The top chefs in the kitchens of gourmet restaurants succeeded for the first time in shaping aromas as pearls. Since then Kubru has expanded the variety of edible pearls by a few variations and produces them with exquisite wines, liqueurs, fruit essences and much more. With the latest creation, tradition meets innovation: ice wine in gourmet pearls.
As the name suggests, ice wine is something special. It demands a lot of effort from its producer and also a good portion of willingness to take risks. The grapes for the special drop can only be harvested at a temperature of -7 degrees Celsius. So only very late in the year – when other winegrowers have virtually everything in their cellars.
Unfortunately such low temperatures due to global warming are no longer a matter of course in our latitudes. In former times the grapes could be harvested in December. Last year Jürgen Frey could harvest his grapes not until January – almost too late to find healthy grapes on the stock. And if one considers the quantity of grapes, it is only 10 percent of what a “normal” winegrower harvests. So what drives an experienced winegrower to expose himself to such strains and risks?
It all began in 1974, when the Frey winery, run by the family, shifted exclusively to the production of sweet wines. In Essingen in the Southern Palatinate, not far from Landau, the brothers Jürgen and Peter Frey have been producing sweet dessert wines of top rank on 12 hectares since then. These include Beerenauslesen, Trockenbeerenauslesen and the aforementioned ice wines.
Their success proves them right. Because already the longer they win many prizes and awards with their noble wines. One could almost think that this is not difficult either, because they are the only winegrowers in Germany – and probably even worldwide – who exclusively produce noble sweet wines.
But that is wrong. Because Jürgen Frey, as charismatic as his wines, likes to go new ways. “It’s allowed what tastes good”, is his motto.
For example, he has made a delicious ice wine from Chardonnay, a grape variety that is not necessarily considered for ice wine at first glance. According to his passion to create special moments of taste – good enough to offer his customers the well-known quality.
These were also the similarities that brought Jürgen Frey together with the creative minds of Kubru. Kubru and Frey both supply the same clientele: star restaurants and connoisseurs all over the world who love something special. Frey wines are also particularly sought-after on the other side of the globe: 40 percent of production goes to China alone.
Together they created something completely new: gourmet pearls filled with Chardonnay ice wine. The new ice wine pearls are particularly popular because of their distinct sweetness accompanied by the floral notes of Chardonnay. Because the grape must has a comparatively high sugar content after pressing, the yeast usually cannot completely convert this sugar into alcohol. This explains the high natural residual sugar content with a relatively low alcohol content of about seven percent by volume.
“Enjoying the pearls makes you feel like being in an orchard in autumn,” says Jürgen Frey about the exciting new combination of his premium ice wine, which is now presented to connoisseurs in a new form – small, round and delicious.
That’s why it won’t be long before the ice wine pearls find their way into gourmet restaurants or the kitchens of private connoisseurs and take their place on refined desserts or serve as sweet accents in tasty mixed drinks.
