Oma's Bretzels!

Have I mentioned I love Germany?! There are so many things to enjoy here and I’m especially enjoying the German culture and food. I’m even learning to cook some of the German ‘staples’ from oma herself. Oma means grandmother in German. My friend is working at another winery in the Pfalz and living with the family's oma. This woman is amazing! Not only does she cook every meal for him, she also does his laundry, makes his bed and bakes goodies, bretzels being one of them and one of my favorites! I told him he needs to propose before I do ;)

Thanks to my broken German skills and trusty English-German dictionary, I learned how to ask Oma Marianne to teach me to make bretzels in German because she doesn’t speak a word of English. So last weekend, the lovely oma taught me how to make real German bretzels! [There is no mistake in spelling, bretzels is the German spelling for pretzels and don’t ask me why]

And below is oma's recipe...

First you start with 1000 grams of flour, 2 spoons of salt, 2 spoons of sugar and a dash of muskatnuss, which I later found out is nutmeg…thank you Google Translate!

In a separate pot, stir in a tab of yeast into a ½ liter of warm milk. Then mix into the flour to make the dough. Let the dough sit and rise for 30 minutes. Next, portion the dough in half.

It’s very common in Germany to use the basic bretzel as the base and then add different toppings, such as cheese and speck. Oma prefers käse breztels, cheese pretzels, so that’s what we made. She’s the boss!  So roll half the dough into a thick 1-1/2 inch strand and cut into individual pieces about 3 inches long. Then cut small grooves into each piece to give texture for the cheese, I mean käse, to adhere.

Boil 3 liters water with 3 spoons of table salt and then bring to a light simmer

Allow each piece of breztel to simmer for 30 seconds

Remove and place on a baking sheet

Top generously with cheese and bake for 20 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius [350 Fahrenheit]

Now I wondered why we only used half of the dough? The other half is for the 'regular' pretzels we all are familiar with. You'll see :)

Take the other half of dough and roll individual pieces into a long, thin string about 2-1/2 feet long and form into a pretzel

It's a bit blurry but let Oma show you how it’s done!

Repeat the process above and simmer each form for 30 seconds

Place on a baking pan, top with sea salt and bake for 20 minutes

We enjoyed our traditional Pfälzisch bretzels with butter, not mustard, and orange-cinnamon tea topped with rum and not just any rum, but Austrian 80% alcohol rum…that will warm you up!

Rheinhessen Recap

The Rheinhessen is the region just North of the Pfalz and just a 30-minute drive to the base. Since it has similar soil and climate to the Pfalz, the wines are similar in style. Generally, the Pfalz has a bigger, broader palate and fermented dry. The Rheinhessen is typically not as broad and with a leaner style of elegance. I am not well acquainted with the nuances of Rheinhessen so I asked my cellar master at Koehler-Ruprecht, Johannes, for recommendations. He recommended Weingut Keller for its consistency and popularity, Weingut Wittmann for its distinguished mineral intensity, Weingut Gutzler for its Spätburgunder, Thörle for its Silvaner and Weingut Wagner-Stempel for its rich, opulent style.

Map of the 13 different wine regions of Germany

Weingut Keller

Rheinhessen is typically synonymous with Keller. So Weingut Keller was an obvious recommendation but, unfortunately, they were all sold out of wine and couldn’t take any tasting appointments until next spring. Bummer! Apparently, they typically sell out of their Grosses Gewächs wines within 2 weeks. Keller is known for wines that are enormously rich and complex but not high in alcohol. According to Keller, it is more important to have precision of the aroma and flavour than sugar levels.  Sounds like a great philosophy for great German Riesling. I can’t wait to try their wines next year!

Weingut Wittmann

Weingut Wittmann is another well-known winery in Rheinhessen. They produce pure, deep wines with freshness and elegance and are regarded as one of the finest Riesling producers in Germany. The winemaker, Philipp Wittmann, was nominated for the 2013 Winemaker of the Year by Gault Millau, the German wine guide. Pretty high accolades and deserving of a visit I’d say. Unlike Keller, they did have wines to taste but, similarly, a majority were sold out. The only Riesling for tasting was their 2011 Riesling trocken Gutswein. The nose had intense peach aromas with creamy undertones, and a clean and crisp palate with a fresh lemon finish. We also tasted their 2011 Weissburgunder trocken ‘S’ and 2011 Chardonnay trocken ‘S’, and if the rest of their wines taste as complex and balanced as the entry level Riesling then I can only imagine and can’t wait to taste the rest of the range next year. 

