Wine Reviews

Wine Review: Wolfberger 2018 Gewurztraminer (Alsace Grand Cru Steingrubler)

This is my second time tasting the Wolfberger Gewurztraminer. The first time, I was strolling the aisles of Wine and Beyond when the beautiful bottle and label design caught my eye. I picked up both the Gewurztraminer and their Pinot Gris out of curiosity. I was deliciously pleased with both of them. So much so, in fact, that I recently bought two more bottles: one for a sweet-wine-drinker friend of mine and another to share with you!

The Pinot Gris was also excellent, and I am sure I will find an opportunity to share that one as well at a later date.

For now, let’s talk about this wildly over-looked wine. I am convinced that the reason we don’t see more of it in Canada is because unfamiliar consumers are intimidated by the name. I know, it looks like a tongue-twister. But I promise it’s not that bad! It’s pronounced “guh-VERTZ-tram-mee-ner”.

Now that you’ve got that under your belt, I hope you are willing to take a chance on this rare gem and give it a taste with me.

THE LOOK

It’s not just the bottle that’s beautiful!

This wine is a gorgeous medium lemon colour. It almost borders on gold, and I’m sure it would go in that direction with a bit of age.

It is also clear of sediment, and has “great legs”, as they say.

“Legs” in a wine is commonly mistaken as an indicator of quality, but it is actually demonstrating something else: viscosity.

Higher viscosity wines are thick and clings to the glass, running down like teardrops. This wine has defined tears, but they are on the thinner side, putting it at a medium viscosity.

Rather than quality, higher viscosity is actually an indicator of two possible variables: higher alcohol content, or higher residual sugar. In this case, as we will see later, it’s sugar.

THE AROMAS

The nose is powerful right from the pour.

The aromas are rich with luscious, juicy fruits. Ripe pear, cantaloupe, and baked apple are immediately noticeable.

Also present at the forefront are heady floral aromas of rose and lychee. It is deeply perfumed (my favourite perfume actually smells a lot like Gewurztraminer).

In the background there is also tingle of spice notes, typical for a Gewurztraminer . Light baking spices waft in and tickle the nose.

THE PALATE

The fuller body of this wine is immediately noticeable, along with much sharper spice on the palate.

The rich texture also brings out honey notes on the palate. But despite it’s weight, it still has enough acidity to lift it from becoming “flabby”.

The spice notes are made even more pronounced by the medium alcohol content, sitting at 13.5%. This also helps to lift the wine.

Finally, as indicated by the viscosity, this wine does have a fair bit of residual sugar left after fermentation. The rear label states that it is medium sweet, and that is apparent on the tip of the tongue.

CONCLUSIONS

I love this wine, but you do need to have it on the right occasion, or with someone who enjoys sweet wine. While writing this, I have casually slipped into my third glass and it’s starting to loose some of it’s appeal as I’m getting overwhelmed by the sweetness.

It was at it’s best when I first opened it, very chilled. The cool temperatures give the lower acidity an added boost of freshness. Now, at room temperature, I can still appreciate it, but my palate needs a break.

If you have a sweet-wine-loving friend, this is an excellent bottle to gift them. It’s very high quality, well-balanced, and unlikely to be something they already have on their shelf.

For my personal tastes, I’d give it a 4.5 out of 5. I think it’s a stunning example of Gewurztraminer and I would definitely continue to buy it again.