Sparkling wine

Sprudelnder Sekt

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.

Facts

  • 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.

with blueberries Banana and parsley waffles

with blueberries

  • 25 Gramm glatte Petersilie
  • 200 ml Milch
  • 2 Eier Größe L
  • 70 Gramm Zucker
  • 1 Päckchen Vanillezucker
  • 100 ml Öl
  • 75 Gramm Naturjoghurt
  • nach Belieben Butterschmalz oder Pfannenfett
  • 300 ml Sahne
  • 1 halbe Vanilleschote
  • 2,5 EL Puderzucker
  • 500 Gramm Blaubeeren
  • 100 ml weißer Traubensaft
  • 250 Gramm Mehl
  • 1 TL Backpulver
  • 200 Gramm überreife Bananen
  • eine Prise Meersalz

Dough:

Mix the flour, 1 pinch of salt and baking powder in a bowl and set aside.

Blend the bananas and parsley with 100 ml milk to a fine puree. Put to one side.

Separate the eggs. Mix the egg yolks with 20 g sugar, vanilla sugar, oil and banana puree until smooth. Stir in the flour mixture, milk and yoghurt with a whisk.

Beat the egg whites with 1 pinch of salt and the remaining sugar until stiff. Fold the beaten egg whites into the batter.

 

Topping:

Whip the cream with the seeds from the vanilla pod and 1.5 tbsp icing sugar until creamy (not too stiff!). Leave to cool.

Heat a large pan, lightly caramelise 1 tbsp of icing sugar, add the blueberries and toss briefly, deglaze with the grape juice and allow to reduce briefly.

 

Preheat the waffle iron and melt the clarified butter. Brush the waffle iron with a little clarified butter, ladle in the batter in batches and bake until golden brown. Serve with the topping.

  • Scheurebe (süß & edelsüß)
  • Silvaner (süß & edelsüß)

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

 

<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)

with pears, beans, parsley root and black walnuts Venison medallions

with pears, beans, parsley root and black walnuts

  • 12 Stück Rehmedaillions (a 80g)
  • 30 Gramm gebratene Speckstreifen
  • 200 ml Bechamelsauce
  • 3 EL Sonnenblumenöl
  • 8 kleine Petersilienwurzeln mit Grün (alternativ Knollensellerie)
  • 6 - 8 breite Schnippelbohnen
  • 1 große Birne
  • 4 - 6 schwarze Walnüsse
  • 100 ml Wildfond
  • 2 EL Butter
  • 2 Stängel glatte Petersilie
  • nach Geschmack Salz

Preheat the oven to 180 °C top and bottom heat. Clean, peel and trim the parsley roots. Clean the beans and cut into diagonal pieces. Blanch the parsley roots and beans separately in boiling salted water and rinse immediately in iced water.

 

Cut the walnuts into eighths and warm in the game stock. Wash the unpeeled pear, cut into eighths, remove the core and cut into thin slices. Fry the venison medallions on both sides in oil, then finish cooking in the oven for approx. 3 - 5 minutes.

 

In the meantime, toss the beans and parsley roots in melted butter and season with salt. Arrange the vegetables with the black walnuts and pear slices on large plates. Place the medallions on top, garnish with game stock, Béchamel sauce and bacon strips.

 

Tip: You can make your own black walnuts. To do this, prick the walnuts all over with a fork or skewer and place in water for 10 days. Change the water every day so that the tannic acid can drain off. Boil the nuts 3 times in salted water until they are deep black. Simmer with bay leaves and peppercorns for approx. 20 minutes until soft. Layer in preserving jars and cover with syrup. The nuts can be kept for approx. 1 year.

  • Spätburgunder / Pinot Noir (trocken)
  • Pinot Gris (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

 

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

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