Welcome back to our occasional series, “How They Made It,” where we explore the food and drink of Outlander. Here we look at drinking Rhenish with Colum and Leticia as they entertain in the Great Hall. Slainté!
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Drinking it all in
I’ve been wondering about something for a while now…what exactly is Rhenish? You know, the wine that Colum served Claire during dinner in the Great Hall? Claire certainly enjoyed Colum’s Rhenish (enough to get Sassenach-wasted during her interrogation!), and I was intrigued…what’s it like? Can we get it today? Would I have a hunky Highlander waiting to escort me back to my room if I over-imbibed? (One can only hope!)
Colum & Claire share a moment before the questions begin… (photo credit: Outlander STARZ)
Claire is on her way to getting Sassenach-wasted! (photo credit: Outlander STARZ)
Drinking Rhenish, then and now
So what exactly is Rhenish? In short, Rhenish (or Rheinhessen) is a German wine that comes from the areas around the Rhine River, generally white or rosé, with low alcohol content (around 9%ABV). I’m generally more of a dry Cabernet or Chardonnay girl, and I don’t pretend at all to know anything about wine beyond the basics. Luckily, I found an article at Time Slips’ Outlander: Why is their Rhenish wine not white?! that dove deep into the weeds for the history of Rhenish and how it related to Outlander. Go there and prepare to be schooled! Suffice it to say that Colum must have had friends in the right places in order to get his Rhenish with a high enough alcohol content to dull his pain.
As it turns out, yes, Rhenish is readily available. On my own blog, Scotch and Scones, I write reviews about whisky tastings I attend, so I’m familiar with the nose/palate/finish aspect of tastings (i.e., the descriptions of the aroma and taste for a particular sample, and what you end up tasting at the end). I decided to try some Rhenish to see what’s what. I bought three bottles at different price points (I’ll tell you about that later), invited an esteemed panel of wine drinkers (ok, it was myself, my daughter, and her fiancé), and we got down to business. It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it!
Our lineup for the evening
Riesling Wine Tasting
At home, March 25, 2018
[Side Note: In the review below, TL = me, S = my daughter, and D = my soon-to-be son-in-law. We’re a close knit, if slightly goofy, family!]
Keller Riesling Kabinett 2015
9.5%ABV
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Nose: TL – faint nose, slightly lemon, slate, soft; S – alcohol
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Taste: TL – very sweet, orchard fruits (peaches, apricots), light green apples
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Finish: TL – light tart finish; S – sweet
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Comments: TL – lightly carbonated; S – good starter wine
Seehof Riesling Trocken 2016
12.5%ABV
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Nose: TL – slate, minerals, bright pears, lime; D – grassy, earthy
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Taste: TL – Tart green apples, earthy; D: lightly carbonated, green apples (Granny Smith)
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Finish: TL – musty, fades quickly
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Comments: TL – less sweet, more interesting mineral flavors; S – drier, more like Chardonnay; D – much drier than last one
Dr. Beckermann Rheinhessen Liebfraumilch 2017
9.5%ABV
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Nose: TL – green grapes, lightly mineral, slate; S – apples, peaches, fruit; D – lightly fruity
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Taste: TL – green apple, green grapes, very sweet, light body, tartness; S – enjoy chilled, almost tastes sparkling; D – apples, medium sweetness, light body
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Finish: TL: creamy finish, tartness lingers, sweet vanilla sugar
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Comments: TL – has a tartness, needs to be chilled, great for summer, like cider; S – good summer wine
Our favorites Rhenish wines
I really liked the first two wines and kept wavering between the dryness of the Seehof against the fruity tartness of the Keller (the Beckermann came up last because it was too sweet for me). My daughter liked the Seehof best (she’s a Chardonnay girl and likes dry wines as well), but she appreciated the Beckermann as a nice summer sip. Her fiancé was solidly behind the Keller, followed by the Seehof.
Lastly, the prices. If you guessed we tried the wines in price order, you’d be right (I purchased these bottles last month in Boston, MA): the Keller was $30, Seehof $19, and Dr. Beckermann was a whopping $5 (yup, you read that right…it came from Trader Joe’s). It has to be said that just because the Keller and Seehof were more expensive didn’t make them better, but there was a definite difference to me. Everyone’s palate is unique, however, and if you like sweeter wines then the Dr. Beckermann is a great deal for a nice bottle of wine. Whichever you choose, enjoy it to the fullest…I think Colum would agree! Slainté Mhah!
To read more about the wines from the Vom Boden winery, click on the links: Weingut Keller, Riesling Von der Fels info, Seehof, Riesling Trocken info.
Have you tried Rhenish? What are your thoughts? Please share your tasting notes with us!
Discovering Outlander after Season 1 first aired, Tammy quickly went down the rabbit-hole on social media and podcasts and found a world of like-minded fans who not only tolerated her obsession, but encouraged the madness! She combined her Outlander-inspired interest for scotch whisky with her continuing passion for baking and storytelling in her blog, Scotch & Scones…Explorations in a glass and in the oven. Joining the staff of Outlander Cast as the resident baker has brought Tammy full circle, from a podcast fan to a contributing writer. You can follow her on Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest at @scotch_scones, and find her on Facebook at @scotchandsconesblog.
hi noel cathey — quammomo@yahoo.com— tu for doing this — i thot that rhennish was a local , or a grape – so thanks again for these reviews— i am surprised that this was used during the meal– it sounds like the flavors would be more for dessert—- i also appreciate the prices given– not a big wind drinker- i have 4 bottles left unopened now after 4/5 years– laying on their sides in the rack— have beeen learning about shnapps, and brandy– tried a peach beleini??? at olie and almost hooked when i have the $$— bestest prefer a nice single scotch tho— oxoxox tu again.
