Grape varieties

Gewurztraminer: The ultimate grape guide

Gewurztraminer: the ultimate grape guide

What does it taste like?

  • Rose petals
  • Spice
  • Lychee
  • Peaches
  • Ginger
  • Grapefruit

Where is it grown?

What style of white wine is gewürztraminer?

Gewürz means 'spice' in German, which nicely sums up the distinctive character of this variety. Its pink skin at harvest time translates into a golden, deeply coloured wine, often with a beautiful copper tinge. Expect scents of sweet spice, plump pink roses, lychees, ginger and hints of grapefruit and white peach. A great choice if you don't like overt acidity in your whites, as the grape naturally makes rich, round wines.

Gewürz is also often the answer when it comes to hard-to-match spicy dishes. It loves Thai food, aromatic Indian dishes, Vietnamese, Chinese… basically anything with fragrance and a mild-medium chilli hit. Order in a curry, open a bottle and let the magic happen!

Where should I start with gewürztraminer?

Alsace is the spiritual home of gewurz, producing some of the finest examples in the world, from dry yet perfumed and full-bodied wines, to those that boast sweetness, spice and opulent aromas. Germany also produces gewürztraminer in a whole range of styles.

In the New World, gewurz can be a lot trickier to get right as high climates can lead to less balancing acidity and the risk of the perfumed fruit becoming far too pungent and overpowering. However, clever techniques such as harvesting the fruit early means that cooler sites can create wonderful examples of this wine – try New Zealand for outstanding styles, with aromas of lychee, peaches, honey and crisp acidity on the finish.

Rosie Allen

The Society's Brand Marketing Manager

Rosie Allen

Rosie joined the team in 2016 and oversees all our content including 1874 magazine and Discovery pages.

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