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| • Gewürztraminer Recommendations • Rosé Recommendations • More by Joe Roberts |
Autumn, especially around these parts, has got to be the best time of the year. When it comes to seasons, you can take all of your spring flowers, all of your Jersey shore sunbathing, and all of the bouts of snow-shoveling and trade them in for the Eagles, colored leaves, and the baking spice smells of Fall.
It’s not perfect, of course. There's raking leaves. And more raking leaves. There's also those “I'm freezing! I don't get it, it was kind of hot this afternoon...” temperature swings. And to top it all off, it seems that every bite of food has some kind of cinnamon or intense baking spice cooked into it. Baking spices that, while delicious, don’t tend to pair perfectly with wine.
That said, there is a solution to matching a white wine with Fall, assuming you're brave enough to try and pronounce it: Gewürztraminer. (Guh-WURZ-trah-meener) While you can forget about spelling it properly (I still butcher it), if you take the time to try this hard-to-cultivate but fuller-bodied and easy-to-love wine, your autumns may never be the same again.
Gewürz means spicy - as in aromatically spicy, like the cinnamon, nutmet, clove, and allspice flavors of fall, not spicy as in Three-Alarm-Fire-Southern-Indian-Food spicy (though Gewürztraminer is known to be an excellent match for milder Indian fare). That said, Gewurztraminer’s evident spice aroma makes it a perfect compliment to the bold spices in Autumn-time dishes. And the cooler climates this grape thrives in - Germany, parts of France, New York, Austria – allow the grape longer ripening times. Translation? An alcohol level of around 14%, helping to warm you up on those chilly nights.
So, spice? Check.
Alcohol? Check.
Pronunciation? Check. Now go enjoy.
| Gewürztraminer Recommendations: |
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Chateau Ste. Michelle Gewürztraminer Washington $10.99 For the price, this just might be the best “starter” Gewürztraminer; it's widely available, offers textbook Gewurz. aromas of lychee, mango and spices, and falls squarely into the “buy it today, drink it with dinner tonight” yummy category. Pierre Sparr Gewürztraminer Alsace, France $10.99 While available for the same price as Chateau Ste. Michelle's offering, this is a Gewürztraminer with a slightly more “serious” demeanor; it's a bit “heavier” on the palate than the Ste. Michelle but also a tad on the sweet side, with peach and rose petal aromas. 2003 Vinoptima Ormond Reserve Gewürztraminer Gisborne, New Zealand $37.99 I know what you're thinking: “Thirty-eight bucks? From New Zealand?!??” Trust me, this wine is worth every penny if you are in the mood to splurge. Vinoptima only makes Gewürztraminer, theirs is a vibrant, complex wine. It's big, bold, and beautiful with spice and apricot flavors and a long, intense finish. |
Joe Roberts is a wine consultant and musician. He is the author of 1WineDude.com, which was recently voted Best Overall Wine Blog in the 2010 Wine Blog Awards. He lives in the Philadelphia area with wife Kerri and rambunctious daughter Lorelai Kate.
Article photograph from cbcastro via Flickr (Creative Commons), "Planet of the Grapes" photograph from Getty Images, "Bottle" photograph from istockphoto.com
