Sex sells! Wine is no exception.

Have you ever heard of a grape variety called Domina? Well, no worries, Domina only plays a minor role in the German wine market and has only locally some importance. The total vineyard area of Domina is about 400 hectares and almost 85% (340 ha) are planted in Franconia (Franken). Here it has got some awareness as this region originally is a designated white wine region and yes, Domina is a red variety.

Typically wines made from Domina are deep red, almost black, full bodied but earthy and high in acid and tannins. Earthy and smoky flavors, paired with dark fruit like blackberry make up their bouquet. They usually don’t reach to the elegance of a Pinot Noir (aka Spätburgunder), which is also widely grown here, but nevertheless it has got its fan base among the red wine connoisseurs. This is why you find lots of pure Domina wines in Franconia, whereas in other regions it is often used as a partner in blends to take advantage of the dark color and its extracts.

So, where is the hook to the headline? What is so sexy about this all? Well, in Germany the word Domina nowadays has quite a juicy sound. The original meaning of it (abbess) is not in use anymore but it is used now for a dominant lady in a sexual meaning (in English: Dominatrix). Think of black leather, strong and dominant attitudes, that’s what the Domina wines are associated with. What a marketing coup, isn’t it?

Well, to come to the defense of the cultivator of the grape, Peter Morio, when he crossbred this grape from its parents the Blauer Portugieser and Pinot Noir back in 1927 the word Domina still got its original meaning. What a prospective naming!

Today, with respect to our understanding of self-determination and the right of sexual autonomy, the sexual card isn’t played much in the marketing of the Domina wines anymore, but recently I found an old billboard with an ad for Domina wines, leading the way down to the cellars of a big cooperative winery. At least this made me quite curious about what I would be faced with in the deep dark vaults of the cellar. So you see, it still works!

In other words: Ten weeks of workout can make you feel sexy again, so does one bottle of Domina. 

Happy Easter! Wine out of eggs?

Eggs are all around these days, also in the wine cellars. No kidding! But this time it's nothing to do with Easter, I promise.

At the moment we are facing the next trend in wine cellars in Germany. Well, actually this is not a new method at all, at least it is one of the oldest ways to produce wine, but it is revived by winemakers and transfered into the present. Wine out of the egg!

After vessels of wood, plastics, steel and wood again, it's concrete this time. Eggs made of concrete, to produce and mature wine. One would think this is just wool-gathering or esoteric nonsense but the results proof sceptics to be wrong. Part of this actually is kind of esoteric as the egg is seen as a perfect shape to let energy (and wine) homogenious circulate. No lumps and bumps. But honestly, the wines out of eggs I tasted up to now totally satisfied me and refuted my skepticism.

At least some of the most recognized vintners here in Franconia use the egg by way of trail. One of those, the Weingut am Stein, sitting in the famous vineyard called Würzburger Stein, already is beyond the test and trail phase, as they built a completely new cellar for their seven concrete eggs, where some of their best Silvaner grapes mature. Besides this there are also some amphoras buried here where wine matures "on its mash", just like it was made in the early days and still is widely done in Georgia, where the Qvevri called amphoras originally come from. The Qvevri is also shaped like an egg, an as said, used since the beginnings.

But what makes up this wines? No idea if just my mind played a trick on me, but the samples I tasted were quite smooth and rounded, like the shape of the vessels. But there is some evidence that could explain this a bit. Of course the unhampered flow of the juice and the yeasts foster the homogenious fermentation and maturation of the wine. Experts are at odds if the concrete facilitates the micro-oxidation because of its porosity. Recently I had the chance to talk to an academic of the leading research instistute, the Landesanstalt für Wein- und Gartenbau in Veitshöchheim (regional institute for wine and agriculture), who contradicted this theory. As the concrete usually is quite aggressive against acid it has to be prepared against this, otherwise it would completely neutralize the acids in the wine. By this preparation the pores are closed so that there is no chance for oxigen to come through.

Another theory is that the thick concrete covering sees to it that the temperature is somewhat buffered, but this is also with a stainless steel vessel and temperature control. Actually it is harder to cool the juice during fermentation within the egg. So this seems also not to be the reason. But what's it then?

