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Gewürztraminer

Gewürztraminer Wine Details
Price: $16.00 per bottle

Description: Particularly when made dry, this varietal needs meticulous farming to access the complete range of flavors. That means the finest quality grapes are not inexpensive. Alisos Vineyard insists on growing a distinctive Gewürztraminer and we would not have it any other way. Low yields in the hilly terrain provide intense fruit of exemplary character. We applaud them for doing the right thing. The wine, produced in the Alsatian style, showcases the juxtaposition of elegance and bold fruit flavors we prefer. Though bone dry, the high volume of exotic fruit character suggests otherwise. Generous, classic flavors of lychee nut, jasmine and pear along with mineral notes are backed by bright acidity. The wine was barrel fermented and aged nine months in seasoned French oak barrels adding another dimension that enriches the palate and lengthens the finish.

Varietal Definition
Gewürztraminer:
Cultivated for over a thousand years, this white-wine grape (sometimes referred to simply as Traminer) is thought to have originated in the village of Tramin (or Temeno) in Italy’s Alto Adige region. Gewürztraminer grapes are planted in Alsace, a French region between Germany and France that specializes in excellent dry Gerwürztraminer wines. They’re also cultivated in Germany, Austria, Hungary, Rumania, Czechoslovakia, and Ukraine. Because they perform better in cooler climates, Gewürztraminer grapes have not done well in many of California’s warmer growing regions. However, they thrive in cooler California areas such as Carneros, Anderson Valley, and Monterey County, as well as in parts of Oregon and Washington. The German word ‘gewürz’ means ‘spiced,’ and these wines are known for their crisp, spicy attributes. They’re highly fragrant, with flavor characteristics of litchis, roses, and spices such as cloves and nutmeg. Gewürztraminer wines are available in varying degrees of sweetness -- dry, medium-sweet, and late harvest. Because of the grape’s pinkish (sometimes yellow) pigment, Gewürztraminer wines are some of the more deeply colored of the whites, many have gold or peach tones. The distinctive color and aroma of these wines make them easily recognizable by those familiar with this varietal wine.
Traminer:
Parent grape of the popular Gewurztraminer clone. Still grown in France and in California but almost everywhere has been replaced by its much more intense and spicy offspring clone.


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