Food and wine pairing

For this assignment the wine region Baden in southern Germany is chosen (see attached picture). Baden is one of the most popular wine regions in Germany due to (apart from its beautiful wines) the great weather and beautiful landscapes. This results in a perfect atmosphere for comfortable wine trips and other vacations. Baden is known for its great variety in soils, grapes and wines, especially the Spatburgunder (German pinot noir). Baden produces more than half of the Pinot Noir production for all of Germany. The Spatburgunder is therefore the most popular wine from this region, this will be further discussed later on.

Topography: Baden has a surface of approximately 16. 000 acres and therefore it is the third-biggest wine region in Germany. The region is shaped in a giant L form basically following the Rhine river from the Bodensee to Manheim, the region follows the Rhine for about 335 km (see attached picture). The well-known ‘black forest’ locates itself in Baden as well. The most southern wine producing zones of Baden called Margraflerland and Bodensee are the zones are located at the Swiss and French border.

Soil & climate:As mentioned before, Baden knows a great variety of soil types. In the Bodensee zone the soil is characterized and dominated by moraine, this is glacial sediment which contains pieces of hard rock and soil. This terroir is very rich in minerals. In the northern district, called Tauberfranken, of Baden the terroir is dominated by limestoneOther soil types found in Baden are Shell-limestone , sand, granite, keuper, and so on. The type of soil on which our wine is grown is Vulcanic soil, the Kaiserstuhl where the vulcanic soil is found is located near the French border close to Freiburg im Breisgau.

The climate in Baden is relatively dry, sunny and warm. Especially Kaiserstuhl, which is the warmest area in Germany. The climate in Baden is often described as Mediterranean. A Mediterranean climate means… Due to the hot summers and relatively low rainfall is Baden the only region in Germany that is qualified in the B zone (according to the European Union’s vineyard classification system).

NOT SURE IF THIS IS WHAT SHE MEANT WITH THE FEEDBACK, DOUBLE CHECK IN WINE CLASS

Grapes & wines:As mentioned before, Baden is famous for its Pinot noir (Spatburgunder). Besides Pinot noir, there are various other Pinot (Burgunder) sorts growing in Baden, this region rightfully got the nickname ‘Pinot Paradise’. More than 50% of the planted vines in Baden are Pinot vines. The Pinot gris (Grauburgunder) and Pinot blanc (Weissburgunder) are, after the Spatburgunder, the most produced wines in Baden. The reason they grow so nicely and easily here is because of the great soil and climate conditions.

The richness in minerals and the warm climate works perfectly for these demanding vines. Other common Grape varieties in Baden are: Riesling, Silvaner, Mullerthurgau, Weissburgunder and Grauburgunder. PRODUCTION PROCESS Wine classification:In Germany there is a different classification system found for wine than for example in France. The German wine classification show us four categories that classify the quality of the wine: Deutscher Tafelwein (German wine): this wine is usually consumed in Germany. It is made from normally ripe grapes and slightly under ripe grapes.

This category does not have a AP-number (official approval number in Germany). Deutscher Landwein (German country wine): The second category is the German country wine. The minimum alcohol percentage of the wines found in this category is 5%, besides that the Deutscher Landwein cannot contain more than 18mg sugar per liter wine. Furthermore, Deutscher Landwein has to come from one of the 19 wine regions in Germany. Qualitatswein (QbA) (quality wine): These wines are high quality wines, the name itself says that already. These wines have to be made according to the appellation laws of that region.

Their origin has to be from a specific region and made from approved grape varieties. The grapes are picked at a certain ripeness that serves itself for quality wines. A official committee tests these wines for compliance and they get marked with an AP-number. Qualitatswein can only be sold with an AP-number. However, the Qualitatswein is chaptalized. Pradikatswein (wine with special attributes): The Pradikatswein needs to abide the same German wine laws as Qualitatswein. Nonetheless there is no chaptalisation used in the production of Pradikatswein.

The productionprocess of these wines is all natural. Pradikatswein is ADD THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF PRADIKATSWEIN B2. In this assignment the Spatburgunder (2015) from Weingut Knab is going to be discussed, this wine has been ranked the best in its price range by Gault Millau. The price of this wine is €10. 95 we consider this to be a very reasonable price given the quality of the wine. There is only 1 grape variety used in this wine: Spatburgunder. As mentioned before Spatburgunder is the most famous wine & grape variety from Baden.

Vinification & classification: The wine chosen in this assignment wine is rated in the category Qualitatswein, the third category in the German classification system. Weingut Knab produced the wine according to the modern production process of red wine, yet the wine has an authentic taste. Thomas and Regina Rinker perform a temperature controlled fermentation which lasts for 10 days. Since it is an Qualitatswein chaptalisation (as mentioned above) is used in the vinification process. After the vinification process the wine is aged on oak barrels for 12 months, this provides for the authentic oak tones in the wine.

In general the following steps are followed in the vinification process of red wine: Harvesting Destalking (optional)/Crushing: after harvesting the grapes are crushed, this is done in order to extract the juice from the grapes easier. In the Spatburgunder discussed in this assignment the stalks are leaved out, that shows itself in the low tannin level of the wine. Alcoholic fermentation with skins & pips: after crushing the grapes the fermentation starts. The alcoholic fermentation can be explained as the conversion from sugars into alcohol.