My personal theory is that a vintner, who is engaged in trying this new methods, is much more sensitive and caring for his wines and therefore could only produce excellent wines. And probably at least there is something inbetween science and belief. The egg is perfectly shaped to the Golden ratio, let it be esoteric, which closes the circle to the beginning of this post.

Let it flow... ah, and Happy Easter after all!
Ingo

100th anniversary of the Scheurebe

Let’s go back, way back, back in 1916. We are looking over the shoulder of Dr. Georg Scheu, who is breeding vines at the regional office of winegrowers in Alzey, in the German wine region Palatinate. He is working as a viticulturalist, cultivating seedlings of vitis vinifera, to create new noble grapes. Indeed he is already known for the creation of many crossbred grape varieties. Somewhen in 1916 Georg planted the seedling number 88 of a hybrid and this one should become his heritage.

A Bocksbeutel of Scheurebe from Franconia

This grape gathered the best of both of its parents, the Riesling and the Bukettraube. Wines made of this grape have a distinctive aroma (German: Bukett) of one of the parents and the racy acidity of the other one. The new grape variety is named for his discoverer Scheurebe (“rebe” means in German “vine”).

Today, one hundred years later, the Scheurebe is under the Top 10 of the white grape varieties in Germany. It also plays a role in Austria where it still is called Sämling 88 (Seedling 88), because of the 88^th seedling Georg Scheu planted back then.

Scheurebe is the German answer to the Sauvignon Blanc. Usually highly aromatic, dominated by rich blackcurrant aromas supplemented with grapefruit, gooseberry and elderflower. Well-made wines of the Scheurebe are full-bodied. Often they are produced semidry, so they have some residual sugar, which compliments quite well the flavors.

The Scheurebe, I had in my glass, was from the German wine region Franconia, you could recognize this by the shape of the bottle, called Bocksbeutel. This one is from a town called Sommerach on the Isle of Wine, a lovely piece of land completely surrounded by the River Main.

Let’s praise Georg Scheu for this great breeding 100 years ago!

Cheerio!

Ten out of forty thousand - a nice selection of a great collection

How many bottles of wine do you store in you cellar? Ten, twenty or even a hundred? What about 40.000!? Yes, forty thousand. That’s the number of bottles that an elderly married couple in Würzburg, Franconia, collected over the last 40 years. And this are just the bottles which were stored away. Uncounted the wines that were drunk by Wolfgang and Luise Koegel, since they were infected with the wine-virus back in the 1970s. They made it their hobby to drive through the German wine regions and visit wineries almost each weekend.

Ten out of forty thousand

They amassed this great collection and till this day they open a bottle each day. Now in their 90^th the lease of their cellar was resigned and they had to decide what to do with all those wines. Be it fate or coincidence, they converged with Martin Steinmann, the owner of the wine estate Schloss Sommerhausen, who instantly was stunned by this compilation of German wines of the last 40 years.

But what to do with those wines? Taken by inquisitiveness about this hoard, Martin agreed to care about this fanciful assortment. The challenge was not only the mere number of the bottles but also that there were almost no duplicates, which made it barely impossible to commercialize this selection. By another coincidence the Vinum wine magazine got attention of this. This and the fact that the Koegls had no commercial interest with their wine heritage saw to it, that they bore the idea to salvage this for charity purposes.

Tasting for charity

“Transferring all the bottles to one of the cellars of the Weingut Schloss Sommerhausen was a challenging task, but the bigger exercise was - and still is - to screen and classify the bottles”, Martin comments this. The idea was to pack six bottles each into a cardboard box and merchandise them as a surprise package. The net profit of this benefits the charitable organization Wine Saves Life e.V. supporting child welfare in developing countries.

Besides this, Martin hosts a surprise wine tasting of ripe wines each month. Lucky me, I could attend one of this tastings. We had a line-up of ten white wines of vintages between 1976 and 1993, dominated by the German Riesling grape, but also one of Muskateller, of a Traminer and of a Scheurebe. One surprise was, that all of the wines were still drinkable, but the bigger surprise was how excellent some developed and matured. Especially Riesling with some residual sugar matures pretty well. The typical fruity flavors are complemented by balmy notes like honey, resin or wax.

