wines to try

GUIDE TO: GEWURZTRAMINER

Stuck in a wine rut? Branch out with gewürztraminer, the aromatic white wine that will help you show off at dinner parties

Gewürztraminer is a wine that most of us have trouble pronouncing, let alone purchasing. But there are a few reasons you should give this delicious aromatic wine a go…

WHAT IS IT?

Gewürztraminer is an aromatic white wine that originates from the Alsace region of northern France by the border with Germany, although it’s now grown around the world.

HOW DO I EVEN SAY IT?

A German word that refers to a spiced or perfumed type of grape, gewürztraminer is pronounced: “ge-vurt-stra-mina”. But most people shorten it to “gewürz”, or “GW” if they’re feeling really lazy.

WHAT DOES IT TASTE LIKE?

As with other aromatic wines, gewürztraminer has floral and tropical fruit characteristics and is a not-too-dry / not-too-sweet wine that will appeal to those who like drinking pinot gris and riesling. You’ll likely find flavours and aromas of lychee, rose, ripe apricot and sweet spices.

Allan Scott’s new Generations Gewürztraminer which has just launched (pictured), has notes of lychee, light florals, Turkish delight, exotic spices and oak. “[It’s] delicate, without too much overpowering lychee or pungency,” says Allan Scott’s lead winemaker Josh Scott. “We take our time nurturing the vine to ensure we produce the very best fruit to be picked at the right time - in the dead of the night.” 

THREE REASONS TO TRY GEWÜRZ

  • Everyone else at the dinner party will turn up with a sav or a pinot gris, while you get to put something different on the table that makes you look like a total wine buff. “Gewürztraminer is really different for a dinner party so it becomes a talking point,” says Josh Scott.
  • Few wineries in New Zealand produce gewürztraminer, which means those that do go for quality over quantity, so you’re pretty much guaranteed of a good drop.
  • Because of its medium-sweet profile, gewürztraminer pairs really well with both savoury and tangy-sweet dishes.

WHAT TO DRINK IT WITH

  • Hard cheeses like gouda, pecorino or emmental
  • Asian food. “Gewürztraminer goes great with Asian foods, particularly floral, fragrant and umami ones that aren’t too spicy,” recommends Josh Scott. See here for some delicious matches of gewürztraminer with Asian dishes
  • Deserts with a tart bite to them such as a rhubarb crumble or apple pie

RECOMMENDATIONS:

ALLAN SCOTT GENERATIONS GEWÜRZTRAMINER

Like Arabian Nights this beauty is a blend of exotic spices, wrapped in a treat-filled package of candied figs, Turkish delight and lychee.

ALLAN SCOTT GEWÜRZTRAMINER

Aromas and flavours of rose and citrus in this beautifully dry-sweet wine make it perfect with Thai foods.

SPY VALLEY GEWÜRZTRAMINER

Get spicy with this powerful number that starts soft with ripe citrus and stonefruits and finishes with layered spices.

VILLA MARIA PRIVATE BIN GEWÜRZTRAMINER

A classic gewürztraminer you’ll fine rose, lychee and spice, with the kind of refined finish you’d expect from a royal princess.

BRANCOTT ESTATE LETTER SERIES “P” GEWÜRZTRAMINER

This gewürztraminer has so much going for it. Intense stone fruit – tick. Roses and exotic spices – tick. Tropical flavours and ginger – tick. Delicious – double tick.

MATAWHERO GEWÜRZTRAMINER

Like a delicious Asian meal served in a rose garden, you’ll fine aromas and flavours of  clove, lychee, star anise, ginger and rose. Don’t mind if we do.

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