Ep 335: The Grape Miniseries-- Gewurztraminer

<p>That's right, no umlaut for my show notes on this grape. I consider Alsace the true home of this grape and the place we should be looking for the most spectacular versions. For that reason, I stick with the French way of spelling it 😉</p> <p><img style= "display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src= "https://assets.libsyn.com/secure/show/45638/alsace-leon-beyer-vendange-tardive-gewurztraminer-2017_2.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="200" /></p> <p>Gewurztraminer (guh-VERTZ-tra-MEEN-ah)is one of the most distinctive grapes and makes one of the most overtly perfumed, full-bodied whites in existence. The lychee, rose, citrus, incense, and smokey notes can be intoxicatingly fantastic or WAY too much.</p> <p>Here are some quick show notes on the grape's past and regions where it's grown. </p> <p><img class="ampelography-grappe b-loaded" style= "display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src= "https://www.vinsalsace.com/assets/img/cepages/10/gewurtz_grappes@2x.png" alt="Gewurzt grappes@2x" width="137" height="135" /></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Aromas and Flavors</strong></p> <ul> <li>"Gewürz" means “spice” or "herb" but the grape was named so because of it's high levels of perfume and aromatics (it can smell like warm spices and pepper, but that's not the origin of the name)</li> <li>The Gewürztraminer grape is actually pink to red in skin color and it generally makes deep gold wines, sometimes with a copper tinge</li> </ul> <p style="text-align: center;"> </p> <ul> <li>The grape has high natural sugar, so sometimes sweetness remains in the wine and many times the ABV reaches 14%</li> <li>The most distinctive aromas and flavors of Gewürztraminer are: lychee, peach, melon, oranges, tropical fruit, roses, ginger, incense, smoke, pepper and sweeter spices</li> </ul> <p> </p> <ul> <li>The effect of the aromas and flavors are so strong, they are sometimes too much for people, especially because bad versions of the wine have low acidity and can be flabby. Good versions strike a BALANCE between richn