The yeast practically “eats” the sugar and turns into alcohol. This fermentation takes place at 20-32 degrees Celsius Malolactic fermentation: the malolactic fermentation takes place after the alcoholic fermentation. This type of fermentation is the conversion from malic acid into lactic acid. The malic acid is much more sour than the lactic acid so the sourness of the wine decreases. This process is started because of bacteria found in the wine. Pressing: now the skins and pips are separated from the wine 85% of the wine is the quality wine (called Vin de Goutte). The other 15% is called Vin de Presse

Maturation & filteration: Maturation either happens in stainless steel vats or wooden barrels. The Spatburgunder from Weingut Knab is matured in oak barrels. After the maturation (in this case 12 months) the wine is filtered. Bottling: the last step of the vinification process is bottling, the wine is put into bottles. SOURCE: MANAGING WINES BOOK & http://www. wineskills. co. uk/winemaking/winemaking-knowledge-base/malolactic-fermentation-mlf The winery:This winery is located at the extinct Kaiserstuhl volcano, more specific at Endinger im Kaiserstuhl at the Engelsberg.

The winery itself is founded more than 100 years ago, but since Thomas & Regina Rinker took over the winery in 1994 the quality of the wines increased exponentially. At the moment Weingut Knab is one of the best winery’s in Baden, at least very well known. Flavour profile:The fact that the perfect serving temperature of this wine is 15 degrees Celsius makes the wine very fresh in taste. There are various fruit aromas found in this wine such as cherry’s. Furthermore provides the aging on oak barrels the wine with a full body and rich flavour.

DESCRIBE THE WINE OURSELVES WITH THE SPIDER WEB ON BLACK BOARD

Creme fraiche 5 gr Sunflower seeds (about 8) ? white union (with 10 ml of balsamic syrup) 4 pieces of fresh glasswort as garnish Step 2, kind of preparation: First of all the tomato will be cut into 4 pieces, the shallots and garlic is chopped fine as well. Secondly, the tomato, garlic and shallots are cooked together with the bay leaf for 10-15 minutes. These ingredients are cooked in order to enrich the flavours of the tomato, garlic and union. After that the water is added to the rest of the ingredients, add pepper and salt at own taste.

The whole substance will be cooked on low heat for about 30 minutes until the flavour is right. When the right flavour is reached the stock will be passed through a sieve. The stock is passed through a sieve in order to get the little pieces of garlic, union, etc. out of the stock. While the tomato stock is cooking, the basil, shi take, soy sauce and water will be put in a pan and cooked on low heat for about 30 minutes. This mix of ingredients will be cooked in order to get a more intense flavour. The liquid is reduced so the shii take and basil flavour in the stock gets more intense.

After this we pass this stock through a sieve as well. Again, in order to get a clear stock without little pieces in there. When both stocks are ready, combine tomato and dashi stock. For every 100ml tomato stock, add 25 ml dashi. This is because the dashi stock has a very intense flavour and would overpower the tomato stock if it is not mixed in this proportion. Meanwhile when both stocks are still cooking put the sunflower seeds in the oven at 180 degrees for a minute to roast. They are roasted in the oven to create a rich, ripe and crunchy flavour to add to the dish.

When the sunflower seeds are done put them aside to cool and start with the white union. Chop the white unions into equal rings and cook them with butter and olive oil. When you cook the unions like that a lot of sweetness comes out of the union, that sweetness was missing in the dish so that is why the unions are cooked this way. At the very end the balsamic syrup is added in the pan in order to caramelize the unions properly and add an extra ripe sweetness of the balsamic syrup to the union. The dish is served cold so when the unions are finished they have to be put into the fridge to cool.

The steak will be cut a la brunoise (little dices), this is to create a fine texture with a little bite to it. Then the other ingredients: the egg yolk, olive oil, chopped basil leaves, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, pepper and salt are added. The olive oil and egg yolk create an coating texture while on the other hand the little bite from the dices of beef is preserved. While plating the dish the steak tartare will be put in the middle of the plate. The dashi/tomato stock is poured around the steak tartare, the stock serves as taste deepener in the dish.

Next, the caramelized union is put in the middle of the steak with 3 dots of creme fraiche surrounding it. Last but not least the sunflower seeds and glasswort is put randomly around the union and creme fraiche as garnish. Universal Flavour Factors: The flavour profile in this dish is quite complex, a lot of the basic flavours come forward in this dish. The dashi/tomato stock for example is rich in saltiness due to the soy sauce on the other hand there is also some sweetness (tomato, basil) and umami (soy sauce, shii take) found in the stock.

The creme fraiche provides for a sourness in the dish and has coating elements since the texture is quite creamy. The texture of the steak tartare itself is quite coating due to the egg yolk and olive oil. The caramelized union provides for a nice sweetness to contract with the rich and salty flavour of the stock. It contracts with the sourness of the creme fraiche as well. The sunflower seeds ensure the crispiness needed in the dish. The glasswort provides for a crisp as well, the glasswort is served raw as garnish in order to get a hint of the crispy saltiness from the sea.