What to Drink Now
By David Mahoney
> Gewürztraminer
A certain Elizabethan playwright famously opined that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. Ah, but what if that name were as unpronounceable as Gewürztraminer (guh-VURTS-trah-mee-ner)?
Gewürztraminer’s distinctly floral aroma is often compared to rose petals, but while the wine’s smell might be sweet, its flavor isn’t necessarily so. This is particularly true in France’s Alsace region, Gewürztraminer’s home turf, where the wine is frequently fermented to a dry or near-dry finish.
While Gewürztraminer makes a fine companion to the sausages and other delicacies of its motherland, David Anderson of France 44 Wines & Spirits in Minneapolis notes that it matches up surprisingly well with Asian foods, especially spicy dishes.
Pierre Sparr makes one of the more affordable Alsatian Gewürztraminers. Served with halibut grilled in a banana leaf with Thai green curry, the wine’s rosy fragrance and hints of spice make for a pairing that is sweet indeed.
