Episode 159: A Good Old Gewürztraminer Grape Gab

It’s time for the April Grape Gab, and we are getting down and gabbing Gewürztraminer. This white grape has been described as everything from spicy to grandma, to fussy and even “brassy in the glass.” Either way, we’re happy to grab a glass and get to know our good friend, Gewurz.

In our Glasses (1:20)

Val:

P.J. Valckenburg ,2016, Gewürztraminer, Pfalz, Germany

Emile Beyer, 2016, Gewurztraminer, Alsace

Steph:

Saffron Gin martini – straight up and bright yellow! OK, with a twist of lime. This bottle is batch #1 from NOCO Distillery in Fort Collins, CO.

Steph’s friend Sebastian is the owner and the Master Distiller who makes all the small batch, handcrafted spirits there.

Check out the sexy pictures of this micro distillery and speakeasy on Instagram @NOCODistillery.

Getting into the Grape Gab with Gewürztraminer (7:30)

Gewürztraminer is an important white grape variety with thick, light pink skin. It tends to be low in acidity and can make high alcohol wines due to its high natural sugar content. Its wines are exotically flavored, highly aromatic and fairly full-bodied. Usually very easy to identify in a blind tasting. Some people love Gewürztraminer, it might even be their favorite grape, but most people have not explored it enough to understand or appreciate it.

But you can call me (10:15)

The German word for spice is Gewurtz. It’s perfect as the prefix for this grape, but it might not be quite what you’re thinking when it comes to spice. We’re not talking hot & spicy like chili peppers. Actually, we like how Karen MacNeil, author of the Wine Bible, describes Gewürztraminer. She says, it “is spicy in the sense that its aromas are perfumed and its flavors are saucy, bold, kinetic, and extroverted.” (2015)

However, in the grape gospel according to Jancis (aka the book Wine Grapes), you will find the Gewürztraminer under Savagnin (which Val somehow mispronounced … again), and there are several suggestions as to the exact origins and parentage. Even the parent-offspring relationship with Traminer and Pinot is not clearly defined. In other words, the relationship “is complicated.” To go any further here would involve a flowchart, and some hard liquor.

But since we mentioned the word gewurz, we should mention that Savagnin comes from the French word for wild, sauvage.

Due to Traminer’s suspected genetic instability, a list of synonyms for Gewürztraminer is actually more like a list of related mutations. In France, you might see Gewurztraminer called Traminer Musqué, Traminer Aromatique, Traminer Parfumé, Gentil-Duret Rouge, or Gris Rouge. And in Alsace, there’s another list of aliases. So as you can imagine, there are at least another dozen names for Gewürztraminer depending on which European country it originates.

How does your Gewurz grow? (13:50)

Serious Gewurztraminer are from Alsace (sans umlaut, this thing: ü), so go get your lips on them! However, many people under estimate the dry and passito (sweet) styles from Trentino-Alto Adige in Northern Italy.

The major countries of production are France, Germany, Austria, Italy, USA and New Zealand.

Also, Steph was holding back! We tend to do that – save bottles for each other to enjoy together. “The only 2 bottles of Gewurztraminer I have in my cellar – and what a shame is that? It’s a late-harvest bottle I hand-carried back from Misha’s Vineyard in New Zealand (that I’m dying to open!), and a dry Gewurztraminer from Halleck Vineyards in the Russian River Valley that I want to share with Val.”

Back to growing Gewürztraminer and what conditions it likes in the vineyard.

This fussy grape prefers cool climates, loamy and heavy clay soils. It is early budding and therefore susceptible to what? Yes, Spring frosts.

If the temperatures are too high during the growing season though, the acidity will drop and the sugar concentration will be too high. No bueno for the resulting wine. Can you say flabby?

Doin’ my thang in the glass (15:14; revisited at 20:25)

Gewürztraminer’s sensory experience depends on where it is grown and the precision and artistry of the winemaker (like all wines). The ripeness level at picking will also dictate what style of wine it becomes – early picking will be a drier style versus late harvest will be more a dessert style. There are off-dry styles and “kill-me-now, I’ve achieved nirvana” styles. Which is a reference back to the serious Alsatian bottles. Expect to pay and totally worth it!

