A White Wine For All Seasons

It has been far too long since I have last written about wine.  The plan for today had been a dry vermouth tasting.  But given the level of medication I am currently prescribed, drinking would be unwise.  And while I have engaged in the practice of tasting and spitting in the past, it’s not something I delight in doing.

For the curious, the tasting was slated to be an old opened bottle of Noilly Pratt versus a fresh one (to see how badly the old formulation fades) and contrasting those against a freshly opened bottle of Dolin dry.  The Dolin, mind you, was a gift from ADS that I drove back up from D.C.  I still have yet to find it in the Capital District.

So instead I’ll be tackling some other wine esoterica.

Many posturing wine snobs will have you believe that the only wine worth drinking is red.  White wine is all too often dismissed as the lesser of the two.  Sure, some will concede that on a hot hot day in July, a crisp white is more apropos than claret.  But white wine shines in all seasons, not just in the heat of summer.

And if you are looking for a versatile wine for your Thanksgiving celebration, you may want to consider this unpronounceable white.

But first I’m going to say that if you like drinking crisp white wines in the colder months, don’t let me stop you.  Sometimes a light pinot grigio, sauvignon blanc, or kabinett riesling echoes the crispness in the air.  Or to others these wines may serve as a reminder of summer in the midst of a less sunny season.

For me, when the weather starts to get colder I look for heartier things to sustain me in the darkness.  Speaking of which, with today’s time change the darkness is going to come even earlier.

To battle the darkness I call on the noble gewürztraminer.

Yes, it’s hard to pronounce.  So say it with me slowly, and then be confident when asking about it in a wine store: guh – VURTS – trah – mee – ner.  Although some might also say it: geh – VEHRTZ – trah – mee – ner.

Either way, it’s a rich and spicy wine (think clove and nutmeg), that can range from bone dry to sticky sweet.  My favorite is the dry version made by the good folks at Navarro Vineyards in California’s Anderson Valley.  These grapes grow best in cooler conditions, and some of the world’s best gewürztraminers come from the Alsace region that straddles France and Germany.

This wine can also be intensely floral, which is interesting, but too many flowers in a glass makes me think of the department store perfume aisle.  It’s not a terribly positive association for me.

But if you have a good wine merchant whom you can trust, you can ask if they carry a dry guh-VURTS that isn’t too floral, and that’s less than $20.  You could spend a lot more for a bottle of the really good stuff, but you shouldn’t have to spend a lot to get something good.

Gewürztraminer would be nice just to sip in front of the fireplace, contemplating its depths, and enjoying the company of a loved one.  But it also goes great with full flavored foods.

Mrs. Fussy and I used to run off to our favorite bed and breakfast with a bottle of this wine in tow.  In the cozy antique-filled barn attic we would prepare a simple supper of a smoked fish, toasted hazelnuts and blue cheese salad, with some crusty bread and good butter.  The wine paired beautifully with it all.

Now is the time to try and experiment with wines and pairings as we prepare for the big turkey day.  After all, the only way to know if you’ll enjoy a pairing is to taste it yourself.  Everyone’s palates are different.  Some people love hot dogs with the vinegary bite of mustard, while others mistakenly (and in some states criminally) think they taste better with sweet tang of ketchup

I can rationally argue why mustard is the better condiment for a hot dog.  But if ketchup just tastes better to you, I’m never going to change you mind.  At most I may be able to get you to try it, just one more time.

Looks like I know what I’m writing about tomorrow.

Seriously though, this is a wine that’s worth a try.  Save your family from the overly oaky chardonnays that will invariably be served on turkey day.  They may be expensive, they may have prestigious names, but most of them aren’t intended to be enjoyed with food.  Most of them are intended to win wine awards.

And should gewürztraminer not be your thing, I’ll have some more thoughts as we get closer to the holiday.