Results of the 2018 WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada (The Nationals)
Gewurztraminer
Category overview by Judge Sara d’Amato
We seem to be impressed with gewürztraminer on the whole in Canada as 14 out of 48 wines submitted were awarded a medal. As was the case last year, British Columbia is a standout in this category having been responsible for 12 out of the 14 medalled wines. This is a rewarding outcome for a province who devotes a great deal of effort to this spicy, fragrant and often unctuous wine. As of 2015, over 11% of B.C. white production was dedicated to gewürztraminer and it ranked 3rd in most valued crop according to the British Columbia Wine Grape Crop Report.
The variety’s inherently low acidity, higher sugar levels (resulting in high alcohol) and intensely aromatic character makes it a distinctive and somewhat polarizing wine in terms of consumer appreciation. Alsatian vs. Germanic benchmark styles can be generalized in terms of sweetness and alcohol – the former dry, often more ripe and higher in alcohol while the latter sweeter and less alcoholic. In the new world, levels of sweetness vary based on producer more than by region. Gewürztraminer can be made very sweet, very dry or somewhere in the middle but alcohol levels tend to be more reflective of region and vintage.
Gewürztraminer is not a particularly cold-hardy grape variety with high susceptibility to winter damage. It is best grown in areas where cold does not settle or in climates with gentler winter conditions, such as in the northern Okanagan. Regardless of origin, trending among the submissions were styles that were dry to just off-dry. The most notable pitfalls were lack of concentration and heavy-handed use of sulphur dioxide (resulting in dirty aromas). The best examples offered good acid-sweetness-alcohol balance which can be hard to achieve with this variety.
= Click on the shopping cart to purchase conveniently through WineAlign. Once you have clicked on the wine, click on the “Buy a Case Now” button.
Corcelettes 2017 Gewurztraminer Second Chance Vineyard , British Columbia
Lang 2017 Gewurztraminer, British Columbia
Wild Goose 2017 Gewurztraminer, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Crescent Hill 2016 Glennallyn Private Reserve, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Hillside 2017 Gewurztraminer, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Indigenous 2017 Gewurztraminer, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Mt. Boucherie 2017 Gewurztraminer, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Red Rooster 2017 Rare Bird Series Gewurztraminer, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Sumac Ridge 2016 Private Reserve Gewurztraminer, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
The Chase 2017 Gewurztraminer, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Thornhaven 2017 Gewurztraminer, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Trius 2016 Showcase Outlier Gewurztraminer Carlton Vineyard, Four Mile Creek, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Niagara College 2016 Balance Gewurztraminer, Beamsville Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Wild Goose 2017 Mystic River Gewurztraminer, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
= Click on the shopping cart to purchase conveniently through WineAlign. Once you have clicked on the wine, click on the “Buy a Case Now” button.
