Posted on: Wednesday, October 13, 2004
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RAISE A GLASS
Oktoberfest is about wine, too
By Kimberly Karalovich
Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany, is the largest celebration in the world. Almost 6 million quarts of Oktoberfest beer were gulped and a gluttonous amount of traditional German cuisine was consumed at the 171st annual Oktoberfest, including sausages, sauerkraut and spit-broiled chicken.
The first Oktoberfest was actually a public celebration of the wedding of Crown Prince Louis, later King Louis I of Bavaria, and Princess Theressa of Saxony in 1810. The massively attended wedding celebration lasted for eight days. Needless to say, the festivities were a big hit. Oktoberfest has been carried forward every year since then, growing over time to a 15-day celebration which starts in mid-September and ends in the first week of October.
Though much Oktoberfest beer is consumed, wine is also enjoyed. Germany makes some of the most exquisite rieslings in the world. German rieslings also have a wonderful natural affinity with a wide array of foods. After all, any wine that can pair well with sauerkraut has to be quite accomplished.
The riesling grape can be grown in many parts of the world. However, Germany's unique climate conditions, soil composition, and river valleys provide just the right ingredients for outstanding riesling production. Their vineyards lie in the coolest northerly extremes of the grape-growing regions, between 49 and 50 degrees latitude. German rieslings are unique for their lively acidity, wonderful explosion of fruit flavors — lychee, peach, lemon, lime and green apple, just to name a few descriptors — along with a mineral quality which could never be replicated anywhere else.
The Romans brought vines to Germany as early as 100 BC. By the 12th century, there were only two great wine-producing countries, France and Germany. There are at least 18 grape varietals in Germany with the most familiar to Americans being riesling (ree-sling) followed by gewurztraminer ( gah-wurz-tra-meaner). When compared with California rieslings, German rieslings are higher in acid, very delicate in flavor and much lower in alcohol, at 7 to 12 percent. Their natural levels of acidity explain why they pair so well with food, because acidity is the turbocharger for flavor. Some of my favorite food pairings with rieslings are poke, smoked 'ahi spread, smoked salmon, and spicy foods such as Thai or Indian cuisines.
There is a misconception that all rieslings are sweet, but this is simply not true. There are actually several different levels of sweetness. Germany has many strict laws that govern all aspects of wine production including the information that must be printed on the label. So here are a few things to look for the next time you shop for a German riesling that will help you determine its level of sweetness.
The best-quality rieslings are labeled "Qualitatswien mit Pradikat." These rieslings are naturally sweet with no sugar added. Just remember "QmP" to help you to find Qualitatswien mit Pradikat when looking at the label. A bottle so labeled will then use the following terms to describe the level of sweetness in the wine: Kabinett means off dry (slightly sweet at first, but finishing dry); Spatlese, medium dry (very fruity, with detectable sweetness); Auslese (sweet, but with plenty of acidity, so it's not as sweet as dessert wine); and Eiswien (OK, now we are ready for dessert).
Here are a few food and wine pairing suggestions:
Prost!
Kimberly Karalovich is wine consultant and general manager of The Wine Stop, a retail store at 1809 South King St., 946-3707. See www.thewinestophawaii.com.
