Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Memorable orange colored delicacies in Germany

Once in a while, when in Germany, I have a memorable time at the food and wine table. One of those times in February was when we had lunch at the Hans Wirsching Estate in Iphofen, in the region of Franken.

After an extensive tasting of gorgeous dry Franken Silvaners, Scheurebes, Rieslings and Rose, we were treated to a simple but very satisfying lunch at the winery.

It all started off with one of the best soups I've ever had: pumpkin soup - with an intensity of flavor and balance of spices that was pretty awesome:


Followed by a platter of assorted meats:


And a platter of assorted cheeses, along with delicious dark breads:

All washed down with some tasty Franken wines, even very old ones, like this 1969 Hans Wirsching Iphofer Julius-Echter-Berg Silvaner Trockenbeerenauslese - rich and long in mouthfeel, with brown sugar, caramel, orange rind, cinnamon, dates, almond marzipan, apple cider flavors all intermingling in that way that only a 41-year old TBA can. 120 grams residual sugar, 13.5% alcohol. Yum.

Who knew that Germany was known for their delicious homemade pumpkin soup? And Silvaner TBA in a bocksbeutel?