We might have gotten a brief respite from the summer heat these last few days, but don't let that lull you into a false sense of security - warm days are very much still on our horizon, and with them, a continued need for vinous refreshment in the form of a crisp, mineral crusher to get you through the heat. And when said crusher is a bonus-sized, 1-liter bottle of organic Silvaner, the unheralded hero of the Franken wine region in Germany, from a multi-generation producer who's specialized in the variety for 50 years? You're set to end the summer on a high note, your thirst fully quenched.
Unlike the rest of Germany, the Franken wine region, set back a few hundred kilometers from the Austrian border, revolves around something other than Riesling. Here, Silvaner is king, and with good reason: it is, by nature, a neutral vessel to showcase terroir more purely than other commonly planted varieties (much like Grüner Veltliner, the well-established Austrian star on the 1L scene). In the limestone and sandstone rich soils of the Franken region, that means 3 things: 1.) blisteringly crisp minerality, 2.) remarkable freshness, and 3.) a pervasive, bright, citrus-laden acidity that keeps you coming back for more.
So if you ask us, we'll be carrying a bottle (or 3) of Helmut Christ's Silvaner Kabinett Trocken with us everywhere we go for the rest of the summer, ready for all of our park and porch drinking needs. And at $18 a bottle on the half case? We might just pretend it's summer all year long.
