I Love German Wine and Food - A Franconian Silvaner

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Levi_Reiss]Levi Reiss

If you are looking for fine German wine and food, 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.

Franconia is bordered by the Main River on the north and 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 Müller-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 Würzburg is 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 Mainbrücke (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 Mainfränkisches Museum (Main-Franconian Museum), and the Residenz where the local prince-bishops lived. You may also want to see the Bürgerspital (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 with a Frankische Bratwurst (Franconian Roasted Sausage).
For your second course enjoy Schüfela (Pork Shoulder with Potato Dumpling).
As a dessert indulge yourself with ApfelStrüdel (Apple Strudel).

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed

Burgerspital Zum Hl. Geist Silvaner Kabinett Trocken 2004 10.6% alcohol about $17

We’ll start by quoting the marketing materials. Let your guests know that this distinctively shaped bottle is known as a “bocksbeutel” and is native to the Franken region, not Portugal. With the trivia out of the way, you’re free to enjoy this Silvaner’s slightly smoky aroma along with its floral, pear, apple and mineral notes. Medium full-bodied, its racy acidity gives it tremendous verve. Pair with freshwater fish such as bass or pike.

The first pairing was with leftover, reheated chicken in soy sauce with potatoes. The Silvaner was acidic; I could taste the smoke. The wine was quite nice, even more so after the chicken was finished. But I didn’t like this wine with dessert, thin biscuits containing almonds and pistachios.

The next time I opened the bocksbeutel was to accompany fried chicken breast strips, green beans, and rice. The wine was less acidic but had a not totally pleasant taste. It was harsh. It was almost, but not quite citrusy.

I then went to a slow cooked veal chop with potatoes and chick peas in a brown sauce, accompanied by a spicy Moroccan tomato salsa. I cannot believe what happened to this wine. It became round, quite long, and pleasantly acidic. The Silvaner tasted of limes and apples and went quite well with homemade biscotti type cookies.

My last meal paired this wine with a red pepper and mushroom omelet, accompanied by a commercial Greek eggplant side dish. The wine-omelet combination was a success. The wine was fairly long and showed fresh, if not racy, acidity. However, it flagged a bit when teamed with the acidic eggplant. And here come the cheeses.

My French Camembert is now overripe. And yet this wine was quite interesting; it held its own, retaining its freshness without any aftertaste.

My German Limberger is starting to smell like a Limberger. The wine was nice, round, and fruity. Frankly (no pun intended) in both cases I liked the wine, but not the cheese.

Final Verdict. I never thought that I’d recommend purchasing a Silvaner wine. Live and learn. I am ready to purchase this wine again, but would watch what I pair it with.

Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten books on computers and the Internet, but to be honest, he would rather just drink fine Italian or other wine, accompanied by the right foods. He teaches classes in computers at an Ontario French-language community college. Presently his wine websites are http://www.theworldwidewine.com and http://www.theitalianwineconnection.com .

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Levi_Reiss http://EzineArticles.com/?I-Love-German-Wine-and-Food----A-Franconian-Silvaner&id=509806

Related Articles:

Wine Tasting Party
Do you have to be a sommelier to know something about wine? Well, if you want to tout yourself as an expert, perhaps but if you just want to enjoy a good glass of wine, go with your gut - or rather your mouth - and enjoy what tastes good to you. So, why not host a wine tasting party? Now before you hit the panic button, get uptight and claim to know nothing about wine, stop! We aren't proposing you sit around discussing bouquet and barrel fermenting.

Wine Tasting - 4 Simple Steps
Tasting wine is more complex then simply drinking Wine tasting is about more than hydration

How To Host An At-Home Wine-Tasting
Wine tastings are always a fun outing, but often commercial ones just don?t last long enough. There are still things to be learned about each wine. Maybe you didn?t quite get to taste certain ones. Or perhaps you wanted to try a particular one with a certain food. The easiest way to make sure you get all you want out of your next wine-tasting is to host it at your own home. Another benefit is that you don?t have to worry about driving afterwards.

Sam's Wines & Spirits to Uncork 35 Wines at Sept. 15 'Wine Crush,' European-Style Wine Tasting Festival in Old Town
Sam's Wines & Spirits, the country's largest independent wine retailer, will have its own wine-tasting pavilion at the fifth annual Wine Crush in Chicago's Old Town on Saturday, September 15. Sam's will be serving up 35 wines from some of the world's finest wineries as part of a European-style festival that will also include a grape-stomping competition, cuisine from neighborhood eateries, cheese tastings and live music.

Harvest in Finger Lakes Wine Country Offers Wine Tasting, Fall Foliage, and Culinary Classics
The fall grape harvest comes alive in Finger Lakes Wine Country, New York with harvest festivals, wine tasting dinners, and bed and breakfast packages.

BlindWine®, the Only Complete Wine Tasting Game in the U.S., Will Make its First Appearance at The Seattle Gift Show®, August 18-21
BlindWine® Wine Tasting Game Featured at Gift Shows: Atlanta, Los Angeles, Seattle

Hosting A Wine Tasting Party
As your love and knowledge of wine grows, it is inevitable that you will want to share your revelations with friends and family. Hosting a wine tasting party is a great way to do this.

Vinfolio Solicits Consumer Wine Tasting Notes
Announces Upcoming Launch of New VinCellar Application

4 Easy Steps to Wine Tasting
Legend has it that Cleopatra once promised Marc Anthony she would "drink the value of a province" in one cup of wine, after which she drank an expensive pearl with a cup of wine. Marilyn Monroe is rumored to have bathed in a bathtub of champagne. The lure of wine is cross-cultural and going strong. Enjoying wine, once surrounded by pomp and circumstance, is now something that many of us do on a daily basis to enjoy food, friends, and family. There is no reason each experience shouldn't be as exceptional as taking a bath in Champagne. Knowing a few simple tips about tasting wine can enhance your wine experience by leaps and bounds and easily transition you from a wine lover to a wine expert.

Set Yourself Apart From The Rest With A Wine Tasting Gift
Some people still see wine tasting as a thing for the elite, only for wine connoisseurs, a select few that hold these parties on the weekends They say that it is not accessible for "normal" people or that "normal" people would not enjoy it

Wine Tasting
Wine Tasting Component I: LookThe first step you have to undertake in wine tasting is visual.1.

Honest Chocolates Expands Line of Wine-tasting Chocolates
McMinnville, OR chocolate-maker Honest Chocolates is expanding its line of chocolates to pair with wine. A variety of the wine-tasting chocolates will be available, including cherry-pinot, blueberry-pinot, cranberry-merlot, apricot-cabernet and port-raisin, all made with wine and dark chocolate. The chocolates are available at the store or via the website, www.honestchocolates.com.

The Basics Of Wine Tasting
Wine tasting is an assessment of a wine's quality. It's not just about taste but also covers aroma, color, the way it feels in one's mouth and how long the wine persists in the mouth after tasting. Wine tasting is also one way to determine the maturity of the wine and whether it is suitable for aging or for immediate drinking. Its purpose it to discover the key facets of the wine in order to appreciate it better in every sense of the word.

Beyond Wine Tasting: A Spring Surge for Wine Education
The Wine School of Philadelphia is reporting a big jump in popularity for wine education. It's not just wine tasting anymore.

Red, White & Zin: Local Wine Tasting Paired Perfectly with Palm Beach Gardens Marriott
Northern Palm Beaches Chamber of Commerce is hosting a wine tasting event cleverly called "Red, White & Zin" on Sunday, November 2, 2007 from 6-9 p.m. at City Hall Plaza.