{"id":198426,"date":"2025-08-20T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-20T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vanguards.eu\/?p=198426"},"modified":"2025-08-20T22:11:18","modified_gmt":"2025-08-20T20:11:18","slug":"distillerie-zenner-a-high-degree-of-quality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vanguards.eu\/shop\/2025\/08\/20\/distillerie-zenner-a-high-degree-of-quality\/","title":{"rendered":"Distillerie Zenner \u2013 A high degree of quality"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When we visit master distiller Josy Zenner in the small winegrowing village of Schwebsange on the Moselle, he is busy cleaning up after the region\u2019s annual \u2018D\u2019Miselerland brennt!\u2019 \u2013 Distillers\u2019 Day. It was Zenner himself who, together with five other local distillers, began this now traditional open distilleries day over 14 years ago, to put the spotlight on the craft of distilling and the cultural richness of their distillates.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Josy Zenner firmly believes: \u201cFruit brandies are an intrinsic part of Luxembourg\u2019s culinary heritage. Our distilling tradition dates as far back as the 18th century, from even before the French Revolution.\u201d<\/em> The Zenner distillery may always have borne his family name, but for Josy Zenner, \u201cit\u2019s not the name of a company that counts, but the quality of the products it produces.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although Zenner is passionate about the distillery, strictly speaking he is first and foremost a winegrower \u2013 the family runs a wine estate and, as is tradition, the distillery merely complements its winegrowing business. The tradition of small, independent distilleries was introduced in the 18th century by Austrian Empress Maria Theresa, not only in Austria, but also in parts of southern Germany, Alsace and Luxembourg. It was during this period that Zenner\u2019s ancestors also took up the practice. A system that still exists in Luxembourg today, although the number of distilleries here has fallen sharply \u2013 from around 2,000 to just under 40. But as Josy is keen to assure us: \u201cThose distilleries that do remain attach great importance to quality, far more so than in the past.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Good spirits from the Moselle<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Distilling at Zenner is done over a wood fire. Although a more tricky technique, the master distiller has his reasons for keeping to this traditional method, and they are purely practical: \u201cWe have a lot of wood waste from our winegrowing business, which we use to generate our own energy. Distilling over wood is also eco-friendly, which is a great added bonus.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Traditional local fruit varieties are distilled here: apples, pears, plums, Mirabelle plums, cherries, sloes, raspberries and, of course, grapes. Some of the grape brandy produced by Zenner is then matured in wood for 12 years and bottled as \u2018Fine des Coteaux de Schengen\u2019, a highlight of the range, comparable to a Cognac, but with far more intense, deliciously fruity flavours, the trademark of all Zenner brandies. The secret? \u201cThe fruit has to be fully ripe, almost overripe,\u201d<\/em> reveals Josy. \u201cWe harvest it just before it falls \u2013 that\u2019s the only way to get the full flavour out of it.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A well-proven strategy: With over 35 gold medals from international wine competition \u2018Concours Mondial de Bruxelles\u2019, Zenner today enjoys worldwide renown. \u201cWith our \u2018Fine de Luxembourg\u2019 brand, we\u2019ve successfully made a name for ourselves, in particular on the international market,\u201d<\/em> he says. Despite this award-winning success, only one thing ultimately matters for Zenner: quality. \u201cBrand names and medals are all well and good, but if people find the product lacking in quality once, they won\u2019t buy it a second time.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So which is Josy\u2019s favourite product? It\u2019s hard to say: \u201cEvery brandy is like a child \u2013 they each have their own individual character, but you love them all equally. If I had to name just one, though, it\u2019d have to be a good \u2018Marc\u2019. I\u2019m generally a big fan of anything to do with grapes.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A good drop of the good stuff<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Luxembourg\u2019s former foreign minister seemed to be au fait with this top tip when he cooked with friends on German TV: Fruit brandy is not only a great digestif, but also an excellent extra for elevating your dishes. Countless chefs and p\u00e2tissiers agree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Master distiller Zenner shares with us some of his personal favourites: The Kirsch in Black Forest gateau is a classic, of course, but a high-quality cherry brandy can take even the tastiest treat to a new level. Soaking sultanas in \u2018Marc\u2019 or \u2018Vieux Marc\u2019 is also a great way to add a delicious kick to parfaits. Or how about a scoop of vanilla ice cream with a shot of a fine Mirabelle plum brandy? Sometimes the simplest combinations are the best\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But a drop of brandy can pep up more than just your desserts: Brandies are also perfect for refining dishes usually prepared with white wine, such as risotto and fricass\u00e9e, as well as fish sauces \u2013 in smaller quantities, of course. \u201cA fruit brandy is a concentrate; the fruit flavours are up to ten times more concentrated,\u201d<\/em> explains Josy. That should ignite the flame of creativity in the kitchen\u2026 So, what are you waiting for? Why don\u2019t you see what culinary delights you can cook up with a \u2018Marc de Riesling\u2019 \u2013 preferably one from Zenner, of course!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Originally published in KACHEN No. 41, Winter 2024.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Distillerie Zenner
<\/strong>42 route du Vin
L-5447 Schwebsange
distillerie-zenner.lu<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When we visit master distiller Josy Zenner in the small winegrowing village of Schwebsange on the Moselle, he is busy cleaning up after the region\u2019s annual \u2018D\u2019Miselerland brennt!\u2019 \u2013 Distillers\u2019 Day. It was Zenner himself who, together with five other local distillers, began this now traditional open distilleries day over 14 years ago, to put […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":198430,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"Josy Zenner: Mastering Luxembourg's Distilling Heritage","_seopress_titles_desc":"Explore award-winning fruit brandies inspired by Luxembourg's rich distilling heritage at Josy Zenner's traditional wood-fired distillery.","_seopress_robots_index":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","pmpro_default_level":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4547],"tags":[4116,4119,4880],"class_list":{"0":"post-198426","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-vintner-portraits","8":"tag-local-business-spotlight","9":"tag-luxembourg","10":"tag-vintner-families","11":"pmpro-has-access"},"featured_media_global":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vanguards.eu\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/198426","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vanguards.eu\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vanguards.eu\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanguards.eu\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanguards.eu\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=198426"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/vanguards.eu\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/198426\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":199077,"href":"https:\/\/vanguards.eu\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/198426\/revisions\/199077"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanguards.eu\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/198430"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vanguards.eu\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=198426"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanguards.eu\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=198426"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanguards.eu\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=198426"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}