Germany: Wine Festivals..now is the time

If you are visiting any of the wine regions in Germany during the month of September, be sure to visit a wine festival or two, or even three. These ‘fests’ generally feature the top wines or sekts (sparkling wines) from the region. On two consecutive weekends, 30 to 40 local vinters set-up small stands in their towns, villages and even smaller cities so that visitors can sample their wine. Wine aficionados (read: real drinkers) bring their own glasses – tied by the stem to a leather thong which is worn around the neck. (My question: Are they just well-prepared [‘have glass will drink’] OR do they just want to avoid paying the 5€ pfand [return glass deposit]???)

Wine fests are not only a fun way to sample the various wines of the region, but also to see how ‘the other half lives’ (that is, people our age - middle-age, baby-boomers, mature adults). Trust me, they live pretty well. In Germany, people our age have full social calendars and wine fests are just one of a wide variety of autumn activities.  If you want to get to know the locals, this is a great place to strike up a conversation.  

As you drive through the wine areas, you will see numerous stands and even restaurants offering ‘Neuer Wein’ (new wine - Federweisser). This wine - which is made from ‘must’ (freshly fermented pressed grape juice) - is yellowish in color and is quite tasty, especially when served with Zweibelkuchen (onion cake). However, I must offer a few words of caution: 1. Keep the bottles upright because the screw caps never fit securely and the wine (which attracts zillion of tiny flies) leaks out. 2. Never drink more than 1 bottle per night.  As the Germans say, new wine will ‘clean your clock’ (laxative-wise)!!

Wine, wine.. everywhere in Germany and France!!

I am in the States at the moment, trying to get my Roaming Thru Europe travel program off the ground. The program is designed for baby-boomers  (couples, mainly) and women (of all ages) who wish to make a self-drive vacation in Europe. Stay tuned for more details…

At any rate, since I was working so hard, I decided to go to the liquor store and buy a bottle of wine to ease the pain.  Boy, was I shocked!! The prices of wine are so-o-o high here: $16.99 for a fairly decent bottle.

So, now dear wine-drinking friends who are planning to travel to Germany and France: I have some very, very, important  information  for you. When you want to buy a bottle of wine, head to a supermarket, not to a wine shop. The prices are downright cheap!!  You can get a good bottle of wine  – from anywhere in the world – for under 6€. (I only go to a wine shop to purchase wine when I need a gift. Their free wrapping service makes any bottle look much more expensive than it is!)

In German supermarkets, you will find aisles and aisles of wines from all over the world – including Germany. In French supermarkets, you will find aisles and aisles of French wine and a half aisle of wine from somewhere else!!  I am not a wine connoisseur (merely an imbiber), but I like Pinotage from the Western Cape of South Africa (red wine), and I love Prosecco (sparking white wine) from Italy!!

 

In the summer, there is nothing better than a glass of chilled Prosecco served with chilled gummy bears!! Try it!!

Straußwirtschaft, kleinigkeiten… a couple of German words you absolutely must know!!

In Germany, there is a well-kept secret known – probably – only to the locals in the region. June is the month that not only escorts in the wine festival season and is dedicated to sampling the fares of the vintners along the Rhine and Mosel rivers and on the wine road in Germany.

Wine festivals: Once a year, each wine producing town or village has a weekend-long wine festival at which the local producers present/sell their wines. For the villagers and townspeople, it is a time to meet friends and neighbors, and for others it is time to partake of the local wine. The wine is sold by the glass which allows visitors to identify the wine(s) which specifically meets their taste.  Real wine ‘aficiandos’ (read: drinkers!!) bring their own wine glass attached to a leather strap worn around the neck.  Have glass, will travel….and drink!!  These ‘wine glass necklaces’ are also particularly handy when you are strolling from vineyard-to-vineyard and want to take a glass or bottle of wine with you. 

 

 

 

Local vineyards: In June, you can also visit a Straußwirtschaft or two. Each year for a 6 week period of time - the local authorities allow the vintners to open their premises to the public and not only sell their wine but also set up a few tables in their courtyards and offer a little something to eat (a ‘kleinigkeiten’- simple, regional cold dishes or finger food).

The newly-installed tables are always full. In wine country, it is a favorite past time to walk or drive to your favorite vintner’s for a glass of wine and a bite to eat. Of course, after eating, if you have brought your car, you can always load the trunk of your car with a case or two or your favorite wine.

 

Once while visiting a vintner, I admired the sketch of a rather elderly woman wearing a bonnet which adorned the logo on his wine bottle. The vintner explained to me that the drawing was of his mother. ( looking at the image and the bonnet, I thought I had misunderstood him and it was his grand or great-grand mother!!) As the conversation continued, a little old lady (sans bonnet, but looking as old as the hills) toddled out of the house. The vintner called her over in order to introduce us. As she got closer I could see that the portrait was a true likeness.