How to pour
a Gewürztraminer in
Place the bottle in the fridge for about two hours so the wine reaches 10 to 12 degrees. This is intentionally less cold than most white wines: if you serve Gewürztraminer ice-cold, the aroma you bought it for disappears.
Alsatian bottles are slim and tall and usually have a cork; bottles from other regions often have a screw cap. Cut around the capsule below the ridge of the neck, place the spiral in the center of the cork, and turn it straight down.
Decanting isn’t necessary. Gewürztraminer’s aroma needs no help, and the wine has little acidity to absorb air. Do put the bottle back in the fridge in between pours, though, because at room temperature it quickly becomes heavy and overly sweet.
Pour until the glass is about one-third full. The space above it allows the aroma to collect, and with this wine, that’s half the story. Hold the glass by the stem so your hand doesn’t warm up the wine.
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The story
The name suggests where it comes from: gewürz means spice in German, and Tramin is a village in South Tyrol. That is the commonly accepted explanation. Today, its main home is Alsace, where it is one of the standard names on the label and the wines range from dry to distinctly sweet. It is also found in Germany, in Alto Adige around that same Tramin and, much farther away, in New Zealand. The grape itself is striking: its skin is pinkish red, while it produces a white wine.
The right glass
The traditional Alsatian wine glass with the green stem is not part of our range, and a glass with Gewürztraminer on the box does not exist anyway. What we do have are bowls made for aromatic white wine, and these come closest here. Look for a generous bowl that gives the aromas room, with an opening that still concentrates them, because aroma is the main feature of this wine. Check the sizes in the white wine glasses collection; keep the bottle chilled between servings with a wine cooler.
Stölzle Lausitz Quatrophil Wine Glass 40.5 cl (6 pieces)
Luigi Bormioli Supremo Wine Glass 35 cl Chardonnay (6 pieces)
Both sets together € 94,90.
The right tools
For a Gewürztraminer, besides the glass, you mainly need a corkscrew, because Alsatian bottles usually have a cork, and a wine cooler to keep the bottle chilled between servings. The bar tools below come in handy when the wine goes into a spritz or a punch: a zester for a strip of peel and a jigger for measuring. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glass set (our choice 01) + 2 bar tools together € 85,85.
What do you serve alongside it?
Gewürztraminer is a wine with a distinctive character, which means that something else is often served alongside it at the table. These are the wines that come before, alongside or after it, from a glass of crémant to start with to a moscato with dessert. On each drinks page, you can read the alcohol percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails pair well with it and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
In Alsace, gewürztraminer ranges from dry to very sweet. The late harvest wines are labeled vendange tardive, while the sweetest wines, made from grapes selected berry by berry, are labeled sélection de grains nobles. Dry versions are also available, although the wine can still feel sweeter than it is because of its full, oily mouthfeel. Outside Alsace, in Germany and Alto Adige, the wines are more often dry and slightly lower in alcohol. Want to read more? View all drinks and brands.
Serving tip
Serve at 10 to 12 degrees, so not from the coldest part of the refrigerator. Gewürztraminer is the wine for spicy Asian food: the residual sweetness softens the heat of chili, while its spicy aroma complements ginger, coconut and curry. That is why it often works better with Thai and Indian dishes than red wine. The classic pairing from its home region is Munster cheese, whose strong aroma it can stand up to.
Good to know
Where the name comes from
Gewürz means spice in German, and Tramin is a village in South Tyrol; together, that is the usual explanation for the name. You also come across the grape as traminer, without the first part. In Alsace, it is usually written out in full on the label, because the grape name is the most important designation on the bottle there.
Lychee, rose petal, clove and ginger
Few grapes are so easy to recognize blind. Lychee and rose petal are the two notes almost everyone picks up, followed by clove and ginger. Add a full, almost oily mouthfeel and low acidity, and the wine feels broad and soft across the palate rather than taut and fresh.
Vendange tardive and sélection de grains nobles
These are the two designations for sweeter Alsatian wines. Vendange tardive means late harvest: the grapes stay on the vine longer, and the wine becomes fuller and often sweeter. Sélection de grains nobles goes a step further, with individually selected, shriveled grapes resulting in a distinctly sweet wine. If neither appears on the label, the bottle is dry to off-dry.
Don't serve it too cold
Gewürztraminer comes into its own best at 10 to 12 degrees. That is a few degrees warmer than the temperature at which you serve riesling or pinot grigio. Ice-cold temperatures close off the aroma, leaving little of the lychee and rose petals; too warm, and it becomes heavy and sweetish. So return the bottle to the refrigerator after pouring, not to an ice bucket.
How much alcohol it contains
Gewürztraminer ripens easily and therefore tends to have a high alcohol content: roughly 13 to 14.5 percent is common, with the sweet Alsatian wines balanced somewhat differently because sugar remains in the wine. The percentage is stated on the label, and with this grape it also indicates how full the wine feels in the glass.
Frequently asked questions
What does gewürztraminer taste like?
It is immediately recognizable by lychee and rose petal, followed by clove and ginger. On the palate, it is full and almost oily, with low acidity and often some residual sweetness. This makes it feel soft and broad, whereas riesling or sauvignon blanc is taut and fresh.
Is gewürztraminer sweet?
That varies by bottle. In Alsace, the range runs from dry to late-harvest vendange tardive and the even sweeter sélection de grains nobles. Even a dry gewürztraminer feels sweeter than it really is because of its full mouthfeel and low acidity. Outside Alsace, the wines are more often simply dry.
At what temperature and in which glass do you serve gewürztraminer?
Between 10 and 12 degrees, so a few degrees less cold than most white wines, because ice-cold temperatures make the aroma disappear. Use a large bowl-shaped glass that gives the aroma room and channels it toward your nose. Pour to one-third full and return the bottle to the refrigerator in between servings.
What do you eat with gewürztraminer?
Spicy Asian food is the classic choice: with Thai and Indian dishes, the residual sweetness balances the chili while the spicy notes complement ginger, coconut and curry. From its own region comes the combination with Munster cheese, a strong cheese that few other wines can stand up to. It also works with foie gras and spicy sausage.
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