A toast to fizzy Federweisser, Germany's beloved unpredictable drink

Berlin (dpa) – It's a mistake amateurs make only once. Laying the bottle flat means a sweet and sticky leak at best – and possibly an eruption of fizz all over you. Written on bottles of Germany's Federweisser is a clear warning to keep them upright at all times. That's because this sweet and volatile drink is made from actively fermenting grape juice. Like the leaves changing colour, it rings in autumn when it starts to appear on supermarket shelves in Germany, Austria, Hungary and other parts of Central Europe after grape harvests. As fizzy as it is unpredictable, the drink is constantly evolving. Because the drink is still fermenting when you buy it, the screw cap often has a hole in it and is left loosely open to avoid a build-up of pressure in the bottle. A young, fermenting grape juice, it's essentially the precursor to wine, which is why some German-speaking areas of Europe refer to it as "new wine" or "sweet and new". The unique feature of Federweisser is that its taste changes almost daily. When freshly bought, it's sweet like grape juice, albeit with a mild alcoholic kick similar to a light cider or beer. After a few days in your fridge, it becomes more tart and alcoholic. That means the propensity towards fizzing up isn't the only unpredictable side to this drink. "The alcohol content varies greatly depending on how far along the fermentation process is," says Katharina Holthausen, a nutritionist from Germany. During alcoholic fermentation, yeast cells convert the sugar into alcohol (ethanol) and carbon dioxide, the latter giving Federweisser its characteristic fizz. So how alcoholic is it? That's the thing – nobody ever knows. It generally ranges from 4% all the way up to 11%, meaning it could be on par with either beer or white wine. A fresh bottle of Federweisser has relatively little alcohol and tastes very sweet, indicating that the sugar has barely fermented, according to Holthausen. Over time, the alcohol content increases, and the flavour becomes more tart. Federweisser tastes best when its sweetness and acidity are balanced, which typically happens when the alcohol content is around 4% to 5%. Leave it in your fridge for longer, and you'll end up with a headier drink often with a tarter or drier taste. Often sold in both red and white varieties, this slowly fermenting grape juice is also popular in Armenia, the Czech Republic and Georgia, but is difficult to find beyond Central Europe's wine-growing regions. If you're looking for a dry and complex wine to dispel Germany's reputation for dessert wines and sweeter varieties, this might not be your top reason to visit the country. But how many other wines offer Federweisser's ever-evolving element of sweet surprise? The following information is not intended for publication dpa/tmn cwg yyzz n1 av coh arw

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