Is Gewurztraminer a dry white?

Contents

A little history

Gewurztraminer Rs, or simply Gewurztraminer, is a pink grape variety from the Traminer family. An aromatic mutation of savagnin rose, Gewurztraminer was long confused with this grape variety, so much so that today it’s known as savagnin rose aromatique.

If this grape variety reminds us today of Alsace or Germany, it actually comes from the Italian South Tyrol (North-East), a region where German was spoken. Etymologically speaking, “Gewurz” means “aromatic” or “spicy”, while “Traminer” refers to the town of Tramin in the South Tyrol region.

We trace its origins in Germany back to the 16th century, and its first French implantation in Alsace in the 19th century.

Today, Gewurz covers some 14,000 hectares of vineyards worldwide, including 3,000 in France (mainly in Alsace and Lorraine). In Alsace, it benefits from the “Alsace grand cru” appellation, and represents 20.4% of the region’s vineyards.

Its features

Made up of small leaves and bunches, Gewurztraminer is a vigorous, winter-hardy variety, although it is not very productive and sometimes suffers late spring frosts.

The technology of this variety is quite pronounced: the must is rather rich in sugar and low in acidity. The resulting wine stands out for its aromatic power and spicy touches.

It is vinified as a dry or sweet white wine, sometimes with a very pronounced sweetness, whether it is a late harvest or a selection of noble grapes.

Gewurz” is a grape variety often used to make powerful, full-bodied wines, as well as sweet and syrupy ones. It is often used to enhance spicy, spicy dishes, or cheeses with powerful aromas such as Munster.

How to recognize it

There are three ways to read a wine: the eye, the nose and the mouth. To the eye, its deep yellow color is set off by golden reflections stemming from the red color of the grapes. On the nose, citrus, spice and exotic fruit aromas blend harmoniously to create a complex, powerful bouquet. On the palate, the structure of these wines gives them depth, allowing all the aromas to express themselves without encroaching on each other.

Gewurztraminer, a noble wine

Today, there are more than 50 Grands Crus d’Alsace AOP, most of which are made from Gewurztraminer (although the majority are Riesling), a grape variety noted for the quality of its grapes.

Gewurztraminer late harvests are also very popular with oenologists and wine lovers, not least because of the sweetness and powerful aromas conferred on this wine by the delayed harvest. This type of wine is characterized by its mellowness.

Another name for Gewurz is “sélection de grains nobles”, which refers to the creation of a wine from rotten grapes… strange as it may sound! Botrytis cinerea, a fungus that attacks overripe grapes, develops a grayish rot on them, known as noble rot. The latter is carefully preserved to produce wines that are low in water, but whose aromas and sugars are preserved, resulting in a syrupy wine.

Gewurz, a tender wine

Ultimately, Gewurztraminer, like all grape varieties, produces different wines depending on how it is vinified. Most of the time between sweet and syrupy, it is commonly described as “tender”. Although there are dry Gewurz wines, they are not the majority of wines made from this grape variety. Now, get out your spicy dishes, a chilled bottle of this delicious Alsace wine, and get ready for the tasting!

Discover the greatest Gewurztraminer estates.