This easy apple cake celebrates the fall harvest and echos the tart apple notes in the Schmitt Sohne Sweet Riesling. The “sunken apple “cake is spiced with fragrant cardamom and vanilla paste, topped with a sweet wine glaze and served with homemade Riesling-scented whipped cream. The cake borrows it’s style from a traditional Versunkener Apfelkuchen [German dessert] but the flavors are fresh and contemporary—the perfect pairing for today’s sweet Riesling.

Upgrade your favorite Octoberfest Brats by simmering them in a light and fruity German Riesling instead of beer. The apple notes are a perfect match for the pork and veal bratwursts. I am partial to the cooked brats from Schaller & Weber, but this simple recipe is delicious with any brat—the secret is in the Schmitt Sohne Vineyards Riesling

This is a very popular dip that you can get in Bavaria all year round, but that's especially common during Oktoberfest. It is usually served on a charcuterie board with cold cuts, different cheeses, garden radish, etc. Or, if you are not that hungry, you order it on its own with just some crunchy pretzels for dipping.

A few years ago, I traveled to Wooster, Ohio, for a Barbecue Summit at the headquarters of Certified Angus Beef. My fellow barbecue pitmasters and I visited a black angus ranch, discussed barbecue, cut a side of beef together—or rather watched as the meat doctor, Phil Bass cut and explained.