I Love German Wine and Food - A Scheurebe Spaetlese

I had never even heard of the Scheurebe grape until I read a arresting book, Papilles et Molecules by one of Canada's (Quebec's) top sommeliers and wine authors, Francois Chartier. This book opens new vistas in wine and food pairings. Chartier is a proponent of this grape variety, which he identifies as a fraternal twin of Gewuertztraminer and a cousin of Sauvignon Blanc. It is a cross between Riesling and, in spite of the marketing materials quoted below, an unknown grape variety. between you and me, grape crosses are regularly not all that good. Note, the word usually. Let's give this grape collection a chance. In the interest of full disclosure, I recently translated Chartier's book into English and will be writing more about it once the book is published.

The Pfalz is a very special area in southwestern Germany near the border with Alsace, France. Like Alsace, this is wine country. There is a great wine road for exploring the local production. You may want to visit Neustadt and its wine suburbs. In this lucky part of the world October means the Deutsches Weinlesefest (German Wine Harvest Festival) complete with a German Wine Queen and a parade with one hundred floats.

Swiss Twins

Before reviewing the Pfalz wine that we were lucky sufficient to buy at a local wine store, here are a few suggestions of what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this beautiful region. Start with Schonhof Pfaennchen (Ham Gratin in Brandy Cream Sauce). For your second course enjoy Rumpsteak mit Bratkartofflen (Beef Steak with Home Fried Potatoes). And for sweetmeat indulge yourself with Basilihumels (Basil Ice Cream).

Our Wine quote course All wines that we taste and quote are purchased at the full sell price.

Wine Reviewed
Pfeffingen Scheurebe Spaetlese 2007 11.0% alcohol about

Let's start by quoting the marketing materials. Description: Scheurebe is a astounding grape collection to explore. A crossing of Riesling and Silvaner, this collection was developed by (and is named after) famed viticulturalist Dr. Georg Scheu. The grape thrives in sandy soils, so Pfeffingen's sand- and limestone-rich Ungsteiner Herrenberg vineyard is an ideal home. This wine expresses rich grapefruit, lime and mineral character. Its moderate sweetness is balanced by racy acidity, foremost to a lip-smacking finish. And now for my review.

At the first sips the wine was authentically delicious. What a composition of sweetness and acidity. The first pairing complex gradually cooked beef ribs that were accompanied by sliced potatoes and overly spicy salsa containing tomato, onion, lime, cilantro and green peppers. The wine was strongly gift when dealing with the fatty meat. It's sweetness was not a problem. The dominant taste was grapefruit. It became more acidic with the potatoes. The lime in the wine joined the lime in the salsa, taming its spiciness. sweetmeat was orange-flavored fruit candy, which managed to mute the wine which also lost acidity. I was out of wine and there was still some candy left. But there was no way that I would waste the wine on this candy.

The next meal was much more former for a sweet white wine; namely barbecued chicken with potatoes that was roasted in chicken fat and a gradually spicy oriental tomato salad. The Scheurebe was very fine and mouth filling with a fine composition of sweetness and acidity when facing the chicken breast. It helped make up for the meat's dryness. The results were essentially the same with a tastier, moister chicken leg. With the potatoes the wine's acidity increased, great for washing down that (delicious) grease. The wine became longer when paired with the salad.

The last meal centered on a portobello mushroom omelet. The Scheurebe was sophisticated and powerful, a diminutive bit went a long way. This wine is elegant. sweetmeat was a high-quality French-style lemon pie with a very buttery crust. The wine was thinner, but still delicious.

I terminated the tastings with Matjes herring followed by two local cheeses. With the herring the wine was long and pleasantly sweet with a lime taste. When facing a brick cheese this Scheurebe retained its pleasant sweetness and some grapefruit taste. In the nearnessy of tastier Swiss cheese the wine tasted of lemon and honey.

Final verdict. This is a definite yes. I am developing a taste for high-quality Germanic sweet wines and this is one of the best that I have tasted in a long time. I would advise that you give this, or perhaps some of its lower priced cousins that I have reviewed recently a chance. You may be pleasantly surprised. And gone are the prejudices against hybrid grape varieties.

I Love German Wine and Food - A Scheurebe Spaetlese

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