WTN: Trimbach Gewurztraminer and Asian food

...Trouble is, Asian cuisine can be difficult to pair with wine. All that sweet, salt, sour, spicy, and hot sort of mixed in together. Many reds with their clashing tannins just don’t seem to work well. Oaky whites don’t seem to do well either. Trouble is, many of the other white wines are just too simple and bland and seem to disappear when they come up against the savory and spice of Asian dishes.

Enter Alsace Gewurztraminer to save the day.

By the time the Alpine variety Traminer reached Alsace it had picked up the added name of “Gewurz”, German for spice. Gewurztraminer reached its apogee when it got to Alsace, its finest home, for nowhere else did the grape express itself with such robust, aromatic and expansive aromas and flavors as there on the warm, dry slopes of the Vosges Mountains.

Trimbach Gewurztraminer, Alsace, 2007
Alsace Gewurztraminer is a singularly compelling wine with an almost perfumed intensity and persistence of aroma and flavor. And what aromas and flavors they are: spicy ginger, silky rose petals, earthy geranium, orange peel, jasmine and musk. And if you know how litchi tastes: litchi. If you don’t know how litchi tastes: taste Gewurztraminer; that’s it. This wine truly earns its exotic reputation.

Some…well, actually, nowadays, many…Gewurztraminers have a dollop of sweetness. Not here. The Trimbach is racy and tingling and dry, without even a hint or nod of sweet; it’s the house style. Another sometimes failing of Gewurztraminer is a flabby lack of acidity. Not in Alsace, and definitely not with Trimbach: this is Gewurztraminer with structure and vibrancy!

The house of Trimbach is one of the most reliably consistent producers of this variety, even with the vagaries and dramas of farming thrown in to the mix. Guess that’s what a few hundred years of experience can do for you when you’re a grapegrower/winemaker. Well, that and a superb choice of vineyard location. Trimbach is a revered firm located in Ribeauville, one of the most charming villages in the entire world, and a haven of excellent food. Go there. Be charmed. Eat well. Drink well. Fall in love. And if you’re with the right person, fall in love all over again. It’s that kind of place.

Here’s a suggestion: since it’s winter, and probably cold or snowy or icy (or all three) outside, why not call your favorite Szechuan or Viet or Thai place, order in a huge random assortment of takeout (they are always great for leftovers, right?) Then slip the cork out of a bottle of Trimbach Gewurztraminer and carefully sample it with each and every one of those little cartons of food. You’ll be amazed at not only how good the wine tastes, but also at how much better the food is with the wine. (Warning: epiphanies may ensue, accompanied by incessant babbling to friends about how good this is.)

And for this lush, opulent, exotic wine experience, what are you expected to pay? A suggested retail price of $21.99. That’s the type of fiscal responsibility this country needs right now; it’s a fine return on investment....


Excerpted from Examiner.com: Alsace Whites with winter foods: Trimbach Gewurztraminer goes Asian - National French Wine | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/french-wine-in- ... z1ByOUEzF2 (with video and Trimbach picture slideshow)

Hoke, you might have hit the nail on the head here! How about discussing Asian food/wine match ups on next months Wine Focus?

[David M. Bueker]

Thanks Hoke.

The yellow label Gewurztraminer is almost too reliable. I tend to forget it due to its consistency.

As for picking up "Gewurz", I thought wurz was spice in German, as in Urziger Wurzgarten (spice garden). Where did the Ge come form?

The term “Gewurztraminer” might have been coined in the region we know today as Alsace.

Salute

@David: I could lie and make something up that sounded convincing, but instead I'll say that my rusty German just isn't good enough to know the answer. I'm sure someone else will chime in. If not, I'll reach out to by American/Austrian bud, Julia Sevenich to see if she knows. Or can make something up.

@Bob: Always willilng to disucss things, although I have no particular acumen in wine and food pairing. I certainly have opinions...but no particular authority.

I certainly have opinions...but no particular authority.

Opinions are all any of us have, authority we just pretend at.
I like the Trimbach base Gew. But their Seigneurs de Ribeaupierre is often not that much more expensive, and is probably my favorite Gewurztraminer in the world.

I certainly have opinions...but no particular authority.

Opinions are all any of us have, authority we just pretend at.
I like the Trimbach base Gew. But their Seigneurs de Ribeaupierre is often not that much more expensive, and is probably my favorite Gewurztraminer in the world.

Sometimes you write about a bottle you want to taste, and sometimes you write about a bottle you are tasting, Dale.

Agreed the Ribeaupierre (or, as a customer once came in and asked for, Trimbach Robespierre ) is a truly fine bottle of wine in most vintages. Tough to beat Weinbach, but its got some serious chops.

Hard to go wrong with the Gewurzt-Asian Dishes, a classic wine-food pairing and this TN on the Trimbach describes the relationship well.

Although, as an Asian who's had more than my fair share of different Asian food and can safely state that aside from being just being ”sweet, salt, sour, spicy, and hot sort of mixed in together”, there are many other Asian dishes are really just simple and doesn't have that mix of multiple flavors. When the gamut of taste sensation of the dish is less, I’ve had some exceptional pairing with a lot of Spanish whites and rose,. Even northern Italian whites from Tuscany and Piedmont have been complementary in some cases.

Among other known whites, I haven’t had much success pairing Asian dishes with Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc. As noted in the TN, reds, in general, are tough.

As for picking up "Gewurz", I thought wurz was spice in German, as in Urziger Wurzgarten (spice garden). Where did the Ge come form?

'Das Gewürz' is spice. Not sure where the wurzgarten came from, perhaps it takes that form in combination. I'm no expert. FWIW, würzen is "to spice".

