Bubbly in Auerbach

Last Thursday evening my wife and went to our local wine pub hidden among the timber beamed houses in the backstreets of Auerbach. The family who run it had done a great job with the Christmas decorations. Both sides of the entrance are two 2.5 meter nut-cracker men (similar to what you can see at www.nussknackerstore.com ).  I will be coming back to this wine pub in later postings. I mention it here because our friend Kurt had just had his birthday and we celebrated with some bubbly. Not Champagne but Riesling Sekt from the Staatsweingut Eltville in the Rheingau. You have to be careful with German Sekt, there is a lot of cheap plonk but also some excellent quality varieties. Any wine that has the Eagle of the Staatsweingut on the label can be trusted to be of the best quality. Don't get confused between Staatsweingut (State or Government winery) and Stadtsweingut (Town winery). Most towns have their own co-operatives but, unless you know a particular vinyard, it is best to stick with the Staatsweingut when trying out a new region.

In my next post I will tell you about my weekend in Alsace and the Vosges.