This week wine reviewer Mark Henderson samples some spicy Gewurztraminer.
Way back, in my early days of wine options competitions and practice sessions (for the uninitiated; wine options is where you pose a series of five multichoice questions to determine a masked wine), the Gewurztraminer grape was a bit of a banker.
With its distinctive notes of rose petal, lychee, Turkish delight and spices, married to an oily textured palate (sometimes with a hint of apricot kernel bitterness), this was a wine that was generally easy to spot; or conversely, to exclude from a group of options.
The name Gewurztraminer derives from the German word for spice: Gewurz, and from the northern Italian town of Termeno in the Alto Adige (known as Tramin in the native Ladin Germanic dialect: thus Traminer - "from the town of'').
This has lead to the long-held assumption that the grape variety originated in this area but recent research has precluded this hypothesis. It is now recognised to be a clonal mutation of the ancient French grape Savagnin; itself originating from somewhere in northwest France, and likely a direct mutation from the non-aromatic Savagnin Rose grape.
It is grown in many countries in central Europe, including Germany and Italy, but by far its greatest acreage is to be found in Alsace in France, where it comprises nearly 20% of the vineyard area.
While it can cover the gamut of styles from intense and dry to lusciously sweet, it is most often rich, full bodied and ranging from just off dry through to distinctly medium in style. It can also be found in "field blends'' with riesling, pinot gris and other varieties where it is generally dry and refreshing.
While grown across New Zealand, the majority of examples emanate from Gisborne, Hawkes Bay or Marlborough.
Put a little spice into your life with these three ...
Price: $25
Rating: Very good
Musky, soapy notes on the nose with rose petal, clove, five-spice and a whisper of apple cider: all in all quite complex. Turkish delight and potpourri add to the mix on the palate with a touch of apricot kernel on the finish. Nicely textural, medium weight and in the drier end of the spectrum, making this rather tasty drinking.
Price: $29.90
Rating: Good to very good
A little shy on the nose, but aeration brings up lychee and a perfume reminiscent of talc and lavender. A rush of sweet fruit on the palate totally belies the nose, with Turkish delight, lychee and rosewater to the fore. This is noticeably sweeter in style with a hint of boiled confectionery on the finish. An aperitif style.
www.giesen.co.nz
Price: RRP $35
Rating: Very good to excellent
A subtle but stylish nose with notes of citrus, baking spices and roses. Richly textural on a drier frame with an appealing chalky, grainy feel in the mouth before a hint of citrus peel brings lift and zest to the finish. Distinctly different and atypical: perhaps not one for the Gewurztraminer purists but rather nice drinking.
Www.rippon.co.nz
- by Mark Henderson
