Gewurztraminer

Gewurztraminer pronounced (guh-VURTS-trah-mee-ner), is a “spicy” white wine with a hard to pronounce name, and spice it is the main characteristic of this wine. It is sometimes referred to colloquially as Gewürz, and is found most exclusively in cool weather growing regions, such as the Alsace region of France, Germany and Austria. While the French have achieved the greatest success with this grape and its name may be German, the history of Gewürztraminer began in Italy's Tyrollean Alps, near the village of Termeno (Tramin) in Alto Adige. The literal translation of the prefix (Gewürz) is ‘spice’, and its suffix (Traminer) refers to the Traminer grape, which was widely grown around the northern Italian town of Tramin until the 16th century.

Excellent examples of North American produced Gewürztraminer have emerged from Oregon, Washington State and in cooler microclimates in California.

The variety is noted for its highly aromatic qualities such as aromas of rose petals, lychee, with notes of cinnamon, nutmeg and tropical fruits. This is a medium to full bodied white wine. Gewurztraminer can be made into dry or sweet varieties. The dark pink color of Gewurztraminer grapes produces wines that range in color from light to dark golden yellow with a copper tone, although this will depend upon the fruit's ripeness. Gewurztraminer wines can have a slight tendency to be bitter due to its early ripeness.

Gewurztraminer pairs well with rich fatty dishes and roasted pork as well as with tropical fruits. Some of the best pairing for this wine is with Asian spicy food. Give it a try with Thai food as well.  The cheeses that work well with this wine are Muenster, Camembert, Smoked Gouda or Mozzarella.

Gewurztraminer is a relatively affordable wine. Good bottles of Gewurztraminer can be found for anywhere between $12 and $40.

Until next time, cheers!