You need not to collect 40.000 bottles but you could consider to store away some of your favorite wines for later. Much later! Ah, and if you don’t want to wait until then, I know from good authority, that there are still some surprise packages left. You could try to get one via the Vinum magazine (www.vinum.de/weinsammlung). See also www.winesaveslifes.de and www.sommerhausen.com for more information.

1993 Ortenberger Schloßberg
Muskateller Spätlese

1989 Wachenheimer Fuchsmantel
Riesling Spätlese

1984 Schloßböckelheimer Kupfergrube
Riesling

1983 Forster Ungeheuer
Riesling Spätlese trocken

1983 Niersteiner Petersberg
Scheurebe Spätlese

1983 Dürkheimer Michelsberg
Riesling Auslese

1976 Johannisberger Hölle
Riesling Auslese

Franconian wine boarded the Ark of Taste

In one of my early posts I told you about a very special wine from Franconia, called “Alter Satz”. The specialty of this wine is that it is vinified from a great variety of grapes -35 in total - which grow together in a single vineyard and are harvested and vinified together. This viticulture is known as “Gemischter Satz” (mixed planting).

Alter fränkischer Satz

What in the distant past was something like the perils insurance for the vintner to ensure that even in bad years he can harvest at least anything is nowadays a precious refuge of biodiversity. But there remained not many of those spots, because this doesn’t fit into a modernized, even industrialized viticulture. Especially in the German wine region of Franconia some vintners sustained such vineyards and preserved this tradition. Here this is called “Alter fränkischer Satz” and the Slow-Food organization recognized the deserving protection of it.

In the truest sense of the motto “eat and drink what you want to preserve” the Slow-Food Foundation for Biodiversity nominated the “Alter fränkischer Satz” as a new passenger to the Ark of Taste. The Ark of Taste lists more than 2000 heritage foods, plant and animal species from all over the world, which are at risk of disappearing. It focusses on the pleasure of good food with the commitment to the region it comes from and to the environment. By consuming those produce everyone can contribute to their preservation, because only if there is demand they will be produced. To be part of this Ark is a great honor for the tradition of Franconian winemaking.

You want to know how this wine tastes! Well that’s a pretty tough question and there is no easy answer. Take thirty and more grape varieties which are in different composition in each vineyard and in different degrees of ripeness. Harvest and vinify them together. Do I need to explain more? This is a too complex equation to solve. Each wine and each vintage is unique, and that’s what makes this so outstanding and worthy to preserve.

The Alsace: French wine with German cousinhood

Gewurztraminer from the Alsace

Alsace, the wine region in the north-east of France, has quite a rumbling history and changed its national affiliation several times between France and Germany in recent centuries, of course not always by choice as you can imagine.

Nowadays there is no conflict about the national belonging anymore but nevertheless the people there maintained a pleasant mixture of both nationalities. The exquisite cuisine definitely is influenced by the French. But people in the Alsace still widely speak a German based accent, no surprise, the Alsace is just across the Rhine from Germany. So the region is closer to the German wine region Palatinate (Pfalz) than to the other French wine regions. This is the main reason why the viticulture is more influenced by the German wines than by the French ones.

The Vin d’Alsace got AOC status, but other than in the other French regions it usually is made of a single grape rather than as a Cuvée of several grapes. The dominant varieties are the traditional German grapes like Riesling, Sylvaner or Gewürztraminer. More than 90% are white wines.

The Gewurztraminer (spelt without the German “ü”) got intensive flowery and spicy flavors (spice means “Gewürz” in German), low acidity and often some residual sugar. So has the one I choose this time.

The Gewurztraminer traditionally pairs quite well with a tarte or with goat cheese. I went for the second option and served with honey and spices marinated cream goat cheese together with the wine.

Santé and zum Wohl!

Relaunch of Franconias Bocksbeutel

From time to time you find posts from me with this rounded flat bellied bottle called Bocksbeutel, which is the quasi trademark of Franconian wine.
Today the newly designed Bocksbeutel was presented to the public. The silhouette remained almost the same but it became more "edged".

