Sparkling wine made from apples and pears, cider and sweet wine

Sparkling wine is a wine with so much dissolved carbon dioxide that there is at least 3 bar of pressure in the closed bottle. In this category, it is mostly made from fruit: from old apple and pear varieties from the Swabian Alb, fermented like wine and partly aged on the lees in the bottle. This is complemented by cider and low-alcohol sparkling wines, Eisapfel as a sweet wine and three fruit wines in the Port style.

Only available to persons aged 16 and over. The sweet wines in the Port style are fortified with brandy and are only available to persons aged 18 and over.

From light to liqueur-like: the styles at a glance

Cider and sparkling wine

Cider is sparkling apple wine, often with pear. Jörg Geiger's ciders are partially fermented: The fermentation is stopped before all the fruit sugar has turned into alcohol. This keeps them light and fruity at 3.0 to 3.5% ABV. A sparkling wine has 1 to 2.5 bar less pressure than a sparkling wine and bubbles more gently, such as the Sommernachtstraum made from apple wine with elderflower.

Bottle fermentation

In traditional bottle fermentation, the base wine ferments a second time in the bottle, and the carbon dioxide is created naturally. The longer it lies on the lees, the finer and creamier the effervescence becomes. Jörg Geiger works this way with single-variety old varieties such as Hauxapfel or Champagne Bratbirne. Sparkling wine is made from grapes; when made from fruit, the result is called fruit sparkling wine, apple or pear sparkling wine.

Eisapfel and sweet wine in the Port style

For the Eisapfel, the night frost concentrates the apples on the northern slopes of the Alb, creating a honey-sweet wine with lively acidity. Port wine itself is a protected designation of origin from the Douro Valley in Portugal. The fruit wines in the Port style follow the method: The fermentation is stopped with apple, pear or cherry brandy, and then they are aged in wooden barrels.

Our producers

Almost all bottles come from the Manufaktur Jörg Geiger in Schlat on the Swabian Alb. The Schwäbische Cider mild made from meadow apples and wine pears with 3.0% ABV is very popular, as is the sweet Cuvée made from wine pears in organic quality with 2.0% ABV. The Wiesenobst Cider is off-dry and is made without added sugar.

For sparkling wine made from bottle fermentation, there is the dry Champagne Bratbirne with pronounced tannins and the Hauxapfel apple sparkling wine, aged on the lees for at least 15 months, both 7.5% ABV. The Eisapfel made from Bittenfelder Sämling has around 220 g of residual sugar per liter at 5% ABV, also in the wooden crate. In the Port style, AP Apple ripens in chestnut barrels, BP Pear in acacia and Sauternes barrels and KP Cherry in used Banyuls barrels, each at 18% ABV. Lighter and more floral is the Sommernachtstraum.

Our bestseller comes from Hesse: The Pomp Klassik Cuvée by DR. HÖHL'S from Maintal combines 65% Riesling sparkling wine with 35% apple wine, inspired by the Frankfurt "Herrschafts-Gespritzten", sparkling and dry-fruity with 10% ABV.

Serving and pairing

You pour sparkling wine and cider well chilled, sweet wines slightly warmer: KP Cherry, for example, at 14°C. The Cider mild pairs as an aperitif with herbs in cream cheese, the Wiesenobst Cider with medium-ripe cheese for a snack. The Champagne Bratbirne accompanies game terrine or crispy fried zander, Hauxapfel-marinated salmon or roast beef. The wine pear cuvée goes with blue cheese or berry tart. Eisapfel comes to the table with warm apple tart or at the end of a meal, BP Pear with aged Parmesan and KP Cherry with a chocolate dessert.

Good to know

• Alcohol content: from 2.0% ABV for the wine pear cuvée to 18% ABV for the sweet wines in the Port style; the information is on every product.
• Sweetness: Dry sparkling wines such as the Bratbirne have around 18 g of residual sugar per liter, the Cider mild around 65 g, the Eisapfel around 220 g.
• Bottle sizes: 750 ml for sparkling wine and Cider mild, 330 ml for the Wiesenobst Cider, 375 ml for the Eisapfel, 700 ml in a decorative box for the sweet wines in the Port style.
• Storage: cool, dark and still; you chill sparkling wines for a few hours before opening. You can find information about sulfites on the label.

Other drinks

These bottles belong to our drinks. If you prefer to toast without alcohol: Under non-alcoholic drinks are PriSecco, de-alcoholized wines and cider under 0.5% ABV, also from Jörg Geiger. You can find a digestif glass for brandies and liqueurs in Glasses & Bar Accessories.

Order sparkling wine and cider online

For a birthday, autumn game dinner or as a gift in the wooden crate: At Leni & Hans you order sparkling wine, cider and sweet wine online, and your package will be with you in 1–3 days.