The Glories of Gewurztraminer

Arkansas' February weather can be very inhospitable, as was proven in 2021 when our inaugural event was almost cancelled due to subzero temperatures and very heavy snowfall across the State.  To prevent Mother Nature interfering, we asked member Dan Lindley to lead a virtual tasting.  Dan, who is prepared to take his Advanced Sommelier test, chose three Gewürztraminers.  Chilled wine on a cold day?  The spicy nature of Gewürztraminer pulled it off.  First up was a Trimbach bottling from Alsace, a good choice to introduce the basic qualities of the grape to our group.  Dan then took us across the ocean to Oregon to share the Teutonic Wine company’s New World take on Gewürz.  Finishing out the trio of lovely wines, it was back to Alsace for the Pierre Sparr, which showed lots of varietal character and finesse.  Discussion of the wines was lively and members had differing opinions as to which bottle took the day.  That means Dan did a wonderful job of selecting bottles to show the variety of expression Gewürztraminer can show based on who’s making the wine and where the grapes are grown.