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 wild mushrooms Cream of potato soup

with wild mushrooms

300 Gramm geschälte Kartoffeln
100 Gramm Wurzelgemüse
100 Gramm Waldpilze
1 ganze Zwiebel
1 ganze Knoblauchzehe
30 Gramm Speckwürfel
40 Gramm Margarine
750 ml Brühe
200 ml Sahne
1 Zweig Thymian
nach Belieben Petersilie, Butter, Salz, Pfeffer, Muskat

Clean, wash and finely dice the root vegetables. Finely dice the onion and garlic clove and finely chop the thyme. Sauté the diced bacon with the margarine in a pan until lightly browned, add the diced onion, garlic, root vegetables and thyme. Sauté, add the stock and cook for 2 minutes.

Finely grate the potatoes, add to the soup and cook for a further 5 minutes, add the cream, season and flavour. Clean, wash and chop the mushrooms and sauté in a pan with butter. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with chopped parsley and pour over the soup when serving.

Riesling (trocken)
Riesling (halbtrocken & feinherb)

with strong red wine Wild boar ragout

with strong red wine

800 Gramm Fleisch vom Wildschwein (Keule o. Schulter)
80 Gramm Bauchspeck
100 Gramm Zwiebeln
60 Gramm Karotten
60 Gramm Staudensellerie
1 TL Tomatenmark
200 ml kräftigen Rotwein
100 ml Portwein
1 Liter braune Wildbrühe
1 TL Preiselbeeren
1 EL geschlagene Sahne o. Sauerrahm
20 Gramm Mehl
1 Stück Lorbeerblatt
je 1 Zweig Rosmarin und Thymian
4 zerdrückte Wacholderbeeren
1/2 TL Senf
nach Belieben Salz & Pfeffer

Clean and wash the vegetables and cut into evenly sized cubes.

Remove the fat, skin and tendons from the wild boar meat and cut into 3 cm cubes. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with flour. Heat the oil in a frying pan and brown the meat on all sides. Add the vegetables and diced bacon and fry. Add the tomato purée and stir fry. Deglaze with the red wine and port, reduce and pour in the brown game stock. Add the spices to the meat in a small spice bag and leave the ragout to simmer in the oven at 160°C for approx. 1½ hours.

Then remove the pieces of meat, remove the spices, strain the sauce, add the cranberries and mustard and leave to reduce for about 15 minutes. If necessary, thicken with a little cornflour. Serve with the whipped cream.

Spätburgunder / Pinot Noir (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.

<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.