken)

with apples Pork medallions

with apples

8 Stück Schweinemedaillons
500 Gramm Bandnudeln
2 große Äpfel
200 ml Sahne
10 Blättchen frischer Salbei
4 Zweige frischer Thymian
nach Geschmack Zucker
3 EL Calvados
1 EL Öl
zum Abschmecken Salz & Pfeffer

Slightly pepper and salt the medallions on both sides. Pluck the thyme, cut the sage into fine strips and roll the medallions in the herbs. Fry the meat in a pan with a little oil on both sides, not too hot, until it starts to colour. Remove from the pan and place on a preheated tray in the oven at 100 °C until cooked through.

Cook the tagliatelle al dente and keep warm.

In the meantime, peel the apples and cut into slices approx. 1.5 cm wide. Reheat the meat pan and add the apple slices. After about half a minute, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of sugar over the apples and allow them to caramelise. After a minute, deglaze the apple slices with a generous dash of Calvados and flambé. Add the cream and flavour with salt and pepper.

Remove the fillet from the oven. Add the meat juices from the oven dish to the sauce and serve the fillets with the tagliatelle, apple slices and Calvados apple sauce.

Riesling (trocken)

Light and fluffy: cashew coconut mousse with passion fruit Cashew coconut mousse with passion fruit

An airy cashew coconut mousse with passion fruit

400g Cashewkerne
400ml Haferdrink
6EL Agavendicksaft
6EL Kokosflocken
4 Passionsfrüchte
1 Prise Vanille

Place the cashews in a container and add enough water to cover the cashews sufficiently. Place the cashews in the fridge to soak overnight.

(With a high-performance blender, 3-4 hours is also sufficient.)

Drain the water and place the cashews in the blender with the oat milk, agave syrup and coconut flakes. Add the vanilla and blend until the mousse is creamy and no longer contains any chunks.

<p>Divide the mousse between four glasses. Halve the passion fruit, scrape out the flesh with a teaspoon and place on top of the mousse. Decorate with coconut flakes.

Pinot Blanc (süß & edelsüß)
Riesling (süß & edelsüß)

Cashew Kokos Mousse mit Maracuja transparent

the classic with a difference Franconian cider soup

the classic with a difference

500 ml Weißwein (Spätlese)
500 ml Geflügelbrühe
350 ml Sahne
30 Gramm Zwiebeln
30 Gramm Weißes vom Lauch
30 Gramm Sellerie
30 Gramm Karotten
30 Gramm Butter
180 Gramm Mehl
2 Lorbeerblätter
1 EL Butterschmalz
4 Scheiben Weißbrot
Nach Belieben Zucker, Muskat, Zimt, Salz

Sauté the vegetables in butter until lightly browned, dust with flour and then add the vegetable stock, wine and 250 ml cream. Add the spices and simmer for approx. 15 minutes.

Remove the crusts from the slices of white bread and cut into 1 cm cubes. Fry in hot clarified butter until golden brown and season with cinnamon, whip the remaining cream until stiff.

<p> Strain the soup and flavour with nutmeg and salt.

Pour into deep plates, garnish with whipped cream and the cinnamon crusts.