If you are in the mood for fine German wine and food, you
should consider the Franconia region of southeastern
Germany. You may find a bargain, and I hope that you'll
have fun on this fact-filled wine education tour in which
we review a local Silvaner white wine. About year and a
half ago I reviewed a previous vintage of this wine. I
liked it so much that I wanted to review it again. The rest
of the article hasn't changed much but the review was
completely rewritten from scratch. Let's see what a
difference two years in a wine vintage can make.
Franconia is bordered on the north by the Main River and by
the Danube on the south. It is named for a Germanic tribe
known as the Franks, who also gave their name to France.
After centuries of independence, the Congress of Vienna in
1814-1815 made Franconia part of Bavaria in southern
Germany.
Of the thirteen German wine regions, Franconia ranks number
six in both acreage and total wine production. Unlike many
other German wine regions, here the Riesling grape is not a
major player. Over 85% of Franconian wine is white. The
main grape varieties are Mueller-Thurgau, a German hybrid,
responsible for almost half the local production of white
wine and Silvaner, a grape also grown elsewhere in Germany,
and in Austria, Switzerland, and Alsace, France. Many feel
that the best Silvaner wines are grown in Franconia. About
40% of the region's wine is middle-quality QbA wine, and
almost 60% is the higher quality QmP wine. Only about 0.5%
of Franconian wine is table wine.
Do you like seeing the past? The Middle Ages trade route
known as the Romantic Road with its castles and medieval
churches, towns, and villages passes through Franconia. The
city of Wuerzburg forms the northernmost point of the
Romantic Road. It is a medieval town jam packed with sites
dating back several hundred years. For example, make sure
to see the Alte Mainbruecke (Old Main Bridge), the Dom St.
Kilian a Romanesque cathedral, Festung Marienberg
(Marienberg Fortress) with the Marienkirche (Church of the
Virgin Mary, this one dates back to approximately the year
700), the Mainfraenkisches Museum (Main-Franconian Museum),
and the Residenz where the local prince-bishops lived. You
may also want to see the Buergerspital (Almshouse)
associated with the wine that we review below.
Before reviewing the Franconian wine and imported cheeses
that we were lucky enough to purchase at a local wine store
and a local Italian food store, here are a few suggestions
of what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this
beautiful region. Start off with a Frankische Bratwurst
(Franconian Roasted Sausage). For your second course enjoy
Schuefela (Pork Shoulder with Potato Dumpling). As a
dessert indulge yourself with ApfelStruedel (Apple Strudel).
OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review
are purchased at the full retail price.
Wine Reviewed Buergerspital Wuerzburg Silvaner Kabinett
Trocken 2004 10.6% alcohol about $16.50
We'll start by quoting the marketing materials. The Franken
region wines are unique for two reasons. First, their
principal grape is Silvaner; and second, they use an
unusual bottle known as the bocksbeutel (similar in shape
to the Mateus Rose vessel). In Franken, Silvaner achieves
its finest expression. The aromas are full of floral, pear,
apple, and mineral notes. Medium to full-bodied, its racy
acidity gives it tremendous verve. Pair with freshwater
fish. And now for my review. (By the way, I did this review
without noting my comments in the previous review.)
I started by sipping this wine. It was somewhat ethereal,
mineral, and refreshingly acidic. The first meal involved
fried chicken breast (hot off the skillet) and delicatessen
bought potato pancakes. This wine was palate cleansing and
appely. Some slices of fresh red pepper seemed to denature
the wine while giving it a touch of lemon.
Then I went to a chicken thigh casserole cooked with sliced
potatoes, sweet potatoes, and onions in a spicy tomato
sauce. The acidity cut the grease and the wine was appley
and moderately long.
I then went to an Italian sausage pizza (not home made).
The Silvaner was refreshing and nicely acidic. It balanced
the spices well. As I kept drinking an apple taste
developed. A week later I bought a Pepperoni pizza. The
wine seemed more powerful than previously. It was palate
cleansing, really cutting the grease.
And now for the cheeses. First I tried a genuine Italian
Mozzarella de Bufala (water buffalo Mozzarella). While this
wine was round and acidic, the cheese was able to chop it
down somewhat. I guess you just don't mess with water
buffalo. The final cheese was a French Morbier made in two
layers, once upon a time a morning milk layer and an
evening milk layer. Frankly, I'm not enough of a cheese
lover to tell the difference. Anyway this cheese was really
starting to smell. It succeeded in gutting the wine even
though it wasn't bad on its own.
Final verdict. I bought this wine twice and have yet to go
a second round with many other wines that I liked as well.
Part of the reason that I repeated this tasting was my
surprise that a Silvaner could be so good. I am not
planning to go a third round but am planning to taste
another Silvaner, albeit in a more modest price range.
----------------------------------------------------
Over the years Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten
books on computers and the Internet, but to be honest, he
would rather just drink fine German or other wine,
accompanied by the right foods. He teaches a variety of
computer classes at an Ontario French-language community
college. Check out his global wine website is
http://www.theworldwidewine.com with a new weekly column
reviewing $10 wines.
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