Das Fest des Federweissen (The Festival of the Federweisser) is held every October in this and other towns throughout the grape-growing Pfalz region. People come together to celebrate the end of the harvest season by drinking Federweisser, eating chestnuts and onion cake, and listening to live music. The event feels similar to a county or state fair back in the U.S.A.
Federweisser is a drink historically made and consumed only in wine-making regions. Vineyards will use some of their grapes from that year's harvest and press them for juice. Yeast is added and it causes the juice to ferment slightly. The result is a mildly alcoholic drink called Federweisser. The word feder means 'feather' in German and weiss means 'white.' This name probably refers to the drink's smoky coloring, which is a pale yellow-white. Because it has yeast in it, Federweisser cannot usually be shipped easily, and the bottles cannot be sealed. Last, a person should not drink too much, because the yeast can give you a stomach ache. For those who cannot or will not drink alcohol, a similar drink is made with the same grape juice and soda water, and it is just as delicious without the possible stomacheache.
