Alsace is a French region that lays right on the border with Germany, separated from it by the Rhine river. It was actually part of Germany between the Franco-Prussian war of 1870 and the end of the first world war in 1918, yet it retains its unique cultural heritage.
Alsace is best known for its wine based on native varieties, and Riesling is certainly the king: most Grand Cru (there are 51 in Alsace) produce single varietal Riesling, but unlike its German neighbour most high-quality Riesling is finished dry.
Gewurztraminer
The grape that Germans call Gewürztraminer (with an umlaut) is an aromatic mutation of Savagnin Rose, an ancient grape native from northeast France. Gewurz means ‘spice’ in German, Traminer is the local name for Savagnin Blanc (the parent of Savagnin Rose). Actually, many afficionados shorten its name to just Gewurz.
It is naturally high in sugars and low in acidity. This makes it very well suited for cool climates, as colder temperatures preserve the acidity which balances out the sugar levels.
The pink skin imparts a deep golden colour to the wine, and the nose is very floral and exotic. A typical tasting note talks about rose petals and lychee fruit aromas, especially in Alsace on lower yield vineyards. Peach, apricot and honeysuckle are also common, as well as honey.
Sweetness
The higher sugar content of the berries gives wines with a fairly high alcohol level (14% is easily achievable for dry versions), so it makes Gewurztraminer very suitable to sweeter, slightly less alcoholic versions by interrupting the fermentation early.
While most Alsace Gewurztraminer is finished off-dry, Vendanges Tardives (late harvest) wines will be medium-sweet to sweet. Sélection de Grains Nobles (SGN, sometimes labelled just Sélection) are fully sweet as the berries are harvested when botrytized. Botrytis, the fungus responsible for the best sweet wines of the world like Sauternes and Tokaji is a broad topic that I will talk about in a future newsletter.
If you are familiar with German Riesling, expect Alsace Gewurztraminer to have the sweetness of a Kabinett Riesling, Vendanges Tardives that of an Auslese Riesling, and SGN that of a Beerenauslese or Trockenbeerenauslese Riesling. That said, the lower acidity of Gewurztraminer amplifies the perceived sweetness compared to the acidic Riesling.
Food pairing
You may think of Alsace Gewurztraminer as not a food-friendly wine. After all, wines that are not very high in acidity and fairly sweet are harder to pair with food. But that's not true.
Off-dry or medium-sweet versions are a wonderful pairing with spicy food. The round body and residual sugar combined with the floral and exotic aromas are a match made in heaven for most Thai food, ceviche or even tagine.
Sélection de Grains Nobles are more suited as a dessert wine: try it with pannacotta, crème brulée or baklava. Or on its own instead of desert.
Availability
Gewurztraminer's popularity is a far second from that of Riesling, and it is very distinctive hence not very versatile. But if you never tried it before, give it a try: most bottles you will find in the export market are well made and not expensive. Alsatian wine may not be the first thing that pop in your mind for a pairing with Pad Thai, but it works !
Until next week, happy drinking!