Looking for something a little lighter on such a hot day, we stopped at the Ohlig bottle shop. Ohlig is a Sekt (German sparkling wine) producer. Many of their wines are Riesling based, and they even sell a “Privat” collection, which contains grapes from Spain and Italy. We did not taste these as we were focused on wines from grapes of the immediate area, Rheingau. Their Rheingau collection, which contains only wines made from grapes from the Rheingau area, includes Riesling sekts, that follow an off-sweet (‘halbtrocken’) to brut and extra-brut (extra-trocken) continuum.
Ohlig also has a “Method Rurale,” which is a lightly sparkling wine, similar to the Italian Moscato d’Asti. Much like Moscato d’Asti, it only undergoes one fermentation, versus two fermentations like most other sparkling wines. The single fermentation method preserves more of the aroma and natural sugars, allowing for a slightly sweeter and lightly fizzy wine. The palate finished long with the taste of candy corn.
Ohlig also produces a special selection of sparkling wines that are from grapes from specific delimited vineyard areas. Of note, was the 2012 Edition Anton Ohlig Erbacher Macrobrunn – Brut. This wine is made of 100% Riesling. However, despite its varietal, which one associates with aromas of citrus or stone fruit depending on residual sugar levels, ripeness as harvest, and age, it had a very distinct aroma and taste of ripe strawberries. It was so pleasantly surprising and would be the perfect sipper for spring or summer, especially with any strawberry-based dishes. Interestingly, when sipping this sekt directly after the Method Rurale, there was a fun play of taste that reminded one in our group of strawberries and cream.
So, there you go! Get a bottle of each and have some brunch (or anytime) fun!
Now your it’s your turn! Get out there and drink some wine!
