Another German Delicacy - Federweisser

WIMARIPA said:

Any thoughts on using wines other than Riesling for this?

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WikiPedia said:

Federweißer (from German Feder = feather + weiß = white, from the appearance of the suspended yeast), is an alcoholic beverage, typically 4 percent alcohol by volume, but it's not uncommon to see Federweißer in the region of 10 percent alcohol by volume. It is the product of fermented freshly pressed grape juice, known as must. The term in principle includes all stages of fermentation from must to finished wine.

It is known as Suser, Sauser, Neuer Süßer, or Junger Wein (young wine) in Southwest Germany, Switzerland and South Tyrol, Fiederwäissen in Luxembourg, Sturm (storm, from the cloudy appearance) in Austria and Bavaria, Neuer Wein (new wine) in the Palatinate, Bremser in Franconia, burčiak in Slovakia, burčák in Czech Republic, bourru or vernache in France, must in Romania, "მაჭარი" (machari) in Georgia.

Once yeast has been added, grapes begin to ferment rapidly. The fructose contained in the grapes is broken down into alcohol and carbon dioxide (glycolysis). As soon as an alcohol content of four percent has been reached, Federweißer may be sold. It continues to ferment until all the sugar has been broken down and an alcohol content of about ten percent has been reached.

Due to the carbonation, Federweißer tastes quite refreshing, not unlike a light grape soda or a sweet sparkling wine. As fermentation progresses, however, Federweißer may increasingly assume a darker, often amber-like or light brown hue. In general, Federweißer is made from white grapes; when made from red grapes, the drink is called Federroter, 'Roter Sauser, or Roter Rauscher. Federroter is less common than Federweißer. Because of rapid fermentation, Federweißer can not be stored for long and should be consumed within a few days of purchase. As carbonic acid is constantly produced, the bottles can not be sealed airtight and have a permeable lid (they would burst otherwise). They must be stored in an upright position to allow the gas to continuously escape from the bottle and to prevent spilling.

Progressing fermentation was also a challenge in transporting bottled Federweisser over long distances before the advent of modern-day commercial traffic and refrigerated vehicles, the latter of which are needed to slow down the yeast's metabolism during transport. Therefore, in the old days, Federweisser was almost exclusively available (and, for the most part, known) in and around wine-growing regions.

Depending on the date of the grape harvest, it is available from early September to late October, and is generally served together with hearty, savoury food. The classic combination is Federweißer and Zwiebelkuchen, although Federweißer and chestnuts is also popular. It also tastes good with many kinds of meat.[citation needed]

Federweißer contains yeast, lactic acid bacteria, and a large amount of vitamin B1 and B2.

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In general, Federweißer is made from white grapes; red grapes are only rarely used. In general, it is made from grapes that lack the potential to produce a wine of high quality. .......It has a positive influence on digestion.

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Federweisser - Name given in German Switzerland to the white wine issued from the Pinot Noir.

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If you come across a Federweisser or Weissherbst, then you have a young refreshing Pinot Noir which was bottled from red grapes that were so gently pressed they resemble white wine. For this style of wine, always choose the youngest vintage as they are best when consumed young.

The well-known Dôle from Wallis is always a blend of at least 85% Pinot Noir and Gamay. The remaining 15% can be a mix of any red variety. To make things a bit more confusing, from the 85% blend, at least 51% must be Pinot Noir. A Dôle Blanche is made like a Federweisser - only it uses the same Dôle grape varieties.

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The forecast is good for Germany's 2006 vintage, given the current condition of the vines. The relatively cool spring time damped initial expectations but vine growth accelerated in July's sunny spell. The German Wine Institute (DWI) has confirmed that the vines have reached a healthy level of development, in line with the average.

The grapes benefited from rainfall at the beginning of August after the very dry conditions of the previous month. At the moment the winemakers are looking forward to stable, sunny weather and a golden October which will allow the grapes to reach a high level of ripeness.

The early ripening varieties of white grape have already been picked for the production of Federweißer (lightly fermented grape juice). The main harvest for grape varieties such as Müller-Thurgau, Dornfelder or Weißburgunder, will start in mid-September. Germany's most important grape variety Riesling is normally left on the vine until October or November. This long ripening period allows development of the intense aromas characteristic of this variety.

All in all, the grapes in the German wine regions are healthy, leading to predictions of a good German vintage 2006.

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