Mushrooms & Wine

Pilze und Kürbis

Wild mushrooms can be quite demanding in their choice of culinary partners and prefer wines with subtle and mild flavours. While a delicate potpourri of mixed mushrooms requires a full-bodied wine, flavours should not be too overwhelming.

Facts

  • 2019

    The chanterelle was the mushroom of the year

  • The fourth

    Saturday in September is celebrated annually as European Mushroom Day.

  • About 2kg

    mushrooms are consumed per capita in Germany every year

Delicious pairings - Wild mushrooms and wine

Take porcini, for instance: These most exquisite of all edible mushrooms form a perfect symbiotic relationship with a Pinot Blanc that is full-bodied yet delicately fruity. Even rather mature wines are great companions, since the subtle flavours of the mushrooms make them appear youthful and fresh. A mild acidity retains the harmony of this delicate, melt-in-the-mouth dish.

More expressive dishes, such as porcini or other mushrooms that have been fried to crispy perfection in butter, harmonize well with heartier wines with a fresh, fruity acidity, such as Riesling – a delectable alliance.

Wild mushrooms play a pleasant supporting role alongside a roast. In this case, the roast takes precedence in selecting the wine companion. However, wines such as a smooth Pinot Noir from the Ahr region or a subtle Meunier (Schwarzriesling) from Württemberg take care that the delicate mushroom flavours don’t get lost in this expressive mélange.

Mushrooms as a main dish, with a rich creamy sauce and dumplings, require a subtly fruity fresh Riesling that counters the exquisite opulence of the dish with its vivacity.

Autumn creations - wine harmony guaranteed

Whether you require a companion for delicately flavoured wild mushrooms or pumpkins: In the cellars of the German winemakers, a parade of fantastic wines is ready to give a brilliant performance on your table. And Wines of Germany has a few simple guidelines for you to follow – to avoid even the slightest hints of disharmony creeping into these alliances.

Wild mushrooms such as porcini, bay boletes and chanterelles

Braised, wild mushrooms tend to display extremely delicate flavours and acquire a melt-in-the-mouth touch. Most often, they are lightly sautéed in a frying pan with onions, only seasoned slightly and rounded off with a dash of lemon, in order to preserve their subtle nutty taste. Suitable wine companions should also help to retain the delicate mushroom flavours. A gentle Pinot Blanc or a Silvaner from Rheinhessen does a great job.

Crisp-fried in butter, porcini develop very distinct nuances. Their typical flavours form a delicious alliance with the delicate roast aromas. A smooth Riesling with a moderate fruity acidity is a welcome companion. It showcases the spicy nuances of the mushrooms. As far as red wines are concerned, a more distinctly fruity Pinot Noir or Portugieser fits the bill.

In a creamy sauce, mushroom dishes are not exactly light fare. A full-bodied Riesling or classic Pinot Gris makes for a happy combination. The wine’s balanced acidity, subtle richness and maybe even a hint of residual sugar are excellent counterparts for the potpourri of flavours created by braised mushrooms, cream and fresh herbs.

Mushrooms play an expressive supporting role alongside a roast. In this kind of menu, the roast takes precedence in selecting the wine companion. However, it’s a good idea to also pay attention to a harmonious relationship between wine and mushrooms. Smooth red wines with balanced tannins such as Pinot Noir from Baden or the Ahr region are commendable. Hearty red wines rich in tannins would take center stage here – and drown out the delicate mushroom aromas.

Can wines themselves develop a mushroom or champignon aroma?

Yes! This aroma manifests itself in earthy, spicy tones such as forest floor or foliage, but in extreme form it can also develop into an off-flavor. This strong mushroom note is caused, among other things, by the substance geosmin, which in turn can be caused by botrytis infestation.

with wild mushrooms Cream of potato soup

with wild mushrooms

  • 300 Gramm geschälte Kartoffeln
  • 100 Gramm Wurzelgemüse
  • 100 Gramm Waldpilze
  • 1 ganze Zwiebel
  • 1 ganze Knoblauchzehe
  • 30 Gramm Speckwürfel
  • 40 Gramm Margarine
  • 750 ml Brühe
  • 200 ml Sahne
  • 1 Zweig Thymian
  • nach Belieben Petersilie, Butter, Salz, Pfeffer, Muskat

Clean, wash and finely dice the root vegetables. Finely dice the onion and garlic clove and finely chop the thyme. Sauté the diced bacon with the margarine in a pan until lightly browned, add the diced onion, garlic, root vegetables and thyme. Sauté, add the stock and cook for 2 minutes.