Weingut Gutzler

Weingut Gutzler was recommended for its Spätburgunder and I have to agree. Until recently, I’ve been having some trouble finding a Spätburgunder that is well balanced and food friendly. Most have been too light, or too sour, or even too bitter but Gutzler’s Spätburgunders were terrific!  We tasted with the son and current winemaker, Michael Gutzler. He let us taste their entire range of wines and informed us that yields are kept down to 25 hectoliters/hectare in order to maintain the highest quality. The care of the vines and soil really pays off, as you can taste the typicity of their soils and grape variety. 

78-year-old vine Silvaner with hints of melon on the nose and pronounced minerality and salinity on the palate

100% new oak with no malolactic fermentation gave this wine developed banana aromas with leesy notes and an appetizing acidity and freshness

This nose was dense and complex, with beautiful aromas of white peach. Slightly salty and extremely mineral on the palate with incredible length

This wine had finesse, complexity and length with hints of smoke, developed black cheery flavours and fine tannins that build on the finish

Thörle

It was the Silvaner that was highly recommended, but it was the Spätburgunder that blew me away! Such a great tasting, not only did I get more exposure to Silvaner but I tasted a Spätburgunder that I really enjoy! 

 A very distinctive nose of fresh herbs and notes of obvious fruit ripeness. It was spicy and well concentrated on the palate, with light herbs returning on the long finish. It lacked acidity because of malolactic fermentation, but the wine is complex, vibrant and still young.

A brilliant nose with ripe and succulent fruit aromas, very vibrant and mineral on the palate with a warm finish

The Riesling had a deep, cool mineral nose with ripe fruit flavours. It was smoother on the palate, lacking its cool, delicate raciness implicated by the nose. The Silvaner had concentrated minerality with subtle fruit aromas and a fine acidity. Sufficiently soft on the palate makes it a perfect pairing with the delicate flavours of seafood and white meat 

Made from the best grapes of Hölle vineyard. Hölle means ‘hell‘ in German and was given this name because it’s the hottest vineyard in the region. The wine had a nose of ripe black cherry with the freshness of ripe strawberries on the palate, great medium body with balanced acid and a long finish

Weingut Wagner-Stempel

Since Weingut Wagner-Stempel is located in the most southern part of the Rheinhessen and closest to the Pfalz, I am not surprised to hear of its rich, opulent style, which sounds reminiscent to the Pfalz. Unfortunately, I was unable to taste the wines because on the day I visited Rheinhessen the winery was closed for his son's birthday. But I'll keep you posted as I plan to taste their wines next week.

Any Vegetarians in Germany?

Now I’m not saying there aren’t any vegetarians in Germany. I’m just saying I haven’t met any and judging by the traditional German foods, they are few and far between. Let’s take my lunch for example. During harvest, Norbert, the chef from the hotel next door, Hotel Weinkastell Zum Weißen Roß, cooked our lunch. He’s a German born and German trained chef who is very well known in the area for his German cuisine. Every day we had some type of meat. Generally, the main components were good ole meat and potatoes and sometimes even the vegetables had bits of speck in them. And trust me, I’m not complaining. The food was delicious and I’m not a vegetarian nor would I ever be. I’m just making an observation J

Every Tuesday was charcuterie day and my least favorite day :(

The charcuterie included fleischwurst, leberwurst, blutwurst and pork head cheese. I didn't care much for the blutwurst and couldn't get past the texture of the head cheese. So I stuck with the fleischwurst and sometimes the leberwurst to make sandwiches. I got strange looks for not eating the meats the German way, by themselves, and answered, "What? I'm American!" At least it made them laugh J

The charcuterie was always served with pickles, boiled potatoes and mustard. I found it interesting that I got a strange look from everyone for not peeling my potato before eating it. I told them the skin holds all the nutrients and that my mom would be very upset with me if I skinned my potato. That seemed to nullify the strange looks a bit. 

Schweineschnitzel [aka pork schnitzel] and kartoffelsalat [aka potato salad], which was meiner lieblings! [aka my favorite!] Traditional German potato salad is served warm. And it's normal to be served with cucumbers. Usually, I don't like cucumbers because of their weird, watery texture [reminds me of waterchestnuts L] but since it was warmed they lost their crunch but added flavor. I'm definitely a fan!

