Gewurztraminer: an explosion of aromas and acclaim

Traminer aromatico in the Italian style, or Gewurztraminer for those who prefer the international name – the substance doesn't change!
A rich wine loaded with its broad varietal aromas.
If what you're looking for is a sensory upheaval, the aromas and flavors of this wine will satisfy your palate.

As mentioned, this is a white-berried aromatic grape variety (by conventional definition – in reality the cluster takes on a reddish color during the ripening phase). Its origin is quite disputed, but one of the most widely accepted hypotheses places it as an indigenous Italian variety; its name would in fact seem to derive from the name of its town of origin, Termeno (in the province of Bolzano).

The ever-growing acclaim found among consumers has led to the spread of this grape variety around the world. Today, producers in every corner of the globe (United States, Chile, New Zealand, and Australia) have joined the traditional wine regions (Alsace, Germany, Austria, and northeastern Italy), and as a result the styles and interpretations of this eclectic variety have also multiplied.
Gewurztraminer, however, prefers a mild climate and sandy, granitic soils – not always found in the "new wine worlds," where results have often failed to reach high levels of balance and finesse.

Traditionally in Italy, the development of Traminer originates in Trentino Alto Adige, where the ideal terroir allows this variety to express its full potential for pleasure. From these areas comes a dry, full-bodied wine of straw yellow color, more or less concentrated, with intense and easily identifiable aromas ranging from fruity (tropical fruit, hints of pear and lychee) to herbaceous (rose above all, and hawthorn), enriched with spicy notes (vanilla foremost) if the wine is aged in barrique.
For Gewurztraminer alsaziano, in addition to these characteristics inherent in the variety itself, we can find good minerality and, by production style, a higher-than-normal residual sugar that makes it almost off-dry.
A separate chapter is the (not uncommon) late harvest version of this variety, which is considered almost timidly here in Italy, while widely produced and celebrated in Alsace.
Here the color takes on golden reflections, and the olfactory bouquet shifts toward dried apricots, candied fruit, caramel, and honey.

With such exuberance contained in a single wine, gastronomic pairings require special care if one does not want to unbalance the match. This wine pairs well with the bold flavors of aged cheeses, foie gras, or the quintessentially Italian fegato alla veneziana, or with dishes based on crustaceans or smoked salmon – but it can also be enjoyed in its more easy-drinking guise, served chilled as an aperitif.

To appreciate it at its best, it should be served at a temperature of around 10–12 degrees in large glasses.

To also touch on the less noble aspect of this wine – namely its price – we can say that on the shelves one finds products ranging from just a few euros (for the more common types) up to decidedly significant sums for highly selected products. Personally, when I decide to treat myself to this wine, I know that at least one of those pink banknotes (€10) will leave my wallet – and I know that from there upward I will be drinking a wine that may remain among my finest memories.