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Palatinate Wine Sauerkraut with Grilled Sausages or Pfaelzer Weinkraut

Beginning this month, we plan to offer an occasional tip on the wonderful wines in Germany. We've noticed the United States' growing interest in premium German wines and we'd like to share fun and useful information. We're starting in October because many wine festivals take place this month as the grape harvest gets into full swing. One of the biggest celebrations, the "Dürkheimer Fest", takes place in the Rhinepfalz. Over 500 years ago, this festival started as a rest-stop for pilgrims in the Middle Ages (don't believe everything you read about the grim Middle Ages!).

In honor of this festival, our first featured wine region will be the Rhineland-Pfalz. Zum Wohl!

Introduction to German Wine

Most of the wine regions of Germany are concentrated in the southwest of the country. In Germany's unique climate, the grapes ripen slowly and harvest often lasts until late November. These circumstances yield naturally light wines with delicate fruit and crisp acidity.

Germany has an average crop of about 100 million cases with almost 40,000 acres under vine. It is therefore a comparatively small, but nevertheless distinguished, producer of primarily white, quality wines. This famous wine-growing country enjoys a worldwide reputation for elegant wines, which are available in most European and overseas markets. In fact, Germany exports a greater percentage of its wines than France, Italy and California do.

The German wine-growing areas are within one or two hours travelling time of the country's main gateway, Frankfurt Airport. Six of the regions - Baden, the Rheinpfalz, Hessische Bergstraße, Rheinhessen, the Rheingau and the Mittelrhein - are situated on or near the Rhine. Three other regions are named for their rivers: Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, the Ahr and the Nahe. Most of Franken's vineyards lie along the Main River, and most of Württemberg's vineyards are found along the Neckar River. In the eastern part of Germany, wines are also grown along the rivers Saale, Unstrut and Elbe.

Wines of the Rheinland-Pfalz

The "Rheinland-Pfalz" is bordered by Rheinhessen on the north and France on the south and west and produces more wine than any other region in Germany. The northern half of this region is home to some of the best vineyard sites and is well-known for Riesling wines, which combine substance and finesse. Pleasant, mild wines rich in bouquet and full of body from Müller-Thurgau, Kerner, Silvaner and Morio-Muskat grapes are also grown in the clay and marl soils of this district. Chalky, clay and loess soils yield mild, freshs wines in the southern half of the Rheinpfalz. In addition to its white wines, the Rheinpfalz is also known for smooth, fruity red wine made primarily from the Portugieser grape.

The word Pfalz which names the region is a derivation of palast, or palace, and comes from the Latin word "palatium". This was the name given the first of the seven hills to be inhabited in Rome and the one on which Augustus built the first Imperial Palace. From this beginning, the word became generic for all palaces. Wherever a Roman Emperor travelled, the building in which he stayed became known as a palatium, which in Germany evolved to "palast" and then "Pfalz". In English, this area of Germany is called the Palatinate. In medieval times, because of its importance to the Emperor, the Rheinpfalz was called the "Wine Cellar of the Holy Roman Empire."

Today, at this time of year, there are countless small wine fests along the "Wine Road" in the northern part of the Rhineland-Pfalz. Visitors are also welcome at practically all vineyards, which offer private wine tastings.

Sauerkraut is cabbage fermented with salt. In former times they placed a layer of shredded cabbage in a deep, straight-sided barrel or stoneware container and covered it with a thick layer of salt. The process was repeated until the container was full. The contents were pressed firmly down, then covered with a board or a plate with a heavy weight on top. The preparation was then left to ferment for several weeks.

Ingredients:

3 chopped onions
2 tbsp. goose (or pork) drippings
1 large, sweet apple, diced
1 lb. sauerkraut, loosened up
8 juniper berries
3 peppercorns
3 bay leaves
1 glass white wine

Directions:
Gently fry onions in drippings until transparent. Add remainder of the ingredients in the order in which they are listed above, together with a cup of hot water. Simmer covered for 45 minutes. Remove lid and reduce, taking care that the kraut does not dry out. Remove bay leaves and serve with grilled pork sausages and boiled or mashed potatoes.

Guten Appetit!

Please visit our recipe archive for past months' dishes.

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