Grape Varieties

Anyone wanting to know which grapes go into sparkling wine from Esslingen and Württemberg will first come across Riesling. The Kessler Jägergrün Riesling Brut carries the variety right in its name, and the house has always described its style as shaped by Württemberg Riesling.

For Sekt b.A., the law prescribes no particular grape variety. Each producer decides for itself, and most in the region favor Riesling and the Pinot family. Those selling as Winzersekt (grower's sparkling wine) must state grape variety and vintage on the label, so the varieties are stated especially openly there.

Riesling ripens late, retains plenty of acidity and brings citrus and green apple notes. These are exactly the tones that, with long lees ageing, move toward bread and pastry without losing their freshness. A sparkling wine made from Riesling therefore comes across as more taut than one made from red Pinot Noir.

Pinot Noir (Spätburgunder) is a red grape that can be pressed to produce white juice. When pressed without skin contact, it yields a pale juice for a Blanc de Noirs, and wine regulations expressly permit this term for sparkling wine. With a little skin contact, the variety gives a rosé sparkling wine its color.

Schwarzriesling has nothing to do with Riesling. In France it's called Meunier and is one of the three great grape varieties of Champagne. In Württemberg it's widely planted and yields fruity, soft base wines that can lend roundness to a Riesling sparkling wine in the blend.

Then there are Pinot Blanc (Weißburgunder) and Chardonnay, which give the sparkling wine a creamier core. Because each variety ripens differently, grapes are often picked separately and only blended later in the cellar, including here on the Neckar.