[guh-VOOR-stra-mee-ner]
Characteristics
Gewürztraminer is a pink-skinned mutation of the French grape Savagnin, which likely originated in what is now northeast France and southwest Germany. In keeping with its origins, Gewürztraminer is best-known and most successful in France's Alsace region, but it's also prominent in Germany and Alto Adige in northern Italy. The grape doesn't have much of a New World presence as it prefers cool climates, but it has a found a home in New York, California and Washington.
Gewürztraminer does best in clay soils, and makes wines that are typically full-bodied and ripe, with high alcohol and relatively low acidity. They are also highly aromatic, showing perfumed notes of rose, ginger, honey and orange peel, complementing grapefruit, lychee and peach fruit. The best examples strike a balance between richness and acidity. Around the world, Gewürztraminer is made in dry, off-dry and sweet styles, including late-harvest or botrytized versions.
Where it's grown
Gewürztraminer icons
- Alsace:
Suggested food pairings
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