Whirled Famous Grape

Pour it into your glass and give it a whirl. The aroma is unmistakable with floral, spicy notes leaning toward lychees and rose petals – a benchmark bouquet if there ever was one. We are talking about the universally admired, yet not-so-easy to pronounce Gewürztraminer grape. Repeat three times – geh-werts-trah-mean-er. See, not so difficult, and it’s really easy to enjoy. Translated from the German, it means the spicy grape from Tramin, where it is supposed to have its origins. Tramin, a picturesque wine growing village in German speaking part of northern Italy is known as Alto Adige in Italian and Süd Tirol (South Tyrol) in German. It used to be part of Austria until the end of the First World War after which it was ceded to Italy as a reward for fighting on the Allied side. We will skip delving further into the politics any further. Pale yellow in colour, the taste is slightly off dry with refreshing spicy melon flavours and a lingering finish. This version of this grape hails from Germany’s Baden region, across the Rhine River from France’s Alsace, another hotbed of Gewürztraminer. With wanting to control the calories somewhat after a holiday week of celebrating, lighter tasting classic pairings would include Quiche Lorraine, onion tart or avocado salad.

2021 Baden Gewürztraminer LCBO #336735, $15.95