Het Archief
NLGift card ↗

The grape archive

Gewürztraminer

geh-VURTS-tra-mee-ner

An intensely aromatic pink-skinned grape producing broad, low-acid whites with rose, lychee and exotic spice.

Ripe Gewürztraminer wine grapes on the vine
Gewürztraminer

Typical flavour register

01Lychee02Rose03Ginger04Peach05Turkish delight

In the glass

A visual taste profile.

These scales describe a representative dry expression. Climate, harvest date, yields and winemaking can move an individual wine in another direction.

Where it grows

From origin to the wider vineyard.

The first country is the grape’s principal reference point; the remaining countries show important established cultivation rather than a complete planting census.

France

Core country

Alsace · Pfalz · Alto Adige

Germany

Established

Smaller but established plantings

Italy

Established

Smaller but established plantings

Austria

Established

Smaller but established plantings

New Zealand

Established

Smaller but established plantings

AlsacePfalzAlto AdigeTrentinoMarlborough
A vineyard landscape associated with Gewürztraminer
Alsace · PfalzClimate and site shape every expression of Gewürztraminer.

Three useful expressions

01

Bright & unoaked

Fresh fruit and stainless-steel ageing keep the wine direct and energetic.

02

Textured & gastronomic

Lees contact, ripe fruit or subtle oak can add breadth without losing freshness.

03

Complex & age-worthy

Selected sites and careful maturation create more layered, cellar-worthy wines.

Handling

Serve8–11 °C
GlassMedium aromatic-white glass
DecantNot normally needed
Cellar2–10 years; sweet wines longer

At the table

Pair it by weight, freshness and aroma.

Munster cheeseThai curryPorkFoie grasAromatic spicesFruit desserts

Why Gewürztraminer matters

The name refers to its spicy aromatic character; the grape’s pink skins do not normally produce a pink wine.

The best examples balance the grape’s natural character with climate, soil and cellar choices. Treat the profile as a compass rather than a fixed recipe.

Reference databases and further readingVIVC · Variety database ↗OIV · Vitivinicultural data ↗Wine Folly · Grape guide ↗