Gewurztraminer is a grape that is used to make white wine. It is mostly grown in the prestigious wine grower’s paradise known as the Alsace area of France. It is also a cash crop that is familiar in Germany and New Zealand. Many areas in the United States also grow this sugary grape that produces a wine with a high alcoholic content. It is a very potent varietal with a strong smell.
The best versions of this wine come from Alsace where it is the second most planted vine crop in the country. Even though this world wide famous and quite traditional wine has a German name it is absolutely a French creation. It got its name as it was originally grown in the Tyrolean Alps. The Alps are on the German border and the vines used to thrive on the sunny mountainsides.
The wine that results from growing Gewurztraminer grapes can be very dry or very sweet. It is also often made into a dessert wine because it has very high natural sugar content. Some wine tasters say it tastes of lychees and roses, similar to a fruity Chardonnay (http://www.wineaccess.com/wine/grape/Chardonnay/). The lychees back taste is a very desirable and rare quality as it makes the wine very smooth. Many varieties of Gewurztraminer also taste like melons.
The wine may also be a bit bubbly, not so much that it is carbonated but smaller bubbles called “spritz” might be part of the character of the wine. These are the tiny bubbles or two that sit around the rim of the beverage.
The grapes are a dark pink color. This produces a wine that is light yellow to gold in color. The riper that the Gewurztraminer grape is when it is pick the browner and golder the wine will be in tone.
This sweet wine goes well with cheeses and fresh fruit and is the perfect compliment for chicken and fish dishes. It goes well too with spicy foods such as Caribbean and Indian food. It is one of the few wines that also go very well with Asian cuisine.
The grape has been around since the Middle Ages and it also has been called Traminer. In reality Traminer vines are the parents to this wine. It was not until 1973 that the Gewurztraminer (http://www.wineaccess.com/wine/grape/Gewurztraminer/) name was finally officially attached to this grape in France.
In Europe the grape is also grown in Croatia, Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary, Italy, Croatia Luxembourg and Slovakia. It is also grown in Canada, Chile, and New Zealand and in the states of California, New York, Michigan, Oregon, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Washington, and Texas.
Gewurztraminer buds early in the spring, so it is vulnerable to damage from frost. This makes it more expensive. Gewürztraminer vines are simply not that productive. Precise harvesting is crucial or this wine tastes off.
Other names are Livor, Livora Cervenam, Noble Rose, Mala Dinka, Marzimme, Mirisavi Traminac, Noirer Traminerm Drumin, Drumin Ljboram Duret Rouge, Edeltraube, Fermentin Rouge Blanc Court, Bon Blanc, Gringet Gris Rouge, Haiden, Nature, Nature Rose, Kirmizi Traminer Christkindeltraubem, Clevene, Ruska, Ryvola, St. Klauser, Traminec, and Trammener.
Sarah Martin is a freelance marketing writer based out of San Diego, CA. She specializes in international cuisine and fine wines, such as Chardonnay and Gewurztraminer. For a wide selection of wine varietals, please visit http://www.wineaccess.com/.
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