Roast pork, red sauerkraut and kartoffelknödel with gravy. I thought they were potatoes until I got a closer look. A kartoffelknödel, and be sure to pronounce the second k, is basically a potato dumpling. It's very dense, very filling and very good! They aren't as easy to make as they might look. I tried making them on my own but they always turned out gooey. I'm on a mission to find the secret recipe.

This dish has no particular name that I know. Just pasta with a pork gravy. Pretty tasty!

On Norbert's Geburtstag he made us kasekuchen and a chocolate-mascarpone cake. Sehr gut!!!

Norbert's famous saumagen, which means pig stomach!

Saumagen with boiled potatoes and sauerkraut. Doesn't get more traditional than that!!!!

Did you notice a common theme besides meat and potatoes???? How about pork?! It's always pork. I see very little beef even on menus. If so, it's generally the most expensive item. It might be lacking vegetables but the German cuisine is packed with flavor and I thoroughly enjoy it...now where can I get a salad??? ;)

Ich liebe Deutschland!

Hello again! Sorry it's been so long but I have been busy with work and tastings…well, let’s be honest, more tasting than work but then technically for me tasting is work J

I’m  living in a small village called Kallstadt...isn't it beautiful?!

Anyways, it’s absolutely beautiful here! I love work and the people I work with. My General Manager, Dominik, and Cellar master, Johannes, speak perfect English and are always willing to answer my questions, which we all know I tend to have many ;) The majority of the young, German population speak English well because they learned it in school. But for the last two months, I've been working closely with a Polish couple, Hela and Andreas, who don’t speak any English. We’d work in the vineyards together, just the three of us, leaf thinning and it was very interesting trying to communicate. Mainly, we used our hands and repetition of words. To my surprise, we learned to communicate pretty well and with the help of my German-English dictionary, which was a great investment, I even learned some German. Even Dominik was impressed with how much I learned. I taught Hela and Andreas some English too. Johannes thinks it’s funny that I speak English to them and they speak German to me and somehow we understand each other perfectly. 

Our Grosses Gewächs vineyard, Saumagen, which means 'pig stomach' in German. Weird name for a vineyard but it's the traditional cuisine for the region and surprisingly good! 

During picking season, Koehler-Ruprecht employs extra help, 9 more Polish people who are related to Hela and Andreas in different ways [sister, cousin, nephew, etc.] and me! I thought my new German skills would come in handy, however, the Polish schools teach Russian instead of German or English L But they taught me how to say good morning [dzień dobry], thank you [dziękuję] and you’re welcome [proszę] in Polish. They tried teaching me some Russian too, but that was just getting out of hand…my brain couldn’t keep up!

The picking crew but I like to call us the Trauben Mafia. Trauben was one of the first words I learned and means grapes in German. I think it has a nice ring to it J

Lucie, Andreas’ sister, picking in Saumagen 

Grauburgunder [aka Pinot Gris],  Weißburgunder [aka Pinot Blanc]  and Gewürztraminer are the first to be picked because they ripen the fastest. Above is Gewürztraminer and my favorite grape to snack on in the vineyard...but I only ate a few, I promise ;)

Above is Grauburgunder and that's Andreas in the back driving the forklift

Next to be picked is Scheurebe, Chardonnay and Spätburgunder [aka Pinot Noir]. Above is Spätburgunder

Lastly, my favorite, Riesling. The Riesling is picked in an order of it’s own according to the different Prädikat levels. We go through each Riesling vineyard 3-4 times by the end of harvest.

First we cut out all the botrytis, which is used for blending and is the main component for the sweet style wines

The green grapes are picked first and are the base for the Kabinett wines

Then the golden berries, which make the delicious Spatlese

And finally, the amber berries used to make the beautifully ripe Auslese

Picking was great! I got to see the sunrise everyday, was surrounded by beautiful [schön] scenery and got to practice my German with Hela. It started getting pretty cold towards the end. At 0 degrees Celcius, I lost track of how many layers I was wearing but, even with the cold and rain, I liked going to work everyday. I got to work with great people and learn each and every day.

One of my many photos of the beautiful sunrise J

Teaching Derek how to drive the tractor...haha yeah right, it's obviously the other way around. Thanks Derek!

Call me optimistic but it's even beautiful when it rains...

And you get not just one but two rainbows [regenbogen] 

Ich liebe Deutschland!

P.S.

I linked the German and Polish words to Google Translate so you can hear how they are pronounced. You try…and good luck ;) 

Goodbye Australia, Hello Germany!

