Sparkling wine

deutscher Winzersekt auf dem Mainzer Wochenmarkt

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 semi-frozen goat's milk Lavender waffles

with semi-frozen goat's milk

2 Stück Eigelb
60 ml Ziegenmilch
500 Gramm weiße Kuvertüre
125 ml Sahne
Abrieb und Saft einer halben Orange
2 cl Tresterbrand
8 Blatt Minze
125 Gramm Mehl

Semi-frozen goat's milk: Beat the egg yolks and goat's milk in a bowl over a hot bain-marie until creamy. Remove from the bain-marie and beat the cream until cold. Flavour with the zest of the orange and the marc brandy.

Liquefy the couverture in a bain-marie and stir into the lukewarm egg mixture. Whip the cream until stiff and carefully fold in. Line a parfait tin (triangular or gutter shape) with cling film. Pour in the mixture and smooth out. Cover well with cling film and leave to freeze in the freezer for at least 8 hours.

About 20 minutes before serving, remove the mould from the freezer and turn the parfait out of the mould. Remove the foil and cut the semi-frozen parfait into 8 slices.

Lavender wafers: Lightly mash the butter in a mixing bowl with a fork. Add the sugar and stir a little. Add half of the milk, the lavender sugar and the baking powder. Stir in the eggs and finally the rest of the milk. Mix everything well with a hand mixer for about 2 minutes to create a homogeneous, slightly liquid mixture. Bake the batter in batches in a waffle iron until golden brown.</p

Arrange 2 slices of semifreddo on each waffle on a flat plate and decorate with mint leaves.

Riesling (halbtrocken & feinherb)

with semi-dry wines Flädlesuppe

with semi-dry wines

1 Bund Schnittlauch
1 Liter Fleischbrühe
150 Gramm Weizenmehl
300 ml Milch
nach Belieben Speckschwarte zum ausreiben der Pflanne
Etwas Salz

Make a smooth, not too thick batter from the flour, milk, eggs and a pinch of salt. Heat a heavy frying pan on a high heat, rub with bacon fat, pour in a small dollop of batter, allow to spread and fry thin pancakes (flädle).

Leave the pancakes to cool, halve and cut into thin strips.

Place in clear, very hot meat stock and serve immediately.

Trollinger (halbtrocken & feinherb)

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.

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)

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.

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

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.