Of all the grape varieties used to make wine, Gewürztraminer is, for many people, the most difficult to pronounce and needless to say, it is the Rodney Dangerfield of grapes, as it gets little respect.  In a world of grape varieties, Gewürztraminer can be equated to always being a bridesmaid but never a bride.  Moreover the average person hesitates in ordering it in a restaurant because of the pronunciation, preferring the easier Chardonnay or Riesling. 

Gewürztraminer, along with Sauvignon Blanc, is a relatively easy variety to identify due to the aromatics it produces so that even the novice wine drinker will be able recognize it.  Its aromas have been compared to lychee, rosewater, honeysuckle, mango and papaya, coconut, apricot, peach and allspice.  It has a distinctive and intensely spicy bouquet and can be made in a wide range of styles from the very dry and crisp (Alsatian) to slightly sweet and flabby (California) to lusciously sweet dessert wines.  A unique grape variety, it is capable of producing some of the world’s most unforgettable wine. 

While the French have achieved the greatest success with this grape mainly in the Alsace region and its name may be German, its history began in the Tyrollean Alps of Italy, near the village of Tramin in Alto Adige.  The International Organization of Vine and Wine (O.I.V.) states that it has been grown there since the Middle Ages, having been first recorded about the year 1000 A.D. 

Over the course of the next 600 years, the grape mutated, adapting to its environment, as it moved to Germany then Alsace where the French began calling it Traminer Musqué, Traminer Parfumé, or Traminer Aromatique.  In Germany, it was called Roter Traminer, no doubt because of the red hue of the grape and it was here that it obtained the “Gewürzt” name, reflecting the spicy character of the grape.  The name “Gewürzt” literally means peppered or spicy. 

Although “Gewürzt” is a white wine, the skin of its berries can range in colour from amber-gold to rose-coloured to purple-tinged with a pink colour resulting in light to dark golden, yellow wines, depending upon the fruit ripeness.  They have thick and tough skins and can reach amazingly high sugar levels, therefore alcohol levels can get quite high in dry versions.  Harvesting time is very crucial.  Grapes picked too early retain the acidity and if not allowed to hang on the vine until fully ripe, the characteristic varietal aromas and flavours will fail to develop. 

Gewürztraminer cannot grow in every type of climate but does very well in cooler regions and only in certain areas of California, Oregon and Washington State are conditions suitable.  Here in BC, Gewürztraminer does very well, accounting for almost 10% of total white grapes planted (2010 BC Grape Acreage Report), a drop of 5% from the 2008 report.

Here is a selection of spectacular Gewürzt’s currently on the market.       

The first time I had this wine was at proprietor Harry McWatters house in 1993 and I think it was the ’91 or ’92 vintage.  We had spicy chicken wings, washed down with the Gewürzt and it was a magical paring.  The 2010 Sumac Ridge Private Reserve Gewürztraminer  shows once again why it is one of the top selling Gewürztraminer’s in North America.  Loaded with aromas of intense orange rind, ripe grapefruit, nectarine, lychee and rose petal with green apple and candied ginger, the palate is soft and lush with nectarine, peach, honey and ginger with a crisp citrussy finish.  Perfect with spicy foods.   

The aromatic, floral-scented 2010 Desert Hills Gewürztraminer is packed with aromas of spicy, perfumed lychee nut, nectarine, grapefruit, green apple with a crisp herbal edge and a hint of anise, the palate is all tropical and orchard fruit with a dry, crisp and fresh finish. This wine has good acidity, structure and balance. 

Wild Goose makes some of the best Gewürztraminer in BC and the 2010 Wild Goose Mystic River Gewürztraminer is a classic.  Winner of the Best of Varietal competition at the 2010 Okanagan Spring Wine Festival, this wine is loaded with rich tropical fruit, rose petal, orange peel, lychee nut and nutmeg, this is a lush and very intensely aromatic wine.  Fine acidity on the finish gives this wine perfect balance.

In Vino Veritas