Almond Blossom Festival on the Wine Road

Didn’t I tell you there would be another Weinfest an der Deutsche Weinstraße (on the German Wine Road) this past weekend?  I was there, along with a few hundred other thirsty visitors, with the juice of the grape on our minds, but camaraderie in our souls.

This one, as promised, celebrated the blooming of the almond trees that line the main road and most of the surrounding streets.  I’m telling you, one of the things I love about Germany is the way even the smallest villages celebrate every season and every harvest.  Pumpkins.  Chestnuts.  Strawberries. Asparagus. New wine. Beer. Plus, there are the religious holidays, which are more rigorously celebrated than we’re used to in the U.S.  Just when you think you know all the saints, another pops up and the stores close and garbage pickup comes a couple of days earlier than you’d planned.  But, let’s get back on topic.  Almond blossoms.

Pumpkins?  http://stroudallover.blogspot.de/2012/10/autumns-not-just-for-kids-pumpkin-soup.html

Potatoes and Chestnuts?  http://stroudallover.blogspot.de/2013/10/potatoes-and-chestnuts-hey-fest-is-fest.html

Ok, so almond blossoms and beer and wine aren’t harvested, but they definitely represent a change in the seasons.  Hey, nature doesn’t lie.  When the almond trees start to bloom, you know spring is here.

In a few weeks, the forests’ budding branches will cast a faint green velvet glow over the awakening trees and the almost infinite rows of vines will be covered in light green finery.  Even now the days grow longer and Germany’s days glow with lingering glimpses of sunshine.

The blooms are on their way!

But, back to almond blossoms and the Almond Blossom Fest, held every year in the tiny town of Gimmeldingen, near Neustadt on the Germany Wine Road.  You have to keep your eyes and ears peeled to catch the date.  Nature not only doesn’t lie, but it keeps its own timetable.  The almond blooms burst out when they will, so the festival is announced on short notice.  This year we got about a ten-day call.

What do you expect to find at an almond blossom festival?  No trick questions.  Small, beautifully trees, adorned in pink blossoms. Beer.  Wine. Wurst.  Vendors with exquisite temptations. 

But, no matter what you expect, also expect surprises.  At this fest I saw something I hadn’t seen is a while:  roasting salmon on cedar planks around open wood fires.  You don’t want to know how delicious fire seared salmon is, it’ll only disturb your sleep and make you wake up hungry.  Add fresh rolls and dilled mayo….sorry, I can’t go on.  It’ll disturb my sleep, too.

Let’s move on to the handmade wares. As I have often said, the vendors at German fests are first class.  The almond blossom affair was no exception.  Gabi Müller-Seng makes jewelry.  Fine, inventive jewelry, with every piece uniquely crafted.  She is a native to the Wine Road, with a shop in Neustadt.  I wouldn’t be so crassly commercial, but I really have seen nothing like the jewelry she makes.  Gold and silver, curved and hammered into small sculptures you’ll be eager to wear on your fingers, or wrists, or around your neck…or pinned to your jacket.

Now to the heart of the matter.  I didn’t come for jewelry, or even almond blossoms.  I came for indescribably delicious wine, roasted wurst , whose redolent smoke you whiff for a hundred yards before you see it, and even more importantly, the crowds of happy people that are more than willing to drink with you and smile and use their faltering English, while you stumble and spit out your torn, rag tag German.

A long time ago, when my sons were young and we ripped them away from their covey of close friends and schoolboy enterprises and took them across vast oceans, they were more than a little sad.  They trusted us, but the loss, combined with facing the unknown, made their sleep a toss and turn affair.  When we’d settled in to our new home, I asked them what they missed about the place we had come from. They gave me names of friends and things that had happened, soccer games won or lost, the freedom of the last day of school, the summer days spent wandering the woods, or fishing in the lake.  Never once did they mention a ‘thing,’ a gift, a toy.

And that’s what the almond blossom fest was really all about.  Sitting next to friendly people, most of whom were Germans, welcoming you with open arms to share some wine and conversation, talk about the weather, comment on the salmon, or pickles, and make you feel at home.

