Silvaner - Two Paths that Cross in the Forest
The “obscure grape” series returns to annoy one and all…The latest burr under your saddle…SYLVANER!
Sylvaner is a white-skinned grape variety that was always surmised to have been a crossed variety, and after the actual DNA profiling work was done, it has been determined that Silvaner is the child of Traminer and a very rare Austrian white berried variety called Osterreichisch Weiss. Apparently Silvaner (or Sylvaner) takes after its daddy (mommy?) since Osterreichisch Weiss is often confused with Silvaner itself.
But despite Silvaner’s probable Austrian origins, the variety is almost completely absent from its native land’s viticultural landscape. Silvaner is associated primarily with a German growing area called Franken, in the former East Germany, as well as with Alsace in France along the German border. Alsatian Sylvaners (French spelling) are much more readily available in the market than are the versions from Franken - if for no other reason than the Alsatian wines come bottled in the tall, elegant Alastian bottles, while the Franken wines come in the always-difficult-to sell BOCKSBEUTEL.
In the vineyard, Silvaner is fairly cooperative. It ripens very early, so it is well-suited to the colder areas in which it tends to be grown, and it is a prolific yielder, so farmers love it (overcropping Silvaner however dramtically reduces its quality, so good growers keep their yields low). Silvaner is not only a precocious ripener, but an early budder as well, so the variety is a bit susceptible to Spring frosts. Silvaner has a DISTINCT preference for clay-limestone soils in which it produces bold, and lightly aromatic wines. Planted in less favorable ground however yields blunted, clumsy, flat wines that are best avoided. Further, the older the vines, the better wines they produce. This is true for any vine variety, but it goes DOUBLE for Silvaner. This strong need for a certain terroir as well as other conditions has and will continue to limit Silvaner’s popularity going forward.
In the glass, good Silvaner always demonstrates good acidity and overall structure and a big, mouth-filling body. It often shows delicate, slightly aromatic aromas along with notes of herbs and nuts, and yellow fruits. Silvaner is not the the most versatile wine that you can put on your table, but it is VERY useful in matching traditionally problematic vegetable-based dishes like asparagus or plates containing sauerkraut. Currently, we’ve got three of ‘em (we had a Franken bocksbeutel-ed example or two, but too many folks though it was “mis-filed” Mateus, so we had to can them…oh well…here they are. As always, please post tasting notes for these or any other Silvaners/Sylvaners you happen to try…
TOM CIOCCO
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tom i have had this doubt a long long time!, how does sylvaner is pronounced???
Comment by meraz — June 26, 2007 @ 4:05 am
Hello Tom
Wow I always thought sylvaner was a grey/purple skin colored grape!(maybe because it reminded me to silver). What is the correct pronunciation of it’s name? I’ve heard it as “slavener” but I have no clue. What do you think of eisweins made from this grape? I’ve seen one of those in my local market…. Great entry again Tom, thanks.
Comment by Ferrigno — June 26, 2007 @ 8:27 am
Ferrigno-
The pronunciation is sil VAH ner. It’s only “slavener” if you listen to Gary on WLTV
Gary’s so talented on so many levels, but pronunciation ain’t one of ‘em! The eisweins made from Silvaner can be excellent, and are almost always less expensive than Riesling eisweins. There are some Silvaner detractors who believe that Silvaner is not suitable for anything more…If you grab the one you’ve got your eye on, psot some notes here…
TOM CIOCCO
Comment by Tom C — June 26, 2007 @ 9:18 am
Hi Tom,
If you watch episode 95 of WLTV, GV pretty much slams one of the Baumes Sylvaner. If you have tried it what is your opinion of it, and the other two that WL carries.
Yes GV needs pronunciation lessons
Thanks,
Tom
Comment by Tom T. — June 26, 2007 @ 1:00 pm
Tom-
I buy the Alsatian wines, so I picked it up because I liked it, but I admit that I haven’t tasted it since I bought it…Baumes, in my experience is a very good producer, and they make unabashed SYLVANER!!! (if you know what I mean) and Sylvaner is not everyone’s cup of tea, so I’m not surprised he didn’t like it…it’s funny too because Gary’s palate and mine are synched up pretty well, but still disagree on lots of things too…oh well…
TOM CIOCCO
Comment by Tom C — June 26, 2007 @ 1:44 pm
Although i’m not a friend of Sylvaner there are some bottles og wine i really like. Especially those by Horst Sauer from Franken. The Spätlese, the sweet Asulese and beerenauslese and especially the »Sehnsucht« are state of the art. It is amazing how Horst Sauer celebrates these grapes. http://horst-sauer.com/
Comment by Christoph — June 27, 2007 @ 5:07 pm
Cristoph-
Yeah, Sauer is among, if not THE best Silvaner producer in the world…thanks for the comments!
TOM CIOCCO
Comment by Tom C — June 28, 2007 @ 10:09 am
OK guys, here they go my tasting notes for a silvaner based (100% silvaner) wine:
Louis Guntrum Pinguin Silvaner Eiswein 2004
The nose has some peaches and tons of apricots and lemons, a surprising smell of stinky lemons, like the lemon peel. It’s taste begings with an explise attack of apricot, lemons and even mango. It has a VERY disappointing acidity for being an eiswein as it falls real short on that. The second great flaw in this wine is the finish, as it is not as long as expected. Overall this silvaner eiswein is a pass
Comment by Ferrigno — June 29, 2007 @ 1:01 am
*explosive attack
Comment by Ferrigno — June 29, 2007 @ 1:02 am
The best sylvaner I’ve had, and the only I’d put in the ‘great’ category, is the one from Kuenhof.
Comment by Jack — June 30, 2007 @ 3:41 pm