The Gewurztraminer grape is one of the most distinctive of grape varieties. The wine that it produces has a pronounced spiciness, from which it takes its name - 'gewurzt' being the German for spicy. The grape itself probably originated in Italy's Northeast in the Trentino area, but its best known home is in France, in the Alsace.

Genetically the Gewurztraminer is related to the Muscat grape, another variety that has pronounced flavours. What both of these grapes share is the capacity to impart their flavours to their resultant wines wherever they are planted. This differentiates them from other grape varieties, which are more inclined to express the 'terroir', or the quality of the soil on which they are planted. That said, it's still true that the truest expression of the Gewurztraminer grape is that from the Alsace, simply because they've grown it there for longer and more intensively than anywhere else and consequently know the grape and its characteristics very well.

Alsace has long historical links to Germany, a fact that finds expression in its architecture, its language, its food and its wine. The houses look like those on the other side of the Rhine, German is still spoken and Alsatian wines are still sold in the long, thin bottles that German wines are sold in. Even the names on the bottles are commonly German. Despite these superficial similarities, the style of the wines in Alsace is very different from those in Germany. The wines are made drier and are therefore a much better accompaniment to food and food is something that Alsatians do very well.

The Gewurztraminer grape has also been planted in many other countries along with the better known French grapes like the Chardonnay and the Sauvignon Blanc, but it hasn't achieved the same level of popularity. What does make a difference to this grape is the average summer temperatures. In areas where the mean temperatures are high it can produce wines with a slightly bitter aftertaste if it's fermented very dry. In cooler climates with a long, slow ripening season it comes closer to the Alsatian paradigm. Californian Gewurztraminers from Mendocino county are a good example of the grape at its best, some of them even surpassing the Alsatians in depth and structure.

Where the wine really comes into its own is on summer days. It's the perfect picnic wine, as its floral overtones are naturally in harmony with the great outdoors. It's a wine that goes particularly well with smoked salmon, its acidity counterpointing the salmon's natural oiliness. Its very spiciness makes it a hard wine to match to food, those distinctive notes of roses, cloves and lychees can easily overpower foods that have subtle or gentle flavours.

Wine of the Week

Robertson Winery Gewurztraminer 2003, Late Harvest.

This wine sits somewhere in the middle of the range of sweetness; being a late harvest there are hints of honeyed botrytis, yet there's enough acidity to balance it. You could serve it as a dessert wine, but I suspect it would be better served on a sunny lawn in the afternoon where its pronounced honeysuckle notes make it a perfect summer wine.
From May 12th it's on special offer in Superquinn at a remarkable €6.49.