‘Tis truly the season to get spicy – pumpkin spice, mulled spiced wine, spiced cookies, spicy wine and more. Want to spice up your wine game? Here’s the perfect varietal to do just that! Gewürztraminer! Gewürz for short. While challenging to spell, this varietal is definitely the go to wine for spicing up any holiday event.
Best known Gewürz hail from the Alsace region of France. For those loyal readers, you know this is my go to white wine region with amazing riesling, pinot gris, pinot blanc and of course, Gewürztraminer! From super dry to late harvest sweet, this varietal can set the stage for your entire meal. Best yet, it isn’t tied to traditional turkey and stuffing or matzo ball soup. Get creative and add some Asian spicy foods to your next holiday and pop the cork on one of these beauties!
First, it’s probably a good idea to break down a few misconceptions about Gewürztraminer. Pour a glass and join me in this exploration. Sticking your nose into a glass of this golden beauty and you’ll likely think it’s all going to be cloyingly sweet. Fear not! The high aromatics indicative of this wine will throw lychee, florals and spices right in your face. They may seem highly sweet, but most Alsatian styles are what we’d call “smells sweet, tastes dry” wine category.
A little spicy wine is very nice!
A deeper dive reveals a few other interesting characteristics of Gewürztraminer. The grapes themselves are highly pigmented from golden hues to deep peach resulting in deeper colored wines than most whites (with exception of aged whites). The aromatics and flavor derived from the skin give the wines their unique and readily identifiable characteristics. While highly unique, other varieties such as Muscat and Torrontes have similar floral and lychee aromatics so give them a try as well!
Cautionary notes for Gewürztraminer lovers, this varietal is capable of some higher alcohol levels for white wines! As the aromatics and all things making this wine so divine take time to percolate and germinate, grapes must mature to high levels of sugar to generate the phenolics in the skins and pulp. Farmers and winemakers have the ultimate challenge to harvest when acidity levels are still high enough to balance against the intensely ripe fruit and floral flavors and higher alcohol levels. Otherwise, dull, flabby, oily and unappealing wine will result.
Alsace may be the home of Gewürztraminer with it’s name supposedly derived from the German word for spice. However, cooler climates in Germany, Australia and New Zealand are producing fabulous styles as well. In the US, northern states such as Michigan are hitting homeruns with this style! While a challenge to produce, it’s truly worth it for the amazingly unique wines this grape can deliver!.
Not all spicy wine is white
While there are other amazing spicy white wines, let’s not forget red wines can also be spicy. One of my personal favorite spicy red wines is Syrah. Hailing from the Rhone Valley in France, but taking tasting rooms by storm in Washington State, New Zealand, and South Africa, Syrahs cover a wide range of styles and diversity of experience. Cooler climates produce floral Syrahs while warmer climates produce spicier liquorice styles. Check out your local wine shop and explore!
With the holiday season approaching quickly, take a diversion from your pumpkins pice latte and mulled wine and grab a bottle of Gewürz to pair with your spicy Asian fare, your rich and creamy sauces or your Beef Wellington. Or put a fire in the fireplace and sip a glass on its own.
Cheers and Happy Holidays my friends!
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