Trollinger / Schiava Grossa / Schiava Gentile

Today, we are in the Wurttenberg, roughly the area surrounding Stuttgart, Germany to drink wine. The grape of the day is Trollinger, sometimes known, particularly when it is grown in Italy as Schiava Grossa or Schiava Gentile.. 

This is not what you would normally think of as a grape growing region -- certainly not wine grapes. Summers are temperate and winters can be brutally cold often plummeting below -10C/14F. While the grapes grow throughout the Wurttenberg, in particular, we see them on the steep slopes of the Neckar Valley.

But we don't usually think of the Stuttgart area for grapes. Instead, we think of cars. It's the home to Daimler Benz as well and Porsche both of whom turn often to Stuttgart-based companies Mahle and Bosch for parts. Rarely is such an industrialized area or such a cold area a home for grapes.

And, in the scope of wine, these grapes are pretty unusual. The grossa version naturally is larger and the gentile smaller. As a result, the grossa makes a fuller wine while the gentile makes a somewhat sweeter, more aromatic wine.

In either case, however, the flavors are similar. Expect red and pink roses and lots of cotton candy. That's right; on the mouth, not only does Trollinger often have the taste of cotton candy, but upon swirling it, it has almost the sweet fluffiness of cotton candy. For wine drinkers, this is either an unexpected treat or an unexpected horrow. Once you get past the cotton candy, however, the notes are quite interesting as the back palate welcomes a smokier type of candy.

Pair your Trollinger with highly aromatic southeast Asian food. Consider chicken or tofu with ginger, basil, and other aromatics native to the area.