NOT YOUR GRANNY’S GEWÜRZT
New Zealand gewürztraminer showcases contemporary class, says MARYTHERESE BLAIR
THIS YEAR’S gewürztraminer entries were humorously described by panel leader Ben Glover as “no longer in the genre of horror spoof gone wrong involving a can of old lychees, lily of the valley toilet musk and your grandmother’s house during a damp autumn”. All jokes aside, it was evident from this tasting that the coolerclimate New Zealand take on the Alsatian trickier-to-say-than-it-is-to-drink aromatic gewürztraminer, is no one-trick pony. The top five wines covered the spectrum of characteristics that quality gewürztraminer is capable of delivering, from light, bright rose water and rose petals through to heady and intriguing Turkish delight and spice with opulent oily richness. A complex and sublime varietal undeserved of its too common and over simplified ‘goes well with spicy food’ tasting note, gewürztraminer is capable of so much more. Specifically, Glover recommends washedrind cheeses, pork belly and apple sauce, Chinese five spice and even a hint of clove, all of which promises to stand up to the palate profile of great gewürztraminer.