Unbottled – Wagner Stempel Sylvaner Reserve

Finally, I am continuing with my German wine region series. Today we visit Rhine Hesse and enjoy a Sylvaner from Wagner Stempel. Some say that Rhine Hesse makes the better Silvaners compared to Franconia. Well, we will see about that and I also have a cliché pairing with asparagus for you.

The vines for this Sylvaner are 30 years old and grow on a mix of soils which also includes Porphyr. After the selective, manual harvest the grapes ferment in stainless steel with natural yeasts. Next, ageing takes place in German oak cask. The wine is filtered, but not fined. I tried the 2021 vintage.

Ripe, but enough freshness

First things first, the Sylvaner Reserve is quite tasty. However, it comes off as being riper than the Silvaners I usually enjoy. This is not necessarily a bad thing, just stating the fact. Apart from that, you can find some flint, spices, golden raisins and fresh apples. Especially the latter help balance out the riper fruit notes of the wine. I would almost go as far as naming this bottle a ‘crowd pleaser’.

Cliché pairing

I know that some Franconian winemakers do not want to hear about their wine being paired with asparagus. Nevertheless, the fact remains that this combination just works. In this case, my wife found a recipe of backed green asparagus with Panco and Sesame served over Burrata with an olive oil / lemon. / honey dressing.