More and more fests coming up!  Wine and more.  You’ve heard of Christmas markets.  What about Easter markets!  Hey, put some Google in your life!  Find the fests!  Mark your calendar!  Meet the people who will make your stay in Germany linger in the corners of your heart forever!

Kallstadt! Let the Wine Tasting Begin!

Along the Wein Straße

Another weekend of wine.  First tasting of the year was the ‘Open Cellars’ Day in the tiny town of Kallstadt on the German Wine Road (Deutsche Wein Straße).   Not sure where that is?  Count on me to fill you in.

Next Question.  What is an open cellar day versus a wine fest?  A wine fest is an all-vintner production in the city streets, teeming with crowds of the ever thirsty.  Booths of wine and beer and schnaps.  The scent of roasting Wurst floating temptingly past your nose and dashing all hope of moderation.  Throngs of gallant wine guzzlers doing their best to stimulate an economic recovery.

On the other hand, an open cellar day is far more intimate. You pay one price, in Kallstadt it was 15 Euros, then you walk down the street, going from vintner to vintner, strolling their cellars, taking selfies in front of huge wine casks, sipping wine, chatting with your hosts, discussing the pros and cons of this wine and that. Drinking more wine.  Damn, this glass never gets empty!

But, do vintners just specialize in one type of wine?  How many questions do you have????  Ok.  Patience.  Fortitude.  Often, even the small growers have several species of grapes, which they sometimes combine, and which they ferment to different levels of sugar and alcohol.  The most popular grape in Germany is Riesling and the tiny town of Kallstadt has its share.

In Germany, Riesling is KING!

On our visit, we arrived late and only got to two vintners, but they were special.  Our favorite was Roland Christ, not nearly as large as some of the others, but a jewel of a winery.  When we walked along the cobblestone courtyard and through the solid door, into the tasting room, it was as though we’d stepped into the middle of a family gathering.  Big family.  Maybe fifty people.  The wine selection ran from white to red to rosé and varied in sweetness from super dry to dry to mellow and sweet.

Just to give you a hint.  Everyone has personal preferences, but no matter which you choose, there are NO bad wines in Kallstadt.  We bought a number of bottles and carefully tasted and savored many more.

For those of you who have not been to Germany in a while, let me offer a tip about German wines in general.  Tastes in Europe have changed dramatically.  No longer are German reds, such as Dornfelder and Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) something to avoid.  Also, thirty years ago the whites were only different levels of sweetness.  Now there are dry and semi-dry and any number of other levels before you get to the sweetness so common decades ago.  Nor can you go by the old rules of Spätlese and Auslese always being very close to dessert wines.  Not familiar with the terms?  Spätlese is a late harvest picking.  Auslese is a select picking from very ripe fruit. Ice wine is a pressing when the grapes are frozen.  Here’s a quick glance:

But, dry or not-so-dry, or sweet, one thing most Germany wines have that other countries don’t is a wonderfully heavy nose of fruitiness.  Give me a glass of Pinot Grigio and I’ll tell you it tastes good or doesn’t.  Give me a German Riesling and the pungent essence of apples and pears come bursting through like you’re standing in an orchard.  Why is that?  My, you’re full of questions, but fortunately for you, here I am.  Riesling is grown in other countries, but it won’t taste the same.  As the nose-in-the-air (or glass) experts say, Riesling is “terroir-expressive.”  Even a novice wine swiller such as yours truly can tell in a sniff and a taste that German Rieslings are not the same as French Rieslings, which are grown only 45 minutes away.

A final question?  Ok, shoot.  Why are you giving us this information on an open cellar day that is past?  Oh, ye of little faith.  The wine tasting season is just beginning and I’m here to pique your interest.  Next weekend, par example, the Deutsche Wein Straße features the celebration of the blooming of the almond trees.  Really?  Yep.  Not making that up.

But, celebration or not, wine fest or not, you can drive through any wine growing region in Germany and do a Wein Probe – a wine tasting.  Just spot a vintner with a sign outside, park the car, sip a while, chat a while and prepare to become a connoisseur of some of the most flavorful wines in the world.   Meanwhile, I’ll see you this weekend on the Deutsche Wein Straße at the Almond Bloom celebration.  Prost!