The design was made by the renowned German designer Peter Schmidt, this is why the bottle is named Bocksbeutel(PS).

What do you think of this new appearance?

Bocksbeutel PS - Photo credits: Haus des Frankenweins / Rolf Nachbar

Barolos and Barbarescos little stepsister

Barbera d'Asti with ravioli

When talking about wine from the Piedmont in Italy, we almost immediately think of the great Barolo. Of course this is the flagship wine of this region, with worldwide reputation. The Barolo is made of the Nebbiolo grape and his sister of the same grape – the Barbaresco – also stands out of the mass. But the Piedmont has lots more to offer than this, for sure, outstanding grape.

There are also other grapes grown in the Piedmont, one is the Barbera. There is a DOCG called Barbera d’Asti which sets high standards for the viticulture of this grape and the wines produced from it. When we were in the Piedmont last year, I also took some bottles of the Barbera home with me, of course besides some other bottles of the Barolo. But whereas the Barolos need at least 15 to 20 years to mature before they are best to be drunk, the Barbera, with its much softer tannins, reaches its maturity much earlier. So lucky me, I released one of the Barbera d’Asti from my cellar to open it.

This one is a 2012 Barbera d’Asti DOCG, Superiore. Superiore means that it is higher in alcohol and was matured at least 14 month, of which 6 month had to be in wooden casks. This one had a characteristic fruity flavor of morello cherry and some herbal notes. The moderate tannins and a crisp acidity complemented its rounded, medium-heavy body.

So, what to pair with this wine? If you are unsure what to pair with a wine then first think of where it comes from and second, what are traditional dishes or specialties from there. Quite often the viticulture and the cuisine of a region evolved mutually, so that the traditional dishes pair very well with the wines of the region.

Besides its wines the Piedmont is famous for its truffles. So we decided to go for ravioli filled with a pastry of truffles and a salsa of tomatoes and grilled veg. After all, a good choice I’d say.

Alla salute!

Catfish and Riesling

Catfish with Franconian Riesling

In Franconia there are relatively few natural lakes. To supply the demand for domestic fish there evolved lots of small fish farms during the last centuries. Many of them grow fish in ponds which are fished dry each year during fall season.  So this is the season to have the best domestic fish like carp, trout or catfish.

You could have catfish in all different sizes and there are some restaurants where you could order a fish in advance for a certain number of ‘eaters’. There were three of us with this boiled catfish here. Together with potatoes and a traditional horseradish sauce this was delicious.

We opted for a Riesling from Franconia together with the fish. Riesling is one of the most versatile white wines, which goes well along with many dishes. Pretty well of course with fishes.

It’s pumpkin season!

Risotto with squash and German wine

I love this time of the year, when the nature becomes so colorful. Leaves turn yellow, red and brown and harvest is on its height. And it is pumpkin season!

There are lots of different dishes you could have with pumpkin. I went for a traditional style risotto together with roasted dices of a red kuri squash. To dice the squash is not too easy and needs a good knife and muscles, but the effort definitely is worth it. By roasting the squash it gets a creamy consistency and together with the risotto it almost cries for a wine which takes this texture up and complements the nutty flavors.

A wine which has all this is a full-bodied Pinot Gris which matured in wood. Pinot Gris (or Pinot Grigio) is called Grauburgunder in German, this is what you see on the label here. This one from Franconia got aromas of ripe yellow fruits like peach or quince. Yes yellow (and orange) are nice colors, especially these days.

Un pique-nique en Alsacea

A pique-nique with wine

It is the time to recall this grandiose summer we had here in Europe this year. A lot of sunshine and a tropical heat gave us great opportunities to stay outside.
I had a great time travelling through the Alsace in France and enjoyed the local specialities there. There are delicious things like pasty, salami and all kind of cheese, ah, and of course the baguette.

What else? Well, you know me good enough by now to guess what we had with the food: Of course, an outstanding wine of the region.

