I Göteborg hålls årligen denna vinmässa för branschfolk inom mat och dryck. Mässan arrangeras av Svenska Sommelierföreningen Västra sektionen och samarbetar med Wines of South Africa (WOSA) och Sveriges Kockars Förening Väst.

I år bli tolfte året i följd vilket visar på mässans popularitet. Det bjuds på dryckesprovningar, föreläsningar och andra intressanta aktiviteter under dagen, så boka in söndagen den 29 januari för att botanisera bland nya vinstilar, okända druvsorter och charmiga producenter. Läs mer om mässan här.

Erica Björklund Sattler 

Jag som trodde att det var kvinnan som var duktig på att övertala… Kolla in det här YouTube klippet och se hur motsatsen bevisas…

Erica Björklund Sattler

are coming to Usedom to present their best wines at the Strandhotel Heringsdorf wine party. Becker, Prüm, Breuer, are a few of the well known names of top German wine Estates, who will be participating at the event. It is the next generation of wine makers – all of them female – who will be introducing their wines. 4 hours by ferry from Trelleborg, and you are there!

More info here.    

Cheers,
Heike

Finally, the frost came. A couple of nights at least – just enough to harvest some ice wine. As the German wine institute reports, several of the German wine regions were able to get in some liters. Even if very limited amounts.

Our local newspaper announces that the wine cooperation Ruppertsberg has harvested Riesling grapes for ice wine. The grapes showed 180 ° Oechsle, when they were picked yesterday morning at -9 ° C. 

For months, I had been watching one of the vineyards close by, where a few rows of grapes were still left at the vines after the harvest season in the fall. The intention was to keep those until frost comes, to be used for ice wine. But, apparently, the grapes did either not last as long, or they were taken in for late late harvest. So, in this case, it did not work out. 

However, 2011 can be stated as a year with very little ice wine. Generally, most vintners gave up the idea weeks and months ago, since the winter had been unusually mild. 

Ice wine is a speciality which gives very small amounts only (3-5 hectoliters / hectare). But because sought after, they are paid for extremely well. Usually, they are long lasting, so most consumers will have to use ice wines from previous vintages instead. 

Cheers,
Heike
 

The main pruning has started a few weeks ago. Plenty of vines are already cut, with one (or two) cane(s) left to be bent and tied to the wires. This work is done by hand. We had heavy winds and grey days, quite some rain – not the most pleasurable conditions to stand still and cut vine by vine. After the clipping, the old canes are drawn out and that part is not very fun, can be a struggle at times, when all the wood gets hooked up between the wires and other branches. Patience, determination, strength and good clothing are absolute must-haves besides good pruning tools. 

Cheers,
Heike
 

Ni har det lätt, ni som bor i Sverige, där det finns tunnbröd överallt. Här i Tyskland hittar man nog Wasa Knäckebröd etc., men inget som smakar så där jättebra. Alltså blir man tvungen att baka sitt eget! Jag har nu gjort det för allra första gången. (Det ser man på färgen, som varierar mycket, eller hur?) Vad glad jag blev! Det smakar så gott. Receptet fick jag ur boken ‘Enklare bröd’, som jag köpte under ett besök i Sverige. Tunnbröd är så gott med ost och skinka, eller bara med saltat smör på. Men bäst är det med… Riesling. 

Cheers,
Heike

http://paindemartin.blogspot.com/2010/06/tatarata.html

“I drink champagne when I win, to celebrate . . . and I drink champagne when I lose, to console myself”. 

/Napoleon Bonaparte
 

“Champagne is the only wine that leaves a woman beautiful after drinking it”. 

/Madame De Pompadour

100 years after Amundsen reached the South Pole region, wine from Rheinhessen and the Pfalz was delivered to the team at the German Neumayer station. The box travelled 14.000 kilometres and arrived just in time for Christmas. Good to know, the crew had some nice wine to celebrate so far from home. Every year wines are donated for the station and shipped 4 months ahead of Christmas. 

I rather drink my wine far away from any of the Poles.

Cheers,
Heike

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antarctica 

http://www.awi.de/de/infrastruktur/stationen/neumayer_station/

“Three be the things I shall never attain: Envy, content, and sufficient champagne”.                

 /Dorothy Parker