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 pumpkin and white wine sauce Pasta with pumpkin and white wine sauce

with pumpkin and white wine sauce

750 Gramm Butternut-Kürbis(se)
3 kleine Zwiebeln
2 Zehen Knoblauch
1 Becher Crème fraîche
250 ml trockener Weißwein
500 ml Gemüsebrühe
25 Gramm Parmesan oder ähnlicher Hartkäse
400 Gramm Spaghetti oder andere Nudeln
nach Geschmack Salz, Pfeffer, Zucker
4 EL Kürbiskerne, evtl. gehackt
nach Belieben Muskat, Thymian

Sauté the garlic and onions until translucent. Dice the butternut squash and add, season with pepper and sugar. When the cubes are still firm, pour in the white wine and vegetable stock. Continue cooking until the squash is firm to the bite.

In the meantime, cook and drain the pasta.

Add the thyme, nutmeg, salt and crème fraîche to the boiling pumpkin, bring to the boil and thicken. Stir in the parmesan and season to taste. You can also crush some diced pumpkin to make the sauce sweeter.

Arrange the pasta on plates and top with the pumpkin sauce.

Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds.

Scheurebe (trocken)

with fresh chanterelles Autumn bruschetta

with fresh chanterelles

4 Ciabatta-Brötchen
200 Gramm kleine Pfifferlinge
4 EL kleingehackte Petersilie
4 Zehen Knoblauch
80 Gramm Pecorino (Hartkäse)
8 EL kaltgepresstes Olivenöl
Eine Prise Salz & Pfeffer

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.

Clean the chanterelles. Sauté the parsley in a pan with half of the oil, then add the mushrooms and cook over a low heat for approx. 5 minutes.

Slice the rolls and bake for approx. 5 minutes until crispy.

Chop the garlic into small pieces, spread on the warm bread rolls and drizzle with the other half of the oil. Coarsely grate the pecorino.

Stir the chanterelle and parsley mixture into the pecorino and spread over the halves of the rolls.

Pinot Gris (trocken)
Federweißer (brut nature)

with goat's cheese Courgette and chanterelle salad

with goat's cheese

2 ganze Zucchini
3 EL Rapsöl
1 kleine Schalotte
300 Gramm Pfifferlinge
1 Msp. gemahlener Piment
2 Bund Rucola
je 1/2 Bund Kerbel u. glatte Petersilie
je 3 EL Walnuss- u. Rapsöl
4 Stück Ziegenkäse-Taler
1 Prise Zucker
nach Belieben Salz & Pfeffer

Salad:

Wash the courgettes and slice thinly. Place in a bowl and mix with the oil.

Heat a grill pan and fry the courgettes in batches until golden brown. Season with salt and pepper, place in a bowl.

<p>Peel and finely dice the shallot. Clean the chanterelles, wash if necessary and pat dry. Depending on size, cut in half if necessary.

<p>Sauté the shallot in a pan until translucent. Add the chanterelles and fry vigorously for 3 minutes while stirring. Season with salt, pepper and allspice. Add to the courgettes. Wash the rocket and spin dry.

Dressing:

Wash the herbs, shake dry. Pluck the leaves, blend finely with both types of oil and vinegar in a blender or with a hand blender. Flavour with salt, pepper and sugar. Pour over the courgette and chanterelle mix and mix loosely with the rocket. Arrange on plates, sprinkle with goat's cheese.

Pinot Blanc (trocken)

with white wine Cauliflower soup

with white wine

3 Stück Schalotten
500 Gramm Blumenkohl
20 Gramm Butter
1 TL Fenchelsaat
50 ml Weißwein
800 ml Gemüsebrühe
100 ml Schlagsahne
1 Prise Zucker
nach Geschmack Salz & Pfeffer

Peel the shallots and cut into slices.

Clean and chop the cauliflower.

Melt the butter in a pan, sauté the shallots with the fennel seeds over a medium heat for 3 minutes until colourless. Add the cauliflower, sauté for 2 minutes, season with salt and sugar.

<p>Deglaze with white wine, bring to the boil and top up with vegetable stock and whipping cream. Simmer over a low heat for 20 minutes.

Blend with a hand blender, adding stock if necessary to reach the desired consistency.

Serve drizzled with a few drops of olive oil.