The Alsace is one of the French wine regions but given by its history and geography, next to Germany, it is more influenced by the German viticulture.
Here most wines are made of a single grape variety which is named on the bottle whereas in the other parts of France the wines usually are blended and the “appellacion d'origine” (designation of origin) is the predominant characterization.

Another analogy to Germany are the grape varietals which are cultivated here. Riesling is the most common one, alongside with Gewürztraminer, Pinot Blanc or the Sylvaner.

We had a Riesling together with our specialities at the picnic in the green near the lovely city of Colmar. Riesling is a great all-rounder to pair with a lot of different kind of food and flavours.

À votre santé!

White wine with the fish!

Roter Veltliner from Austria

Although this is not the full truth you will be on the safe side if you follow this rule.

The proteins of fish do not harmonize well with tannins and reds in general have got more tannins than whites. If you want to pair a red with fish you should choose one with soft tannins like a light Pinot Noir or a Rosé. Avoid also too heavy woodened ones and this applies to both, reds and whites. A heavily woodened Chardonnay would also not be the best choice.

We had a roasted gilthead, which could have coped with a light red but we choose a white grape called Roter Veltliner from Austria. This grape is a quite rare one and despite its name it is not related with the most famous Austrian grape, the Grüner Veltliner. It is a fruity type of wine with a crisp acidity. This one is called Wiener Symphoniker, because it was choosen as the house wine for the Symphonic Orchestra of Vienna.

Perfect for this symphony of a dish.

We call it Schnitzel

Variation of Schnitzel

You hardly find a traditional German restaurant not serving at least one dish of Schnitzel. The variations of Schnitzel is unbelievable, not only of different meat, like pork, veal or turkey, but also of different recipes. Most common is the Wiener Schnitzel (viennese schnitzel) which traditionally is a breaded veal escalope, served with potatoes or fries. There are others with a sauce e.g. with mushroom, the Jägerschnitzel (hunters schnitzel) or like we had, a Paprikaschnitzel with bell pepper (Paprika), tomatoes and onions.

But what to drink with a Schnitzel? Probably 9 out of 10 Germans you ask this question would say: Beer! Well, I am the one who answers: Wine. Of course! :-)

We had a Gelber Muskateller (Muscat blanc à petits grains), which is a quite aromatic wine. This one is from the German wine region Pfalz (Palatinate), a sun-blessed region in the south-west near France, producing opulent wines. The wine is semi-sweet which pairs quite well with the spicy and sweet aromas of the salsa. It definitely would also go well with asian food.

If you ever stumble into a German restaurant, have a Schnitzel and remember me by ordering a wine.

Old vine from the old winery

Riesling with chicken

Probably you wonder that ze German guy almost never talks about THE German grape, the Riesling. Well here we are!

For sure, Riesling is the best known German grape variety. It is well aromatic, usually of ripe peaches and flowers and it has a tangy acidity caused by the continental climate here in Germany. The wines of the Riesling are real all-rounders, to pair with a lot of dishes. And the wine is very long lasting, indeed it evolves quite well the longer you preserve it in the bottle (given that you store it dark and cool).

This one here in my glass is called “Alte Reben” which means “old vine”. But this refers to the age of the vines rather than to the age of the wine. It is said that the older the vines the better the quality of the wine. Old vines have a very huge rootstock to bring up the best of the soil and this makes up the quality of a wine.

Probably you can decipher the year date on the emblem of the winery, the Staatliche Hofkeller located in Würzburg, the heart of Franconia. The number is 1128 and yes, this is the year when the winery was founded. By this the Hofkeller is one of the oldest wineries in the world.

Today we paired our Riesling with a roast chicken, prepared with a marinade of honey, oil, paprika and herbs. Together with a fresh salad really delicious.

About bread and grape varieties

A German Brotzeit with wine

There are almost innumerous grape varieties in Germany but have you ever heard about how many variations of bread we have? Over 1,000! Yes, bread... different! And I am not talking about different shapes but of different recipes. Bread is kind of a national heritage and national pride. No surprise that we have an own meal we “celebrate” regularly, called Brotzeit (bread-time), like the tea-time in good old Britain.