So here's a fun fact...I'm moving to Germany! I'm working this upcoming in the Pfalz...I'm going to learn to make one of my favorite varietals...Riesling! And I'll be working for Koehler-Ruprecht. A lovely small winery that Market Restaurant 
used to carry on there wine list.

All my accommodations and meals are sorted and it sounds like an amazing learning experience but my future employer can explain it better than me. Below is his email: 

"We are a boutique winery with the size of 10,5 ha and a total production of maximum 80 tons, depending on the vintage. At Penfolds they probably do that in 2-4 hours, what we do in 6-8 weeks ;-)

Since the ownership changed three years ago, we are a fairly young and new team of a cellarmaster, a vineyard manager (who is not here in harvest), myself and a large group of Polish helpers plus Mr. Philippi, the old owner and now consultant. He is making wine all over the world.
To be honest with you, you would be the only intern. Reason: small winery and pretty efficient way of processing the grapes.

A regular harvest day is about 8-12 hours long, Sunday only about 6-8 hours. All depending on the weather and the picking decisions.
You would be with us on the crushpad, cleaning the press, crushing the grapes, draining the tanks into the barrels, fermentation control etc. Regular winery work, but not comparable to the new world wineries. It's a different world here.
Also, we would probably need you from time to time in the vineyards to pick the grapes. Here is our main focus on the quality. we go thru some vineyards up to five times and do different cluster selection, which we all proccess in different bins and barrels. Not that we wanna give you the "boring" job of picking, here is where you can learn our philosophy of the different Prädikat levels and wine qualities. 
The work here would be a fair mix of both, probably a bit more cellarwork, but at this stage all hard to tell, since decisions are usually made from day to day."


Doesn't sound boring to me at all. Call me crazy but I can't wait!


Oh and my future boss, Dominik Sona, owns his own small winery called Weingut Sona just 30 minutes away. So I will be able to help him with his vintage when I have time. Basically, I'll be busy :) Wish me luck!

Happy Birthday to Me!

No fireworks this year but I finally got to drink a wine from my birth year on my birthday! It was only appropriate to drink Australian wine for my first Australian birthday. 28 years old and still good...at least I like to think so :) What a great birthday gift...thank you Jason ;)

Soup Kitchen

I have a nice, cruisy life going for me in Margaret River. I get up around 7 am, go to the gym, get to work by 9:30 am, have a mellow day at work...usually, leave no later than 5 pm and have the whole evening to do what I want...like I said cruisy. And my favorite part about a cruisy life is I have time to volunteer...finally! With working, saving and traveling it's been difficult but I now have time to volunteer at Soup Kitchen :)

Every person, place and thing has a nickname in Australia and Soup Kitchen is no different. It is endearingly called Soupie!

Soupie just celebrated its 17th birthday -- 17 years of meals twice a week, 52 weeks a year. Relationships have been formed through Soupie and countless people fed with the help of volunteers and generous donations. 

Meet the crew

Doing work and making tasty food

Meet Dave Seegar, the creator of Soupie. He claims he is just a cook and by no means a chef.  He's a school bus driver during the day and enjoys playing his guitar at gigs on the weekends. He's one of the coolest people I've met in Margaret River...a very rad dude :)

Dave is still running the kitchen at the Margaret River Community Centre after setting it up with the aim of helping the homeless and hungry. We now feed 70 to more than 150 people at each sitting. A large variety of people with different backgrounds attend every Monday and Wednesday, from children in after school programs to entire families; from winemakers to backpackers, and everyone is welcome. Soupie is even mentioned in Lonely Planet's Guide of Margaret River. Job well done Dave!

Each night a fresh salad with a housemade dressing and spicy chili salsa is served as well as nine different 'stews' in rotation ranging from satay to Thai curry to dahl. In order to appeal to the masses, nothing is too spicy and every dish is vegan.

A $5 donation is requested but not mandatory in order to help buy the food each night. If the kitchen makes a profit it is used to donate to charities like Free the Bears Foundation, or for locals in need. 

The food is extremely tasty and healthy. I eat at Soupie every night I volunteer. Dave has done such a great job building an amazing service for the community and I thoroughly enjoy being a part of it. I look forward to it every Monday and Wednesday. I've met some really amazing people and of course some 'interesting characters' with wonderful stories about life, love, adventure and everything in between. I highly recommend checking it out if you make your way to Margaret River aka Margs ;)