Distinctive varietal all-around, from its pink skin to the rich, aromatic, deeply-colored and full-bodied white wines that it produces. Gewürztraminer is the most popular and successful clone of the Traminer grape that calls the Italian village of Tramine home. Alsace is now home to the Gewürztraminer. The wines can be sweet, dry or in between but always retain the spicy character of the local soil. Exotic flavors and aromas of lychees, roses, apricots and honey are common. Great dessert wines are made in either Vendange Tardive (late harvest) or Selection de Grains Nobles (Botrytised) styles. A well-made Gewürzt will last for at least a decade and sometimes longer.
The best examples hail from Alsace, though it is also grown with moderate success in Germany, Switzerland, Italy and all over Eastern Europe. New world Gewürzt is often flabby and oily as it does not take well to warm climates, though very nice examples come from the North Island of New Zealand.
White