Most common is sourdough rye bread, which you can have as basis for either sweet or savory toppings. Especially in the southern part of Germany you have a cold dish in the evening, with sausages, ham, cheese and pickles in all different variations. This is a Brotzeit.

I had goat cream cheese as basis layer and a topping of tomatoes, fresh and dried, with some green garnish from the herb garden. A perfect summer dish.

And what would suit better than a summer wine? The typical summer wine, in my point of view, is a chilled rosé. This one is a rosé of the Muskattrollinger grape from the Württemberg region, which is the main growing region of this grape. Muskattrollinger is a blue grape also known as Muscat Hamburg, which originally is a table grape. But the crazy Germans make wine of everything, even from table grapes.

The spicy, highly aromatic flavor is a reminiscent of the Muscat aroma and the slightly sweet taste pairs perfectly with the creamy cheese and the tomatoes. With 11% vol. alcohol this is a nice fellow for these warm evenings on the terrace.

What are your favorite terrace pairings?

Stay tuned

Lentils love Pinot Blanc

Pinot Blanc with fish and lentils

And I love lentils, yes and of course do I also love Pinot Blanc. You wonder why I talk about Pinot Blanc all the time but you can’t see anything of this in the picture? Well, this is because Pinot Blanc translates into German as Weissburgunder and that’s what you find on the label here.

In German all Pinots have this ending “-burgunder”, which means Burgundy grape. Pinot Noir is Spät_burgunder_, Pinot Gris is Grau_burgunder_ and Pinot Blanc is Weiss_burgunder_.

A ripe Pinot Blanc, preferably matured on the lees, has got the perfect creamy mouthfeel to pair with this smooth and earthy texture of the lentils. Yes of course, in this case the lentils are just the side dish for the pickerel but they are the predominant taste on the plate. The fish is fine with the white wine anyway so lets concentrate on the higher intense flavors on the plate to pair with our wine. This is quite often the sauce or the side dish rather than the main component.

Who loves lentils as much as I do (and as the Weissburgunder does)?!

What a great finale of the asparagus season!

Asparagus salad with Italian wine

In Germany asparagus is the first domestic vegetable in the year and from the start of the season mid of April until the last harvest - which traditionally is latest at the 24th of June – you won’t find a local restaurant not serving at least one dish with asparagus. Most common is the white asparagus, usually served boiled together with potatoes and traditionally paired with a light white wine like a Silvaner.

Fortunately the end of the asparagus seasons falls into the beginning of the strawberry season. A great chance to bring together both for a delicate salad. Green asparagus suits perfect with the delicious fruits and a sweetened vinaigrette.

This tasty salad goes pretty well together with a more aromatic wine like a Sauvignon Blanc. I choose one from the Northeast of Italy, the wine region called Friuli. The Sauvignon Blanc corresponds with its grassy and flowery flavors and its straight fruity taste on the palate quite well with the savory taste of the green asparagus and the fruity notes of the strawberries. Acidity on both sides - the wine and the vinaigrette - complete the flavor experience.

Enjoy!

What the heck is a Bocksbeutel?!

Have you ever wondered what it is about this flat, fat bellied bottles you see in many posts about German wine from Franconia? Ugh… what is Franconia? Well then let’s start from the beginning.

Franconia (German: Franken) is one of the 13 defined wine regions in Germany producing quality and premium wines. It is famous especially for its white wines from the Sylvaner grape. Characteristic for Franconia is also the shape of the bottles in use. Special wines of a certain minimum quality and regionally typical grapes are filled in those unique shaped bottles called the Bocksbeutel [spelled: box-boy-tell].

The Bocksbeutel is proven to be used in Franconia for wine for at least 290 years and just recently there has been an “archeological” trove of a Bocksbeutel in NY during construction works. This one evidentially was imported over 100 years ago to the States. Simply by the shape of the bottle (and a seal) the origin was easily allocated to the Bürgerspital estate of Würzburg, Franconia, Germany. Try this in a hundred years with a typical in Bordeaux-style shaped bottle.

