Moselle, Rhine, and Ahr: Wine Festivals

Fall is harvest time. Around here, that means it's time to pick the grapes. The Moselle, Rhine, and Ahr River valleys, are all within a stone's throw. In these vineyards, along with those in the neighboring Rhineland-Palatinate, over 70 percent of all German wines are produced.

Riesling is the king of German grapes, but it's not the only variety grown. Other wine wines produced in the region include Scheurebe, Ruländer, Silvaner, Gerwürztraminer, and Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc). Red wines, include Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir), Dornfelder, Portugieser and Trollinger.

Fall also means that the picturesque towns surrounding the vineyards come alive with festivals. Typically these events take place in a town's main square, and include music, pagentry and lots of food and drinks. Many towns have wine stores and cellars that are open even on Sundays this time year. Here you can taste the local wines and purchase bottles to take home. But, be sure not to miss the real delicacy at these festivals: a drink called Federweißer.

Also known as new or fresh wine, Federweißer literally translates to feather white. It is made from fermented freshly pressed grapes, known as must. Typically, Federweißer is made from harvests lesser-quality grapes. It owes its appearance, which is greenish white, to suspended yeast.

Federweißer is sold when the alcohol content reaches 4 percent. The beverage continues to ferment in the bottle as the sugars in the grapes continue break down, topping out at a 10 percent alcohol content. The bottled cannot be sealed. Instead, a permeable lid is used to allow the gasses to be released and stops the bottle from exploding.

For this reason it is hard to transport. That, compounded with the fact that it needs to be consumed within a few days of production, make this a real seasonal treat. It is only found in wine-producing areas during harvest time.

Federweißer is made from white grapes. The comparable, but less common, red grape variety is called Roter Rauscher. Both tastes light and refreshing – reminiscent of grape lemonade – and pair very well with savory foods. The local traditional compliment is Zwiebelkuchen.

Zwiebelkuchen, which translates as onion cake, is really more like an onion quiche. Made with a single, bottom yeast crust, the filling consists of steamed onions, diced bacon, cream, and sometimes caraway seeds.