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

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.

Müller-Thurgau (trocken)
Silvaner (trocken)

to sweet selections Apple doughnuts with vanilla sauce

to sweet selections

5 große, säuerliche Äpfel
200 Gramm Mehl
2 Eier
250 ml Milch
2 EL Rum
Nach Bedarf Schmalz oder Öl
Nach Belieben Zimt, Zucker, Salz

Peel the apples and remove the core, cut into finger-thick, even slices. Drizzle with rum and sugar. Leave to infuse.

Stir the batter, it should be quite thick. Turn the apple rings in it and bake floating in hot fat until golden brown.

<p>Drain on kitchen paper and serve hot with cinnamon and sugar.

Riesling (süß & edelsüß)
Scheurebe (süß & edelsüß)

in a bacon coating Lamb

in a bacon coating

4 Stück Lammlachse à 150 g
4 Scheiben Bacon
0,1 Liter Wein
0,3 Liter Gemüsebrühe
1 kleine Schalotte
20 Gramm Butter
4 EL Olivenöl
je 2 Zweige Thymian, Rosmarin, Salbei
nach Geschmack Salz & Pfeffer

Season the lamb salmon with pepper and massage 2 tbsp of olive oil into the meat. Finely chop the thyme, rosemary and sage and season the meat in the herbs. Marinate in the fridge for a few hours.

<p>Wrap the meat with the bacon slices and sear on all sides in the remaining olive oil. Continue to cook for approx. 4 minutes on each side over a low heat (the cooking time depends on the thickness of the lamb loin - it is best to do a pressure test). Then wrap in aluminium foil and leave to rest in the oven at 80 °C – so they remain juicy and slightly pink on the inside.

This goes well with Bärlauch risotto.

Dornfelder (trocken)

with wild duck breast, porcini mushrooms and glazed chestnuts Herb salad

with wild duck breast, porcini mushrooms and glazed chestnuts

150 Gramm Wildkräuter
4 EL Olivenöl
2 EL Balsamessig
8 Stück Wildentenbrüste (a 100g)
2 EL Sonnenblumenöl
4 EL Honig
1 EL Thymian
200 Gramm Steinpilze
20 gekochte Maronen
100 ml Apfelsaft
2 El Zucker
nach Belieben Salz & Pfeffer

Clean, wash and pat dry the wild herbs. Marinate with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 220°C top and bottom heat. Season the wild duck breasts with salt and pepper, sear on the meat side in a pan with sunflower oil and cook in the preheated oven for about 8 minutes on the skin side. Remove the duck breast, brush the skin side with honey and thyme and roast for another 2 minutes on a high heat until crispy.

Clean the porcini mushrooms and cut into slices. Fry in a pan in oil on both sides, remove and keep warm. Caramelise the sugar in the pan, deglaze with the apple juice and simmer until the caramel has dissolved. Add the chestnuts and add a little more apple juice if necessary.