Silvaner: Another White Grape of Germany

I guess you could call Sylvaner, or Silvaner as the Germans spell it, the Dracula wine since it's super old and we think it originated in Transylvania. Also, it's pale and if it gets too much light, it turns to ruin -- a watery, crappy wine results. That said, it survives off normal stuff (not blood) and would probably be a great pairing with garlic, so I'll drop the analogy here.

Silvaner is a white grape that used to be the darling of Germany. Migrating from the Austrian Empire (of which Transylvania was part) to Germany and then to Alsace, France, this old grape was recorded in Deutschland as early as 1659 by the Castell Estate,in Franken (more on the region below). That means Silvaner has been part of the winemaking tradition in Germany for over 350 years. The name means forest in Latin. Some people think it's because the grapes were wild-growing, but to quote the "X-Files," "the truth is out there" -- no one knows.

It's a weird grape. It's super neutral. At it's best it's light with some honeysuckle, honeydew, pear, and sometimes basil or fresh herb flavor and a good dose of salty mineral tang. Unlike the enamel busting acidity in Riesling, it's a pretty chill grape in terms of mouthwatering tartness. It's weak point: if it's allowed to grow out of control, it tastes like alcoholic lemon water...And grow out of control it did.

After World War II, it became the grape du jour of Germany, accounting for almost a third of all plantings there in the 1960s. It went into the worst bulk wine -- Liebfraumilch (Blue Nun) -- and lived up to its alcoholic lemon water reputation. That is, in everywhere except the Anbaugebiete (wine region, ahn-bah-gah-beet-ah) of Franken, in Bavaria in the southeastern part of Germany (in the map, left, it's the tan blob on the right). Here, viticulturists take great care of their Silvaner vines and as a result the wines are refreshing, flavorful, and great summer sippers.

And they better do Silvaner well, because they can't really grow Riesling here -- the cold winters and long dry summers don't work for grapes that ripen late, and that's Riesling (it needs a long, moderate growing season to do its thing).

Kind of an offbeat and not really exported wine, you can also find good Sylvaner from Alsace , France (different spelling, same grape), where it's considered a "noble" grape...at least in one small area called "Zotzenberg." Alsace Sylvaner is flavorful and more honey-like than the German stuff -- not surprising since that's a hallmark of Alsace wines. You may also see some from Northern Italy, where it kind of resembles more floral Pinot Grigio.

The one I tried was sent to me by Valckenberg (free, yes but I'll still be honest, as I always am). One other thing about wine from Franken -- it usually comes in this weird bottle called a bocksbeutel that's squat and fat and looks like a cheap bottle of crap wine from the 70s or like really cheap men's cologne. This one's in a normal bottle, but I just thought I'd give you a heads up in case you go shop for one of these suckers and see this freaky bottles and get scared. Here's the low down:

The Wine: 2010 Fürstlich Castell Castell Silvaner, Trocken (means dry)

The Grape: 100% Silvaner

Alcohol: 11.5%

Price: $16

Where it's from: Franken, Germany

Color: Like pear juice, this was a little golden and brassy. It looked like the wine was going to have some heft, which I was happy for -- other Silvaners I've had have been watery and gross. This looked promising.

Smell: To me, this wine was all about the earth or terroir. It was like salty, wet rocks (think of a waterfall), and even a little like a just-sharpened pencil. Kind of like lemons and honeysuckle, the wine seemed light but still interesting.

Taste: This tasted like what it smelled like but there was something a little puzzling about the wine too. Yeah, I got the minerals, salt, and lemon but the wine, which never saw oak, kind of tasted like oak. It had a slight caramel thing going on. Could be from the slight sweetness/the touch of sugar in it. I don't know, but it seemed strangely oaky.

Drink or sink?: Drink, sort of. This isn't a heavy hitter of a wine or anything that's going to rock your world, but with summer coming on in the northern hemisphere, this isn't a bad one to grab with light summer food -- salads or light fish or pasta with herbs and olive oil, that kind of stuff. It's unoffensive, interesting, and different. Would I got out of my way to find it? No, but if you come across it, it's a good entry into trying Silvaner. That said, you may want to spend another $5 when you have it for a better version to really see how this grape sings. That's what I plan to do.

Have you had Silvaner or Sylvaner? What did you think? Please share your experience!

**Photo of Silvaner grape attribution: Däisd at the German language Wikipedia.
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