Gewürztraminer, A Grape For Wine Merchants?

You may have heard me talk about 'wine merchant wines', a tongue in cheek way of explaining wines that we have to work hard to sell, so we end up taking them home and drinking them ourselves!

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I am afraid to say that Gewürztraminer often falls into this category. Misunderstood as being only planted in Germany, I am of the opinion that, like Riesling, this wine can make for wonderfully aromatic full-bodied whites which are a dream to match with food. This example I have selected from Chile is no exception

The best known expressions of Gewürztraminer are those of Alsace and Germany. The grape is renowned for producing exotic, almost pungent aromas and flavours - typically reminiscent of lychees. It is able to make a diverse range of styles, suitable for medium term ageing as well as amazing dessert wines.

Yet viticulturally, it not the easiest grape to grow. The bunches of grapes are relatively small which makes them prone to disease. It does not like warm climates which is why its planted in the northern cooler regions of Europe and in and the New World in the higher cooler regions. This example from the Chimbarongo Valley in Chile makes the best of both worlds, the long hot days for growing and ripening, with the Pacific Valley providing cool nights which helps to soften the ripeness in the fruit.

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