The history dates back to at least 1726, when the City Council of Würzburg - the capital of the Franconian wine region - decided that the outstanding wines from the Würzburger Stein vineyard had to be bottled in the Bocksbeutel. The intention of using this special shaped bottle was to protect against forgery. Though today forgery is not the major concern anymore the Bocksbeutel is still used for excellent wines from all over Franconia.

Try and find out!

Is there good Port anywhere apart from the Douro valley?

I am an aficinado of Portwine. This sweet, fortified wine from the lovely Douro River in Portugal got me when I first tasted it.

Allesverloren Vintage wine in Portwine style

Well, this one seems to be a candidate. It's the 2009 Fine old Vintage of the Allesverloren Estate in Swartland, SA. Interestingly it's made from the traditional grape varieties of the original Portwine, Tinta Barocca, Souzao, Pontac and a blend of Malvasia Rey, Tinta Roritz, Tinta Francisca and Touriga Nacional.

To be honest, I was allured by the name "Allesverloren" which is German for "all is lost". Obviously the estate was facing some bad times somewhen in the past, but nowadays their wines are definetly a bargain.

Nothing is lost with this wine, just the ashes of the cigar are.

Alter Satz - Heritage of biodiversity

Traditional Franconian Bocksbeutel bottles

In 1835 first European settlers landed on the north banks of the Yarra River, Australia, in California the gold rush began and in Franconia, Germany, a small vineyard was planted with at least 35 different grape varieties.

A lot changed since then, Yarra Valley became a spot on the map of wine regions, wine became the new gold in California but the small vineyard in Franconia remained as it was back then. Almost forgotten, for god’s sake, too far apart from other vineyards to merge with and too far for Phylloxera to reach, so that there was no need for clearing and grubbing it. Almost 180 years later the vines still produce grapes and thankfully there is a vintner – Otmar Zang of Sommerach - who is anxious to preserve this heritage by caring for this vineyard called “Rimbacher Landsknecht”.

The Gemischter Satz - farmers perils insurance

What today seems completely absurd, to plant in one vineyard 35 different varieties, was back then in Franconia the norm. A so called “Gemischter Satz” (mixed planting) was the perils insurance for the farmer to harvest at least something even in years with bad weather conditions, and there were lots of those back then. Even if some grapes would not ripen others would. And not to forget, the vast biodiversity is a perfect measure of pest management because pests and diseases can’t specialize on certain plants.

No surprise, the wine made from this vineyard is outstanding. The diversity of varieties translates into an overwhelming complexity. The aroma is rather weak in the intensity, without clearly defined peaks, but is composed of too many different impressions to describe it comprehensively. Furthermore it is almost senseless to describe the taste of this wine because it would never be the same again. All 35 varieties are harvested together, this means that each vintage is different. What almost certainly will retain in each vintage is the pleasant minerality which originates from the 30 to 50 ft. deep rootage of the vines in the shell limestone of this area. A distinct acidity is also characteristic for Franconia and so it is for this wine.

The wine is called “Alter Satz” which refers both to the old (German: “alt”) vines as well as to the “Gemischter Satz”, the mixed planting. “Satz” also translates into “sentence” or “phrase” which is a nice analogy. In other words, a single grape variety is like a violin but a “Gemischter Satz” is an orchestra.

You are interested in what grape varieties are planted there, well so is Otmar Zang as well. Of the 35 different varieties there are only 16 identified yet. Even the experts of the Federal Research Institute of viticulture (Bundesforschungsanstalt für Rebzüchtung) could not identify the remaining 19 definitely. Predominant is the oldest German variety “Elbling” which almost disappeared from today’s wine lists. Of course the Franconian signature grape the green Silvaner can be found there but also its less known sisters yellow and red Silvaner. Others are e.g. Aligote, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir, Riesling, Heunisch, Muscateller, Traminer and Gutedel (Chasselas) varieties.

Now, did I water your mouth? If so, then I am deeply sorry to tell you that you need to come over to Franconia to taste it. There are only about 2.000 Bocksbeutel filled each year of this precious wine. But in this case precious does not automatically mean expensive. The 2013 “Alter Satz”, Rimbacher Landsknecht, Franken is listed with 13,50 EUR for the 0,75 liter Bocksbeutel bottle.

Enjoy!