Gewurztraminer

This rich, fruity wine complements the creaminess of cheese and is the ideal companion to a curry

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While too powerful and spicy for most fish dishes, gewürztraminer is a great match with fairly powerful cheese such as Munster from its native Alsace and some of Europe’s richer goats’ cheeses, or a strong cheddar. Its moderate acidity helps cut through fattiness, while its rich ripe fruits cope admirably with the creamy, musty flavours.

A good spicy gewürztraminer will also go fabulously with all sorts of medium-spiced curry. The acidity cuts through the heat while the fruit flavours cleanse and purify the mouth ready for the next forkful.

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Cheat Sheet

Getting back to its roots
The first noted presence of gewürztraminer was around 1000AD, in the Italian Tirol, where the Traminer grape was cultivated.
In the pink
Although in the vast majority of gewürztraminer is white, both red and rose versions are made from the same grape family. These include Traminer Musque and Traminer Aromatico.
Highs and Lows
Low-acid/high alcohol can be the result of a badly made gewurztraminer, with some hitting a high 14 percent or so on the alcohol register.
On sight
Gewurtztraminer is one of the varieties that can be identified by connoisseurs by its colour alone, because of its slightly peachy glow and lovely mid-gold colouring.

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