From: Mosel, Germany
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Taste: Gorgeously perfumed fruit with a distinctly savory edge. In the glass, you’ll find floral aromas of rose and violets, pomegranate, and deep berry (bing cherry laden over redcurrant) fruit at its core. There’s a woodsy meets leather undertone to the nose that tempers out the fruit nicely, in addition to sultry notes of blood orange, allspice, and cinnamon. The palate follows suit, matching flavor to aroma & introducing a touch of anise which follows through to its lilting, lingering finish.
This wine. “It is grown partially in Zeltinger Himmelreich not too far behind the church in Rachtig. The other portion comes from Kinheim. Both have soils that are slate with loam and humus mixed in. The vines are a global “potpourri“ of German ( Marienfelder and some Geisenheim ) and Swiss clones.”
CWC Notes. From our meeting with Johannes and Sebastien Selbach in January 2023. This wine was first made in 2016, from vines planted in the 90’s. It’s made from 2nd and 3rd year used barrels & named Spätburgunder to signify their fresh style of Pinot Noir as opposed to their more serious bottling which bears the name ‘Pinot Noir’ on the label.
Pairing: Meals centered around salmon, roasted chicken or pork, veal, cured meats, mushroom-based dishes, risottos, non-tomato pastas are all easy matches for this wine. For today’s purposes, we’re going to feature two German staples below plus a recipe from Dale Talde, and adapted by Jeff Gordinier that will hopefully provide some inspiration when deciding on what to enjoy with this pretty Pinot Noir.
Maultaschen
Maultaschen are German dumpling pockets made from pasta dough filled with meat, onions, and vegetables. They are an EU-protected dish originating in the historical region of Swabia, which is now part of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg.
Today, at least one stage of production of the original Swabian maultaschen needs to be carried out in the region of origin, for it to be called that.
To make maultaschen, the pasta dough is first rolled out. The stuffings are prepared according to the recipe and blended into a smooth filling. The pasta dough is then filled with the stuffings and folded before being cooked in soup or salted water.
After cooking, maultaschen is typically served in one of three ways – (1) in the soup; (2) with butter and fried onions, often with German potato salad; and (3) pan-fried in slices with eggs, onions, and cheese.
The fillings for maultaschen vary significantly, from meaty versions made with pork, beef, and smoked pork belly to vegetarian variations containing just onions, parsley, leeks, and bread.
Spätzle
Spätzle refers to a Swabian egg-based type of pasta or dumpling, made out of a thinner batter that’s traditionally scraped directly into boiling water and cooked. The dumplings are then scooped out and cooled in a bowl of icy water to prevent overcooking.
Today, spätzle are extremely common and can easily be found at most German restaurants and markets. They’re also a popular comfort food and come pre-packaged in supermarkets.
Spätzle can be used in a variety of German dishes. The most well-known is probably the käsespätzle, which is made with spätzle mixed with cheese and fried onions. They’re also used as a side dish with meat dishes like rouladen, sauerbraten, and pot roasts with gravy. Käsespätzle is known as käsknöpfle in Liechtenstein, where it’s considered a national dish.
Sweet spätzle are a lesser-known treat, originating in the region of Allgäu. Kirschspätzle and apfelspätzle are mixed with fresh cherries and grated apples, respectively, and then dressed with a buttery, sugary glaze spiced with cinnamon and sometimes nutmeg. Kirschspätzle is predominantly a summer dish, while apfelspätzle is most commonly served in autumn.
Pretzel Pork and Chive Dumplings With Tahini
Recipe from Dale Talde
Adapted by Jeff Gordinier
About. Since 1661 the Selbach family has owned vineyards in the Mosel region. Their main treasure is simply what nature presents us with: excellent vineyard-sites, and old, ungrafted vines on steep, south-facing slopes planted on heat-retaining, mineral-rich, rocky slate soil. Their philosophy of winemaking is "hands-on" in the vineyards and "hands-off" in the cellar. Most of Selbach Oster wines are still fermented and matured in the traditional oak "Fuder"-barrels supplemented by a small number of stainless-steel vats. They do not use new oak for Rieslings to preserve the delicate structure of subtle fruit and crisp acidity as purely as possible