Tapas and wine also taste good in the Rheingau

In the Rheingau, we learn that tapas and wine not only taste good in Spain. Experiencing wine with tapas and antipasti is what makes a trip to a wine region a pleasure. Olives, cheese, ham or shrimp - all are appetizers that go well with wine. Vegetables, sandwiches, dips and meat complement the wine well.

Tapas originally come from Spain. Supposedly they go back to King Alfonso X of Castile. During an illness, his cooks gave him wine and appetizers between meals. He recovered and believed it was thanks to this treatment. From then on, he only had his wine served with appetizers, the tapas. The "Tapear" was born. This custom has been adopted in the Rheingau.

canapes for wine are part of every good wine tasting. It depends on what should be in the foreground - the wine or the tapas. If you want to taste wines in order to choose one that you like best, then all you need is bread or crackers. Bread, crackers and water neutralize the taste. Only then can you be sure to taste the true taste of the second wine. This is not the case for appetizers with a strong taste of their own.

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Wine bar for tapas and wine — Hamm wine bar

A visit to the winery should be fun

Now, not every visit to a wine region or winery is to buy a wine supply to take home. (Though we almost always take a bottle or two home from a winery.) Experiencing wine with tapas and antipasti is also fun. Where better to enjoy that than at a winery? During our visit to Weingut Hamm in Oestrich-Winkel in the Rheingau we experienced a wine tasting that will be remembered. The winemaker served us tapas with the wines. However, these did not have much in common with the originals from Spain. With the exception of the Riesling olives, the morsels were made with locally sourced ingredients. This combines the wine with the local cuisine. The result is a Rheingau-style pleasure experience that will be remembered.

Tapas and wine in the Rheingau

What were the appetizers that were handed to us for the wine tasting? Mainzer Spundekäs was served with the wine tasting. A specialty that actually comes from Rhineland-Palatinate, but which found its way into the Rheingau via the Rhine. You can easily cook this dish made of cream cheese and quark at home. A Recipe for Mainzer Spundekäs you can find here. This was combined with salty pretzels during our wine tasting.

Typical for a wine tasting are the crackers in the second glass from the right. They are intended for anyone who wants to taste wine for purchase.

The tapas with the wine in the third glass from the right were delicious. These are plums wrapped in bacon. Our hostess prepares this delicacy herself. She uses Pinot Noir from her own winery, in which she puts the grapes. She wraps this in thin slices of bacon and roasts it in a pan.

How to make red wine plums for tapas with wine:

The red wine plums reminded me of my childhood. We had a plum tree at home that brought a good harvest every year. Since we couldn't eat the fruit right away, my mother boiled it down. In the winter months she served them with roasts and poultry. I can remember many a feast that these plums made special. You can prepare it yourself with this recipe from my mother:

Ingredients:

a liter of red wine from the region
two kilograms of plums
a kilogram of sugar
a stick of cinnamon
a shot of good rum

Preparation of the wine tapas from plums:

Prepare jars with screw caps. You disinfect this in boiling water together with the lid.

You wash the plums. Then you cut them and remove the core. If you want to turn bacon plums into wine for tapas, they should not be cut in half. That way they won't fall apart when wrapped in bacon.

Now put the red wine, sugar, rum and cinnamon stick in a saucepan and boil it all up briefly. The plums should not overcook. They still need bite than tapas for wine.

Then you fill the plums with the brew into the glasses, screw the lids on and let them cool down. Red wine grapes keep well in the pantry and not only go well with wine as tapas, but also with many other dishes.

If you want to serve them as tapas with wine, wrap the plums in bacon and roast them in the pan until the bacon is crispy.

Finally, in the fourth glass from the right, our hostess served us Riesling olives at the Hamm winery. This allows them to mature in a herbal decoction. She did not share the recipe for it with us. Only so much: "I chose the ingredients for our wine tapas until they go perfectly with our wines."

The tapas for wine from the house of Hamm

Finally, our wine tasting included tapas for the wine, which Frau Hamm creates herself. However, she kept the recipes to herself. I would do the same, because they alone are worth a pleasure trip. We don't even need to talk about the tears. This combination of figs with cheese and bacon was delicious. There was also white bread with walnuts.

My absolute highlight among their tapas with wine, however, was the Mangold Maultasche. They served us fresh from the oven. It melted on the tongue. Here, too, Mrs. Hamm kept the recipe to herself. If you want to taste this delicacy, you have to visit the Hamm winery in the Rheingau. There you can experience wine with tapas and antipasti.

Conclusion: A trip to tapas and wine is worthwhile in the Rheingau

The Hamm family spoiled us with their tapas to go with the wine. There are more and more winegrowers in the region who offer their guests wine tasting with pleasure. This will make your trip to the Rheingau an experience for connoisseurs. And not just because of the good wine that comes from the region.

You can find the winery here:

Winery and Gutsausschank Hamm
Hauptstraße 60
65375 Oestrich angle

Do you like to travel by motorhome?

Do you want to rent a mobile home? Then you can find information here, for example, and booking options. Or would you prefer to stay overnight instead in a roof tent on the car? In addition, the overnight stay in camping tents is possible.
Be sure to check our packing list for campers to see whether you have packed everything for your motorhome tour.
Practical camper accessories you can also find here.
If you want to try wines in the Rheingau, then you shouldn't stay too far from the wineries in your motorhome. In Oestrich-Winkel there is a free parking space at Vollrads Castle. The closest campsite is the Rheincamping campsite Geisenheim, at campsite 1, 65366 Geisenheim.
Parking spaces and campsites in Germany you can also find here.
Here you will find tips for: Cooking in the camper
Why is a folding e-bike useful when camping?