As for picking up "Gewurz", I thought wurz was spice in German, as in Urziger Wurzgarten (spice garden). Where did the Ge come form?

'Das Gewürz' is spice. Not sure where the wurzgarten came from, perhaps it takes that form in combination. I'm no expert. FWIW, würzen is "to spice".

I understand you have a good German translator/advisor to help you with Deutsch too.

Yes- full disclosure- she was sitting next to me so I asked her!

The house of Trimbach is one of the most reliably consistent producers of this variety, even with the vagaries and dramas of farming thrown in to the mix.

Trimbach Gewurz in nearly a can't miss. We drank it by the case until we got hooked on the Zind-Humbrecht juice. I can't remember ever having a bad Trimbach wine of any type. Good stuff.

Sam:

I find myself "stepping back" lately from the over-ripe "surmaturite" and excessive (for me) R.S. in the Zind-Humbrecht Gewurz; even the 2008 (which is more balanced by a nice acidity) is a bit heavy. Trimbach 2005 was classic, as is the 2007; both give the impression of having a slight petillance which is probably the nice spiny acidity fooling my tongue. I can drink the wine alone (as an aperitif) and it goes so well with food. I think the Zind-Humbrecht might need something like seared foie gras....

Marco, I too have problems with the ZH wines. Well, not as much anymore, because I'm not drinking them as much anymore because of a combination of not liking the style and not liking the prices.

In my other post about Alsace PG, I made a comment alluding to the minefield of selecting a PG from the various types out there because so many of them were coming out with residual sugars. I do not want a sweet Alsatian PG, unless it's a VT or SGN and so labeled. I prefer my 'drinking' PG to be dry.

And I don't like not knowing what it's going to be before I buy it. And now that some producers are at least indicating on their labels the sweetness/dryness levels, I appreciate them for doing so---so that I can avoid buying their wines.

Now I'm getting more Alsace wines that I like with noticeable malolactic. Underlines how great a traditional dry style and classic consistency is valuable, a la Trimbach.

I'll defend ZH for a moment here. Yeah, the wines are rich, sometimes (often) heavy with a fair bit of alcohol - but with the right foods they can be amazing. I've enjoyed a number of them with spicy, complex North Indian or Szechuan food, and the combination of a 1998 ZH Heimbourg Gewurztraminer VT with biryani is one of the best dining experiences I've ever had.

Hey Hoke did Thor hire you out as another spokes-person for Trimbach? I agree with you on the ZH many of them are just over the top IMHO. Now I will admit to tasting a ZH pinot gris with Sandi Belcher and John Arns where they just raved about the wine. Sandi was impressed with the depth of flavor from a pinot gris and this particular release's balance.

David: As I knew she would, Julia Sevenich had the answer.

"Gewürz is a noun and means spice. Würzen is a verb and means to spice and gewürzt is the past tense ... Hope this helps! Not in my library to check history and origin. In Germany language one differentiates between traminer and gewürztraminer varieties."

And I will add that in French the umlaut is customarily dropped.

I find myself "stepping back" lately from the over-ripe "surmaturite" and excessive (for me) R.S. in the Zind-Humbrecht Gewurz; even the 2008 (which is more balanced by a nice acidity) is a bit heavy.

Marco,

I agree that the Z-H is more bold than the Trimbach Gewurz. We generally drink Gewurz as an aperitif. The creamy mouth feel and honey notes of the Z-H work well for me as a standalone sipper. I can't say that I have detected any over-ripe notes in the Z-H Gewurz that I drink, but I typically drink them quite young. I was able to get some favorable case pricing for the Z-H as well. My wallet does influence my palate on occasion.

Alsatian Gewurtz (along side moderately sweet German Riesling) are certainly among the better matches with Asian cuisine. But I think, aside from quality beer, quality (and not too sweet) non-grape wines tend to work better!

Alsatian Gewurtz (along side moderately sweet German Riesling) are certainly among the better matches with Asian cuisine. But I think, aside from quality beer, quality (and not too sweet) non-grape wines tend to work better!

Mostly agree. I prefer beer, specifically hoppy German/German Style Pils and Pale Ale or the occasional Marzen, with most of the Asian choices I tend to order. I can't break the sushi/sake combo.

At this point I'm wondering if there's a better match for really spicy Asian food than sweet Scheurebe, after a 2001 Kurt Darting Scheu Auslese last night that was quite spectacular.

Ben: it's all in where you start.

I started with Trimbach Gewurz and went to Asian food (as a good choice).

You started with Asian food and went to beer (your preferred choice).

Had I been writing about beer, or Asian food, the article would have been framed differently.

Kinda confusing to go fr Trimbach Gewurz to Asian...and then recco beer with the food.

[David M. Bueker]

Hoppy beers - can't stand them.

My real point wasn't so much about beer, as it was about non-grape wines. For me, they are even better with Asian food than beer is (for me, the beer can sometimes get in the way because of the carbonation).

Ben: it's all in where you start.

You started with Asian food and went to beer (your preferred choice).

Had I been writing about beer, or Asian food, the article would have been framed differently.

Sure, my comment was not intended as a criticism. I was simply adding that, for those in search of good drinks matches with Asian food, non-grape wines have a lot to offer (I'd argue they have more to offer than the average Gewurtz, too).

At this point I'm wondering if there's a better match for really spicy Asian food than sweet Scheurebe, after a 2001 Kurt Darting Scheu Auslese last night that was quite spectacular.

If you can find one, try an off-dry, light, minerally Rhubarb wine.