Finely grate the potatoes, add to the soup and cook for a further 5 minutes, add the cream, season and flavour. Clean, wash and chop the mushrooms and sauté in a pan with butter. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with chopped parsley and pour over the soup when serving.

  • Riesling (trocken)
  • Riesling (halbtrocken & feinherb)

Light and fluffy: cashew coconut mousse with passion fruit Cashew coconut mousse with passion fruit

An airy cashew coconut mousse with passion fruit

  • 400g Cashewkerne
  • 400ml Haferdrink
  • 6EL Agavendicksaft
  • 6EL Kokosflocken
  • 4 Passionsfrüchte
  • 1 Prise Vanille

Place the cashews in a container and add enough water to cover the cashews sufficiently. Place the cashews in the fridge to soak overnight.

(With a high-performance blender, 3-4 hours is also sufficient.)

 

Drain the water and place the cashews in the blender with the oat milk, agave syrup and coconut flakes. Add the vanilla and blend until the mousse is creamy and no longer contains any chunks.

<p

 

<p>Divide the mousse between four glasses. Halve the passion fruit, scrape out the flesh with a teaspoon and place on top of the mousse. Decorate with coconut flakes.

  • Pinot Blanc (süß & edelsüß)
  • Riesling (süß & edelsüß)

with strong red wine Wild boar ragout

with strong red wine

  • 800 Gramm Fleisch vom Wildschwein (Keule o. Schulter)
  • 80 Gramm Bauchspeck
  • 100 Gramm Zwiebeln
  • 60 Gramm Karotten
  • 60 Gramm Staudensellerie
  • 1 TL Tomatenmark
  • 200 ml kräftigen Rotwein
  • 100 ml Portwein
  • 1 Liter braune Wildbrühe
  • 1 TL Preiselbeeren
  • 1 EL geschlagene Sahne o. Sauerrahm
  • 20 Gramm Mehl
  • 1 Stück Lorbeerblatt
  • je 1 Zweig Rosmarin und Thymian
  • 4 zerdrückte Wacholderbeeren
  • 1/2 TL Senf
  • nach Belieben Salz & Pfeffer

Clean and wash the vegetables and cut into evenly sized cubes.

 

Remove the fat, skin and tendons from the wild boar meat and cut into 3 cm cubes. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with flour. Heat the oil in a frying pan and brown the meat on all sides. Add the vegetables and diced bacon and fry. Add the tomato purée and stir fry. Deglaze with the red wine and port, reduce and pour in the brown game stock. Add the spices to the meat in a small spice bag and leave the ragout to simmer in the oven at 160°C for approx. 1½ hours.

 

Then remove the pieces of meat, remove the spices, strain the sauce, add the cranberries and mustard and leave to reduce for about 15 minutes. If necessary, thicken with a little cornflour. Serve with the whipped cream.

  • Spätburgunder / Pinot Noir (trocken)

the "Frankfurt Green Sauce" Quiche with herbs

the "Frankfurt Green Sauce"

  • 200 Gramm Mehl
  • 100 Gramm Butter
  • je 1 Bund Kräuter für Frankfurter Grüne Sauce (Petersilie, Kresse, Kerbel, Borretsch, Sauerampfer, Schnittlauch, Pimpernelle)
  • 100 - 125 Gramm Schwarzwälder Schinken
  • 7 ganze Eier
  • 125 ml Sahne
  • 100 Gramm Frischkäse
  • 1 EL Zitronensaft
  • nach Geschmack Salz & Pfeffer

Knead the flour and butter with 4 tbsp water and a teaspoon of salt to form a smooth dough. Line a mould with it and leave to cool for 30 minutes.</p

 

<p>Hard boil 4 eggs. Wash, drain and finely chop the herbs from the Frankfurt green sauce. Cut the ham into wafer-thin slices and spread on the pastry base. Chop the hard-boiled eggs into small

and spread over the top. Mix the 3 eggs, cream and fresh cheese and season with 1 tbsp lemon juice, salt and pepper, then fold in the herbs. Spread the mixture over the pastry base.

 

Bake at 180 °C (gas mark 4) on the middle shelf of the oven for about 30 minutes.

  • Riesling (trocken)