There's something about Gerty...

What is it with wine these days! You’ve just started to be able to tell the difference between Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon, Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc, unwooded and wooded Chardonnay, when all of a sudden there’s another wine looming on the horizon, and it’s threatening to become desperately in vogue.

Worse still, this new wine has a name that you’re only likely to be able to pronounce after you’ve downed half a dozen schooners.

I can see it now…you trundle into your local bottle shop armed with this new information, and you ask for a bottle of… what’s it @#%ing called again: Getatraminhere, Gotahairyhatter, the Gertinator???

“Gewürztraminer” … the pimple-faced shop assistant offers, in a tone usually reserved for the unfortunately thick, “…it’s over in the fridge under the section marked Gewürztraminer” “Thanks” you mutter, adding “you Tosser!” under your breath…when you’re sure he can’t hear; and off you wander to arbitrarily pick out a bottle based primarily on the colour of the label or on how close it is to your hand when you open the door.

Gewürztraminer: Ger (as in “err…what’d ya say”); vertz (as in “that cricket ball I just copped in the %&$#s really hurts”); and tramina (as in… um…tramina”).

So, what’s the fuss all about? What’s so fascinating about a wine that sounds suspiciously like a bad second-division German football club?

Well…the story is that this little number goes stupendously well with spicy asian food, and particularly well with Thai. In fact,[1] a growing number of French (Alsace) producers of Gewürztraminer are actually targeting Thailand, and other South East Asian countries as growth export markets for this variety.

Being a lover of Thai food myself (mainly because I’m a aficionado of the “hilarious” names that Thai restaurants come up with - “Thai-Tanic” is a personal favourite, although the industry is yet to take up my rather clever suggestion of “Thai-Dyed”…go figure) I thought I would throw my body on the line, eat lots of Thai food, coupled with lashings of Gerty (I couldn’t be bothered typing Gewürztraminer anymore) and find out whether this current Cinderella of the wine world is really a pumpkin in disguise.

The good news is that the slipper fits perfectly. Gerty (see note about laziness above) is wonderfully suited to spicy food. A marriage made in food loving, wine tragic, heaven.

While the character of this wine will vary from producer to producer and region to region, the general characteristics of a Gerty: heavily perfumed and full of lychee fruit, orange blossom, Turkish delight, all-spice, and flowers (reed roses mainly); off dry (as in not dry like a Riesling but not sweet like a sticky/dessert wine either); full, rich and weighty mouth feel and a long and luxurious after taste; go hand in hand with the contrasting sharp and spicy flavours of Thai/South East Asian cuisine.

So do yourself a favour – grab a bottle of Gerty, head off to your nearest Thai restaurant (or order in if you’re a bum like me) and ENJOY!!!

Where do I get a good one and how much is it?

There is not as much choice available as when you’re after a Chardonnay or a Sauv Blanc, but you can definitely find a reasonable variety at most decent wine stores (although it’s a good idea to ring first just to be sure). Vintage Cellars stocks a small range of Gewürztraminer, with the 2003 Patutahi Estate from Gisborne in NZ, at $29, being the pick. Dan Murphy’s has a much larger range, with the joint award for best on field going to the 2004 Spring Vale from Tassie, at $27, or the 2001 Dopff Alsace Grand Cru from Alsace in Northern France (around $35). My personal favourites, however, are Hugels fantastic range of wines, also from the Alsace region in Northern France.

Of course if you live close to the Inner West you may want to check out Annandale Cellars. This independent wine store always has a great range of personally selected imported wines so you’re bound to leave with a good one (if in doubt, just ask Chris and he’ll help you out).

Happy drinking

Matt