Gewürz Gains Ground
Difficult to pronounce, delightful to savor
Gewürztraminer has always been one of my favorites with Indian food, so when I was invited to a sampling of this tongue-twister grape with some professionals from the wine trade, I broke out the special Helicium tasting glasses with utmost speed.
A cool-weather white grape, gewürztraminer is normally associated with the Alsace region of France along the German border, but some other regions are trying their hands at it, too. This grape needs to be grown very far north (or south) because cold weather is critical. That means places like Washington state and the very southern parts of New Zealand, among a few others.
Italy’s Alto Adige region is getting into the gewürz game. The area is so far north and borders so closely on Germany it’s barely in Italy at all. Up there, many winemakers vinify this grape in a wide range of styles, producing a lot of excellent sweet wine. My preference, though, is for a drier, leaner style, with the classic characteristics of cream, spice, lychee and citrus.
THE DRIER STYLES ARE MORE SUITABLE AS COMPLEMENTS TO FOOD, ESPECIALLY HIGHLY AROMATIC CUISINES SUCH AS INDIAN OR THAI.
In Northern Italy, Elena Walch is a big name, producing dozens of red and white wines. Domaines Schlumberger is a large vineyard in Alsace. We tried two gewürztraminers from these producers:
Elena Walch Gewürztraminer 2013
Light straw color in the glass, with a nose of honey and white flowers. The aromas carry through on the fairly straightforward palate. A bit hot on the finish, but it fades in a few minutes.
Domaines Schlumberger Gewürztraminer Les Princes Abbes 2008
Unlike Elena Walch, these Alsatian wines come in the traditional tall skinny bottle. A medium straw color in the glass, we picked up white flowers on the nose, and nutty, red apple notes on the palate. The nicely balanced acidity led to a clean finish. If you like sweet wines, look for bottles labeled vendange
tardive (late harvest) or passito. But the drier styles are more suitable as complements to food, especially highly aromatic cuisines such as Indian or Thai. Summer may be over, but any time is the right time to enjoy this varietal. Sample widely.
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—Julia Child