Thanks for your comments, Noel!
It is also the wine that Yorick poured over the head of the gravemaker when he was younger as he explained to Hamlet in in Act 3, Scene one, when the gravemaker holds up Yorick’s skull and admonishes him for the act….
I drink St. Gabriel Rheinhessen. yummmmm!!
Oooh, Shaee, I’d love to hear more about it…is it dry? sweet? fruity? Use your best wine reviewer’s voice and please share some details!
1) Thank you for the article. It is nice to discuss Outlander tastes
2) One question: As for the “Rhenish”, it was clear to me that it was wine from the Rhein-area. But the point is: which grape did they make wine from back then? Was it Riesling?
3) Hmmm. Liebfraumilch?? This used to be this really cheap kind of wine you get/got in the German cheap supermarket chains. The most popular German wine? For sure, amonst the generation of my parents, who started the war ;-), and had no money afterwards. This is the kind of wine which got Germany a bad reputation in wine during the 1960s and 70s. Arrgh! Now perhaps Trader Joe sells a somewhat better blend. I do not know this particular wine merchant. But to me as someone who cherrishes a nice bottle, I would say, spend around 10 Dollars / Euros and that is okay. Rheinhessen has more to offer than verra cheap and verra expensive. “Kabinett” which is a “Qualitätswein mit Prädikat” is okay. Here in Germany they are around 10 $, or if you are in the Rhein-area cheaper of course.
Hi Ursula! Thanks for your comments. I dug a little (ok, I went to the Time Slips’ article I mentioned in the post), and came up with these nuggets:
(2) “The wild vine, the forerunner of the cultivated Vitis vinifera is known to have grown on upper Rhine back to historic time, and it is possible (but not documented) that Roman-era German viticulture was started using local varieties. Many viticultural practices were however taken from other parts of the Roman empire, as evidenced by Roman-style trellising systems surviving into the 18th century in some parts of Germany, such as the Kammerbau in the Palatinate…Legend has it that Charlemagne let the first vineyards be planted in the region, close to present-day Schloss Johannisberg. However finds like a Roman origin grapevine cutting knife point to even earlier cultivation. ”
(3) “Liebfrauenmilch is named after the Liebfrauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) in Worms, which also was the name of a good and famous vineyard. Later, Liebfrauenmlich was u”sed as a name for a semi-sweet wine style produced in several German regions, and became responsible for much of the erosion of the German wines’ reputation on the export market. The most famous Liebfraumlich brand, until they changed their classification, was Blue Nun which was created in 1921. Today, no quality-oriented top producer in Rheinhessen would dare to produce a Liebfrauenmilch for fear of their reputation.”
I told you you’d be schooled by that website! Oh, and (1) You’re welcome!
It all sounds delicious! I tend to like a sweet red wine (like sangria) but I’d
love to try these.
Thanks so much for sharing the information with us. It was very informative. I enjoy hearing about the details and tastes of wines.
I’m glad you liked it…this was a fun piece to research.
Thx for being the guinea pigs for tasting! :)) . It must have been very grueling … especially the next day.
My first thought was that this sweetish wine would have been Gewurtztraminer, though I haven’t really checked it out to see what region it’s from.
I remember way back in the late 70s or early 80s, a guy came into my business and we proceeded to do a wine tasting. Now I live in France and we can readily get it, but prices are not as high as in the States. And this one is a nice, sweet wine that could be drank on its own.
And now that I’ve described it, it’s probably too sweet to be a dinner wine… oh well, if you haven’t tasted it yet, I highly recommend it.
German Rieslings: Riesling by definition IS a sweeter, less acid and decidedly less dry wine. If one has a preference for “oaky” Chardonnays or Reds it’s not going to be your pallet. Precisely why a wide spectrum of grapes, Regions and wines exist… Green Bottles are Dinner Rieslings meant to be paired with fish, chicken and lighter fare. Again for those like me who absolutely prefer lighter, fruitier wines. Brown Bottles are After Dinner/Dessert Riesling. That is why Ms. Spencer found the Dr.Bekermann “too sweet” for her, she tested a Dessert wine against two Dinner wines; why it is in a Brown Bottle and is labeled a medium sweet wine. To be fair, she should have at least tested three Dinner Rieslings, and gone to a proper winemonger who would have educated her, chosen wines from The Rhine Region at low, med, mid-point pricing but using driest grapes. Sad to say they are now making DRY Rieslings. As blasphemous as a Spanish Mourvedre, a meaty deep rich peppery Cabernet Sauvignon thick opaque being made sparkling and light?? The bastardazation of Centuries long traditions (drink, food, worship) being altered just because the few start complaining “I don’t like it and should have the right to”. These intitled complaints lead to creating these nonexistent things…when you drink a Dry Riesling call it a Riesling all you want, but it isn’t. It’s just a Vitner seeing a way to make a buck off of a spoiled World. If you don’t like sweet wines, don’t drink them…go grab a Pinot like the rest of America and leave German Rhiene’s to me! Not directed to Ms. Spencer…I thank her for her efforts and hope the information I added will assist her for her next evening of fun! You never know what you’re going to like until you try it. Thank You.