Mosterei Kobelt and Co.

Ever a proponent of purchasing homemade and locally-crafted goods, allow me to introduce you to a family-owned and operated gem tucked away in my neck of the woods: Kobelt and Co. Mosterei and Brennerei (Cidery and Distillery). Prominently located on the main road cutting through the village of Marbach, in the Rhine Valley, Kobelt and Co. proudly produces a line of elegant brandies, liqueurs, Süssmost, Apple juice, Apfelschorle, and more.

I had tried their signature Süssmost before as a guest in a friend's home, but until recently I hadn't realized that I could pick up my very own case of it so close to home. What exactly is Süssmost? According to one of the proprietors, Ruedi, "It's the Swiss name for sweet (unfermented) cider, or Apfelsaft." And Apfelschorle? Karen, co-proprietor and Ruedi's wife, explains that theirs is 60% Süssmost and 40% top-quality sparkling mineral water from Appenzell. Although I still have a bit of trouble understanding the differences between all the apple beverages Kobelt and Co. has to offer, one thing is for certain: they are wonderfully tasty and worth the trek out to the Rhine Valley! (If you are unable to come have a taste for yourself, you can visit their website, place an order, and arrange to have it shipped to you.)

Over the weekend, at the company's yearly "Open House," I had the pleasure of trying some of their new Edelbrände: Vieille Abrioct and Vieille Poire, or apricot and pear brandy. Sipping my glass in a tasting room surrounded by family heirlooms (an impressive collection of weaponry), I couldn't help but feel like I was discovering some secret place known by very few people. It's true that Kobelt and Co. is not a mainstream label, but it certainly is no secret. Just ask any true Marbacher, or Rheintaler for that matter, and you'll find they keep at least one Kobelt product or another stocked in their cellar. (Even the local castle serves Kobelt beverages!)

Ruedi and Karen Kobelt in the tasting room

Part of the "Open House" festivities included dining on sausages cooked in one of the stills, atop grape seeds and skin like those used for making grappa, and homemade potato salad. (Yum!) Gathered with friends, eating Treberwürtse, drinking Apple Champagne, and enjoying the atmosphere made for one of those nights here in Switzerland that I'll never forget.

Another part of the "Open House" is browsing the display of gift-ready bottles in the Torkel (pressing room), perfect for the holiday season. Although I didn't take home a bottle of pear brandy with a whole pear trapped inside, I did walk away with a six-pack of their refreshing (hard) cider known as "Bartli's." Each bottle features either a classic photo of previous generations of proprietors (Ruedi is the fourth generation of Kobelts to continue with the company) or the face of a farmer whose fruits have contributed to the success of Kobelt and Co. This year, Ruedi and Karen bought fruit from 180 farmers throughout the Rhine Valley, Appenzell, Wallis, and other areas of Switzerland.

Curious to know more about the distillation process at Kobelt and Co.? Feel free to contact Ruedi or Karen to request a tour of the facilities. (Saturdays are best for visits.) Ruedi would be glad to share with you the care that goes into choosing each fruit before producing a top-notch bottle of brandy as well as other steps to yielding high-quality products. According to Ruedi, most of the process from pressing to bottling is completed in-house, including bottle fermentation in their cellar, so customers can rest assured they are purchasing an excellent product made with passion and attention to detail in a little Swiss village called Marbach.

Off-Season Part 1

Sister got a really good deal on her flight from San Diego to Zurich. I'm talking cheap, and I think there is a reasonable explanation.

Switzerland is generally a year-round tourist destination because the summers are lovely and in the winter people love the idea of skiing in the Alps. When you look on any Interlaken adventure sports website you'll find that they divide the activities into two categories: summer and winter. However, you'll find that there are a couple of "off" months that don't fall into either of these categories: April and November. Apparently, winter here is from December to March and summer is from May to October.

Not knowing about this unusual classification of the seasons, Sister and Max came during the off month of November. Some hiking areas are closed by this time. Ski resorts are not quite yet open. Zip-lining in Ticino? The cable car in Ebenalp? Closed the whole month of November for maintenance. Still, as I said in a previous post, we managed to find enjoyable ways to spend our time together.

Day 1: Pick up Sister and Max in Interlaken. The plan was to watch them jump out of helicopters, but the clouds were not cooperating that day. Isaiah and I met up with them at their hostel, Balmer's (pictured above), which they said was adequate but more known for its nightlife (including the only bar in the vicinity) than its facilities. A walk into "town" revealed that there isn't much to the town of Interlaken except for watch shops, a casino, and adventure sports outlets. We ate Döner Kebap and then hit the road. On our way back to Au, we stopped in Luzern. By that time it was already dark, so we got to see the city all lit up for the holidays. Beautiful. We walked all over the old town and across each covered bridge before heading home.

Day 2: Thanksgiving Friday, hike and eat. Friday morning we all slept in and enjoyed a late breakfast feast. Since it was too early to start cooking our Thanksgiving meal, Isaiah suggested we head to Wasserauen for a hike/stroll. From the train station, following a (steep) paved path, we arrived at Seealpsee after about an hour. Because Seealpsee is one of the starting points for further hiking and not one of us was prepared for hard-core hiking, we walked only half the perimeter of the lake and then turned around to head back to the car. It was lovely to be outdoors, squeeze some fitness into our day of gluttony, and show Sister and Max one of our favorite places to hike. Once home, I set Lauren and Max to some major chopping duty: yams, green beans, onions, leeks, etc. Three hours of cooking later, we sat down for our Thanksgiving meal. Hearts warm and bellies full.

Isaiah, Lauren, and Max

The boys and me

Seealpsee

Stay tuned for Days 3 and 4...

Quarkini

Isaiah and I discovered this irresistible treat earlier this year one lazy Sunday during a visit to the local bakery (one of Nellie Rolle's chain of cafes and bakeries in the Rheintal).

Since Nellie rarely labels her goodies, Isaiah and I just ended up pointing and smiling at what we called, just between the two of us, little donut balls.

Now, don't mistake them for donut holes, as they differ in size and texture. Plus, they're so much more delicious.

The key to their deliciousness? Quark - a type of fresh cheese with yogurt-like creaminess. (Hence the name Quarkini, or Quarkbällchen in Germany.) Quark makes the doughy insides of these donut balls ever so moist and tasty.

Sadly, the next time we returned to the bakery, they were gone! I did hear from some reliable sources, though, that Quarkini tend to appear in bakeries during the Fasnacht season beginning in November, so we made sure to get some for one of our breakfast feasts when Lauren and Max were in town. Natürlich. I'm just glad I saw them pop up in Migros last month so I could examine the label. Now I can properly ask for them by name.

For the Shopaholics

I just wanted to share two things with you today. One, here is what it looks like in Au since our first snowfall yesterday. Oh yeah, and remember how Hercules is my main mode of transportation? Well, that means I must ride through the slush you see in the photo. Don't worry though, I've got some warm waterproof winter boots and a giant yellow rain poncho to protect me!

The other thing is that I am happy to inform you, if you didn't already know, there is a new factory outlet shopping center that just recently opened! It's called Alpenrhein Outlet Village and it's located near Chur. The best part? It's open on SUNDAYS!!!

Also, please enjoy some video footage from Monday's snowfall, taken around noon!