When ordering wine, whether or not we speak the language of its origin, most of us have gotten pretty good at perfecting certain pronunciations. Names like Sauvignon Blanc, Sangiovese, and Beaujolais just mindlessly roll off the tongue as we peruse our wine lists. Every so often, though, there comes a wine name that raises an eyebrow and ties our tongue into knots. Gewürztraminer is one of those wines. But despite its mouthful of consonants, Gewürztraminer is an absolute delight…once you figure out how to order it.
What is Gewürztraminer?
Before diving too deeply into this special wine, it’s crucial that we learn how to properly pronounce its name. After a bit of practice, it’s really quite fun to say, especially if you say it with a thick German accent.
How do you pronounce Gewürztraminer?
geh-VURTZ-tra-MEEN-er
The history of this wine has as much character as its name. While Gewürztraminer’s origins can be traced back to Italy’s Alto Adige region, the grape’s name comes from the German word “Gewürz,” which translates to “spice” in English, hinting at the wine’s unique flavors.
While the grape has evolved considerably over the centuries, it originally comes from the Traminer grape, which is native to the Alpine regions of Europe. With the special characteristics of its unique terroir, the Gewürztraminer grape has now thrived for centuries in the Vosges Mountains between Germany and France as well as throughout the Alps.
Taste profile
This intensely aromatic wine is often thought of as a more mature Moscato due to its depth of flavor and ability to shapeshift in style. Gewürztraminer generally contains floral notes of rose and orange blossom, opening up into richer flavors of tropical fruit. As its name suggests, Gewürztraminer also contains a range of spicy notes like ginger and clove that depend on the wine’s developmental process. The most signature aroma in Gewürztraminer, though, is lychee. This floral, aromatic fruit on the nose is what tends to make Gewürztraminer sing.
Is Gewürztraminer wine dry or sweet?
Depending on factors like harvest time, climate, soil, and varying winemaking techniques, Gewürztraminer can be either quite fruit-forward and sweet or dry with little to no residual sugars. Its acidity levels can also range from medium to low, giving this incredible wine quite a range of taste and body. While the best Gewürztraminers are perfectly balanced, this wine really can play many parts.
Grapes’ level of ripeness at harvest has an immense impact on the flavor of the wine they create. While many varieties of wine grapes are somewhat high-maintenance in their harvesting time frame, Gewürztraminer grapes can be harvested at almost any point in the season. This is one of the reasons it’s such a wide-ranging wine. Grapes become sweeter the longer they stay on the vine, so wine that has been made from grapes harvested early in the season will taste quite different from wine made with grapes that were harvested later.
Is Gewürztraminer similar to Chardonnay?
These two wines are difficult to compare fairly due to both varietal’s tremendous range. While the buttery, soft, sometimes spicy notes of oaked Chardonnay can be somewhat reminiscent of Gewürztraminer’s more lush and buttery palate, unoaked Chardonnay provides a stark contrast to Gewürztraminer’s velvety spice.
Gewürztraminer’s predominant notes include lychee, tropical fruit, and warm spice, while unoaked Chardonnays are more citrus-forward and brightly crisp.
Is Gewürztraminer sweeter than Riesling?
While Riesling is known for being fruit-forward, its fruitier notes are acidic, crisp and bright. Grapefruit, lime, lemon, and green apple are common notes in Riesling, giving it the vibrant, youthful freshness for which it is so adored. While Riesling is certainly fruity, it is not always necessarily sweet.
Gewürztraminer also has dominant fruit flavors, but fruit that is far richer and even jammier than Riesling’s citrus and unripened fruit. The sweetness of Gewürztraminer will be more velvety-sweet, like a warm pineapple upside-down cake and less vibrantly tart and sweet, like a key lime pie.
How to serve Gewürztraminer
No matter the style of your particular bottle, Gewürztraminer should always be served chilled, between 38 and 45 degrees. The chilled temperature will bring out its fruit-forward notes and preserve the aromas within the glass. Gewürztraminer should always be served in a white wine glass, which will allow the intense aromas to be funneled directly to the drinker’s nose.
Food pairings
The tropical fruit and warm spice of Gewürztraminer pair beautifully with intense, fragrant cheeses like Gorgonzola or Munster. Dried fruits and nuts are also perfect additions to your charcuterie board when Gewürztraminer is on the wine list.
In addition to cocktail party fare, Gewürztraminer is also fantastic with rich, spicy cuisine. We love to pair it with intense and saucy Middle Eastern or Moroccan dishes.
