...a Swabian tradition for this time of the year! Onion cake is kind of like a rich onion quiche, and neuer wine (aka young wine) is wine that is still fermenting, taken straight out of the tank yeast, bubbles, and all! Actually it was very good and I think I’ll export this tradition to New Zealand next vintage. Apparently the trick is just to make sure you are working outside the next day!
On this particular occasion though, fermenting wine and onion cake at Oliver’s house was only the beginning of my discovery of things German. For later on that evening, I was introduced to a piece of equipment that I had never known existed, that is common-place in German homes, and that I am now wondering whether I can live without. It is the… Egg-Boiler! Yes, a machine to boil eggs. And when I asked why you need a machine to boil eggs, the answer was: “Because we are German!”. Since then I have also discovered machines for peeling asparagus spears, cutting butter into segments, and frying eggs in either love-heart or star shapes!
Vintage is going well, and last week was probably our busiest week. There are lots of interesting wine-making experiments happening, as well as new and unfamiliar grape varieties coming in. I got given a batch of Pinot Noir fruit to play with, so I am doing a warm ferment in the room that everyone uses to dry their gumboots out in, which just happens to be 28 C! It’s causing a few raised eyebrows, and I have had people follow me when they see me wandering out of the cellar with the plunger – just to see what I’m up to!
The other trainee, Rob, is from New Zealand also, so we now have the cellar staff saying “Gidday Mate!” in the mornings instead of “Guten Morgen”. And one thing I have learnt is the answer to a question I had never thought of before: “How many winemakers does it take to change a light-bulb?” The answer is: Two and a forklift – I’m sure you can figure out the details!
One of the viticulture guys here has an old bike stashed away in the basement which he kindly offered me the use of, so I have been taking it out at the weekends to explore the local area which has been great. The villages are quite close together and there are really good cycling tracks connecting them, so it’s a nice way to get around. It’s quite hilly though and I did end up up the top of one of the wine mountains when I got lost one day! The leaf colours here at the moment are amazing and the vineyards are just starting to change colour. In a couple of weeks it should be spectacular with all the different varieties each displaying a different shade of autumn.
Yesterday in Heilbronn (the nearest city; only 10 mins on the train from Weinsberg), there was a ‘Jazz and Shopping’ day. Usually everything is closed on Sundays, but the shops were all open and there were stages set up all around the city centre with various bands playing, and it was very good. The market-place and town-hall in Heilbronn are really cool, and it was the perfect place to sit in the sun with a cold Weiss Bier and people-watch. The people here are really friendly too, and it doesn’t take long before you’re talking and ‘Prosting’ with whoever you happen to be at the same table as.
Well, I think that’s all for now. Take care, and Auf Weidersein from Weinsberg!
Cheers,
Shona x
