Jörg Geiger Hauxapfel Sparkling Apple Wine. Varietal sparkling apple wine made using traditional bottle fermentation – creamy, dry, with notes of wood and vanilla.

Jörg Geiger Hauxapfel Sparkling Apple Wine is a single-varietal sparkling wine made from an heirloom apple variety from the Swabian Jura, produced at the manufactory in Schlat: cold-fermented Hauxapfel cider, partially aged in barriques, fermented a second time in the bottle, and aged on the lees for at least 15 months, 7.5% ABV, 750 ml. Not a cider, not a semi-sparkling wine – a sparkling apple wine made using traditional bottle fermentation.

Jörg Geiger Hauxapfel Sparkling Apple Wine is a sparkling wine made from apples rather than grapes, specifically using traditional bottle fermentation – the laborious classic method for creating sparkling wine. First, the juice is turned into a still cider, then each bottle undergoes a second fermentation, which creates the carbonation. The bubbles are therefore naturally developed, not added. Single-varietal means: there is only one type of apple in the glass, the Hauxapfel. The result has little to do with apple juice – it is more akin to a fine vintage sparkling wine that smells of ripe apples.

Taste

In the glass, the sparkling apple wine presents a pale straw yellow with golden reflections and a fine mousse. The aroma is bold: ripe apples, subtle woody notes, along with vanilla and caramel.

On the palate, it is complex and multi-layered. The apple's invigorating acidity and well-integrated tannins result in a round, creamy character. The finish is long and fresh with apple, with hints of fresh pine needles. It is also dry – an aperitif that whets the appetite rather than satisfying it.

Serving

As a dry aperitif, this sparkling apple wine takes the place where one would otherwise pour a Sekt or Crémant. However, it truly shows its strength at the dining table. Recommendations: pan-seared goose or duck liver with apple or pear chutney, cured salmon with rösti, roast beef with herb sour cream. The acidity and bubbles cut through fat and salt, while the wood and caramel notes pair well with roasted and cured dishes.

Serve it well chilled and open the bottle slowly, with your hand on the cork. The sparkling apple wine has 7.5% ABV; purchase is permitted from age 16.

Our tip: Cure a piece of salmon a day in advance with salt, sugar, and dill, slice it thinly, and place it on crispy little röstis. This is the appetizer this sparkling apple wine is intended for, and it is easy to prepare in advance.

Origin

The Jörg Geiger manufactory is located in Schlat on the Albtrauf of the Swabian Jura. Jörg Geiger is a trained chef; he took over his parents' inn, the Lamm, in 1997 and began working with the Champagner Bratbirne (Champagne cooking pear) in 1998 to make pear sparkling wine. The raw material is "Swabian meadow fruit": heirloom, often tart apple and pear varieties from traditional local orchards.

The Hauxapfel is one of them. Around 1920, Andreas Haux from Göppingen cultivated the variety from the seeds of the Roter Trierer Weinapfel. After harvest, the fruits rest in closed boxes where the ripening gas ethylene accumulates. They are then gently pressed and cold-fermented in stainless steel tanks; a portion of the cider is aged in new barrique barrels.

The second fermentation in the bottle takes 12 to 16 weeks, after which the sparkling wine remains on the lees for at least 15 months. Finally, the bottles are turned daily and set at an increasingly steeper angle until the yeast plug has gathered in the neck of the bottle after 43 turns. It is removed during disgorging, and only then is the sparkling apple wine ready for sale. The yeast aging alone lasts longer than a year, and you can taste this time in the creamy mousse.

For whom

This sparkling apple wine is the bottle for people who enjoy drinking Sekt or Crémant and want to know what an heirloom apple variety can achieve through bottle fermentation. It is perfect for festive meals with appetizers, New Year's Eve, and as a gift for anyone who has already tried every Sekt.

If you are looking for the same thing made from pears, reach for the Champagner Bratbirne dry. Lighter and more floral is the Sommernachtstraum with elderflower; you can find all bottles on our Jörg Geiger page. It is not suitable for those expecting a sweet, fruity apple cider – it is dry, complex, and yeasty.

Hauxapfel, barrique, and 15 months of yeast aging – the single-varietal sparkling apple wine from Schlat for aperitifs and festive appetizers.