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Game meats GewurztraminerSpicy, white wines from Alsace, perfect with flavors of fallEdited by Darryl BeesonSummer is drawing to a close, and we all look forward to the cooler temperatures of autumn and desire wines that are richer, pairing better with the earthy, fragrant foods of fall. Gewurztraminer (guh-VERTS-truh-MEE-ner) is a mouthwatering, perhaps captivating white wine from Alsace, France, complementing the myriad of rich flavors that fall brings. Consider wine that pairs perfectly with robust dishes, such as smoked sausages, glazed duck, butternut squash, suckling pig and even a Thanksgiving roasted turkey. Cranberry can be tough on many wines. “I love the aromatics of Gewurztraminer. Savory fall root vegetables spiced with clove and cinnamon can be enhanced by an aromatic, dry Gewurztraminer,” says Claire Paparazzo, Wine Director at Blue Hill Restaurant in New York City. “I could really imagine Gewurztraminer as the perfect wine to cut through a tender, juicy game bird.” Gewurztraminer is a well-structured and aromatic wine with notes of honeysuckle, rose petals, ginger, cinnamon and exotic fruits such as lychee. Known for its crisp, spicy attributes (gewurtz means “spicy” in German), Gewurztraminer is an unmistakable wine with straightforward character and a powerful and seductive nose. Some great Gewurztraminers to try:
When the temperature starts to drop and more aromatic and robust foods begin to appear, reach for a spicy, classic Gewurztraminer from Alsace for a perfect food and wine match. The name literally means spice from Tramin. This refers to the fact that the wine was made in Tramin (South Tyrol, northern Italy) and that the grape has a spicy flavor. It is now typically grown in the Alsace region of France, Germany, Hungary (in Hungarian: fűszeres tramini), Moravia in the Czech Republic, New Zealand, Australia, California, the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia Canada, the Niagara Peninsula, north shore Lake Erie and Prince Edward County wine regions of Ontario Canada, Caddo County, Oklahoma, and the Finger Lakes Region of New York. This is also a native grape to Trentino Adige, a higher altitude region in northeastern Italy. Unlike many Italian wines that receive Slovenian oak, this wine is aged in Austrian Oak. The characteristic of the wine, rather than any specific spice, is that there is a strong smell of lychees on the bouquet. This characteristic aroma means that Gewürztraminer is classified as an aromatic wine grape. As such it is one of the few wines that is suitable to be enjoyed with curry and other Asian foods. It also goes well with Munster cheese, and fleshy, fatty (oily) wild game. It is believed to be related to Viognier, another aromatic grape. It is not uncommon to notice some spritzig (fine bubbles on the inside of the glass). It is recorded that it was grown there from about year 1000 up until about the 16th century. It moved to Alsace through Pfalz where it got Gewürz added to its name, it was adopted in Alsace in 1870. In 1973 the name Traminer was discontinued in Alsace except for in the Heiligensten area. # # # Fact check: Please note: |
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