The aromatics in Gewürztraminers are BAM! (Steph’s professional sommelier description), in-your-face, lychee fruit, orange marmalade, roses, gingerbread, honey, clove, peaches and heaps of juicy fruits and perfume. There’s also sometimes a phenolic bitterness on the palate. The weight or the body depends on the style, but Gewürztraminers tend to feel bigger than say Rieslings.

Now go explore the many faces of Gewürztraminer, hit all six countries we mentioned, and rack up some #W25Challenges. May the W25 Force Be With You.

Factoid (18:02)

Because you can handle more corkdorkery.

Gewürztraminer is also susceptible to coulure and millerandage. Coulure is a French term for poor fruit set or floral abortion, where the flowers or small berries naturally fall off the vine. Other varieties that are particularly affected by this are Grenache, Malbec, Muscat Ottonel and certain clones of Merlot.

Millerandage is the French word meaning “hen and chicken” (sometimes they’re called “pumpkin and peas”) and in viticulture refers to abnormal fruit set and uneven ripening within bunches. Some berries are large and some are small. This can negatively impact the quality of the resulting wine, however, it is not always a bad thing. Another grape variety prone to millerandage is Sangiovese.

Wino Radar (23:30)

Coming up fast are the May drinking occasions.

Sauvignon Blanc Day on May 4th! Please tag Wine Two Five in your posts and share what you’re drinking. You can also post ideas or ask for suggestions on our Wine Two Five Community private FaceBook page.
Cinco de Mayo – and speaking of Sauvignon Blanc – how about this Tequila Sangria recipe from Bobby Flay?! You’ll have to check out our blog for the link or Google it to find the Food Network recipe. There’s also a wine cocktail on Vinepair that’s got us curious called the Cortez. It’s super simple. 1 oz Reposado Tequila (chilled) + 5 oz Riesling (chilled).

Shoutouts (25:28)

From the pod: A brand spanking new iTunes review that we love, love, love!

From Steph: Need to give the guys over at We Like Drinking a high-five for their semi-recent episode #170 with Mead Maker Billy Beltz from Lost Cause Meadery. There’s some good geeky info tucked in there about mead. Nice work, podcasting brothers!

From Val: Shoutout to Cale at the Koloa Rum Company for his rockin’ enthusiasm during a tasting on Kauai a couple of weeks ago. Yes, they make rum in Hawaii. Cale is the brand ambassador for the company, and Val will be tasting their rum on this show in a future episode. Also, have no fear because we brought back a selection of their rums for Steph to try as well!

Patreon Love (29:41)

Thank you to our Patrons who support us on our Patreon crowdfunding platform!

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Girls Gone Grape | Wine, Women and Adventures

www.girlsgonegrape.com

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Swag-o-rama (31:28)

Our Patreon page has details www.patreon.com/winetwofivepodcast on how to be entered into our monthly giveaway, exclusive content, and swag.

We just ordered some more of the original T-shirts (we like to say “first edition”) and will have more sizes available shortly.

All Patrons at the $2/month or higher donation level are entered into the drawing. Also, the paper bag and printed entries have been retired in favor of a spreadsheet and a random number generator. Yep, welcome to 2007, Val.

The winner for April is this guy, Sebastian S. of Sassi Italy Tours! Sebastian will get a choice of a Wine Two Five Govino glass or T-shirt (which, we’d like to point out, he appears to wear everywhere).

We will reach out to you via email. Congratulations and we know you’ll put your swag to good use!

Also, the buttons arrived and will be mailed out during what we anticipate to be a “don’t drink and bubble wrap” lesson to be learned this next week.

Some of you mentioned you would like something to show your impeccable taste in booze podcasts (and, apparently, good fashion sense, when a T-shirt doesn’t jive with your outfit). We totally get it!

You suggested a button. We thought that was such a fabulous idea that we ordered enough for ALL of our patrons, and you will all be getting one.

Connect: (35:15)

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