Special wines: rarities from the Moselle terroir

Crémant de Luxembourg

Crémant de Luxembourg, a wine gem produced since 1991, is a sparkling wine with refreshing acidity, created from local grapes. Served chilled, it accompanies every event in Luxembourg, from get-togethers among friends to official receptions. This sparkling wine, available in white or rosé, is the fruit of the work of private winegrowers and cooperatives, which offers a rich palette of flavours and winemaking excellence with each tasting of Crémant de Luxembourg.

Its quality is assured by the Protected Designation of Origin (Appellation d'origine protégée, AOP), which guarantees that only the best practices, from the choice of grapes to their careful processing, allow this wine to bear the name "Crémant".

Fiederwäissen – a taste of the coming vintage

Delicate, slightly cloudy and sweet, Fiederwäissen is a white wine from the current harvest, in the process of fermenting. It is often seen as an indicator of the quality of wines from the same vintage. Served slightly chilled or at room temperature, Fiederwäissen reveals its unique fruity aromas. This wine is tasted exclusively in autumn and can be enjoyed on its own, as an aperitif, or with the traditional onion tart.

Its name comes from the "feathers" (Luxembourgish: Fiederen) that float in the wine, giving it its white, cloudy appearance. These "feathers" are actually the active yeasts that transform the sugar in grape juice into alcohol. Once fermentation is complete, the wine will lose its cloudy appearance and characteristic taste.

Late vintage wines: ice wine, straw wine and late harvest wine

Late harvest wines are exceptional vintage wines: the grapes are produced meticulously and harvested long after the usual harvest when the summer draws to an end, and they are treated according to strict criteria that ensure the quality guaranteed by the "Appellation d’origine protégée – Moselle luxembourgeoise".

• Ice wine is made from grapes naturally frozen with an outside temperature of at least -7 °C. When this occurs, some of the water that is inside the grapes crystalises. The frozen grapes are pressed in order obtain a high-sugar-content must. The resulting wine is highly concentrated, aromatic and syrupy, usually produced with Pinot blanc, Pinot gris and Riesling grapes. Climate change has a direct impact on this Luxembourgish tradition, which could sadly be at risk of disappearing. In fact, days of intense frost in November or December are increasingly rare and low temperatures no longer persist. What's more, the increasingly hot summers have an impact on the early maturity of the grapes, which need more frost to freeze due to a higher sugar content. So don't miss the opportunity to taste this exceptional wine - Äiswäin as we call it - as soon as it comes your way!
• For straw wine, winegrowers have a very particular way of storing the grapes, from which the name derives. In fact, the harvested grapes are placed on straw mats and air-dried for at least two months in a ventilated room to prevent them from rotting. The water evaporates during this process and the sugar concentration skyrockets. The grapes are then pressed, and the result is a heavy, aromatic and sweet wine that can be kept for a very long time. The most commonly used grape varieties for this specialty are Auxerrois and Gewürztraminer, although some straw wines are produced with Pinot blanc, Pinot gris or Riesling. The harvest for the production of straw wines is often done carefully on weekends by family, to obtain the best possible quality. A straw wine tasting brings you not only that sweet and special bouquet, but also the family tradition and love for vines.
• Late harvest wines are produced with ripe grapes, and often with some noble rot - the beneficial part of a grey fungus, Botrytis cinerea. The fungus destroys the grapes' skin and evaporates part of the water contained. The result is a natural concentration of ingredients and wines rich in sugar and alcohol, with powerful and sweet aromas such as honey or caramel. Several grape varieties are used in the production: Pinot blanc, Pinot gris, Auxerrois, Gewürztraminer and Riesling.

These rich wines are traditionally served with foie gras, especially straw wine, but you can also enjoy them with blue cheese or simply at the end of a meal or to end a special day on a sweet note.