SFChron: Calif GWT

Interesting, if a bit superficial, article in today's SFChron by StevePitcher on GWT in Calif:

SFChron: CalifGWT

I have a few minor quibbles with it. I would not describe AndersonVlly as "close behind" Alsace in terms of quality GWT. They're good (sometimes), but few hold a candle to really good Alsatian GWT. I would suggest that the AltoAdige desreves that position...maybe even, consistently, exceeding the Alsatian GWTs.
I used to drink back in the good old days (by crackey), a lot of Alsatian GWT. But since the Z-H GWTs started getting huge scores from the wine critics and many other Alsatian GWT's have been Z-H'd,harvested at riper levels w/ more alcohol in the wine and lower acidity, I find many of these non-traditional GWT's can be a little tiring to drink, even w/ a big plate of weenies & kraut.
He characterizes most quality Calif GWT as being made in a "dry" style...less than 1% RS. That's hardly what I would consider "dry". I find so many of them, even those that are labeled "dry", have 0.5%-1% RS in them and become a bit tiring on the palate after you've had a few glasses.
Other than that...an interesting article more or less.
Tom

... But since the Z-H GWTs started getting huge scores from the wine critics and many other Alsatian GWT's have been Z-H'd,harvested at riper levels w/ more alcohol in the wine and lower acidity, I find many of these non-traditional GWT's can be a little tiring to drink, even w/ a big plate of weenies & kraut.

For me, choucroute and the sweeter, heftier style of Gewurz are not friends at the table. The whole effect is pretty cloying. But I would guess that those same Dolly Parton Gewurz's would be very good companions for pungent cheese, like le vrai Munster.

you'll think i'm nuts; but i'd put Michigan ahead of CA in the dry GWT race. with nearly a dozen being made(and selling well) in a state with only 1800 acres or so of wine grapes and with quality that both Tom Stevenson and Dan Burger have praised - the best being better than any from CA - I think the claim needs to be made. Tomorrow is the annual MI wine competition - 400 wines entered; all produced from MI grown grapes. there will probably be 10 dry GWT's. results will be posted sometime wed. at http://www.michiganwines.com

you'll think i'm nuts; but i'd put Michigan ahead of CA in the dry GWT race. with nearly a dozen being made(and selling well) in a state with only 1800 acres or so of wine grapes and with quality that both Tom Stevenson and Dan Burger have praised - the best being better than any from CA - I think the claim needs to be made. Tomorrow is the annual MI wine competition - 400 wines entered; all produced from MI grown grapes. there will probably be 10 dry GWT's. results will be posted sometime wed. at http://www.michiganwines.com

Pimping the local stuff are we, David???
I've not had any MI GWT's before. Obviously, they must not make it out of the State. But I have had a MI Riesling
that was made by ScottHarvey in Calif (formerly of Renwood & Folie a Deux) that I was mightly impressed with.
What MI GWT's do you particularly like??
Tom

you'll think i'm nuts; but i'd put Michigan ahead of CA in the dry GWT race.

Based on the few (two or three) that I've had, despite being in the biz in California, I'd agree. Especially if your taste runs more to Trimbach than Z-H.

Christian

well, the perenial top MI gewurz is the Manigold Vineyard from Peninsula Cellars; but others make very good ones as well, including Brys, and Ch. Grand Traverse.

The Scott Harvey wine was actually made here in MI to Scott's specifications by one of our winemakers. I'll be seeing Scott later today and all day tomorrow; as he and I are both judging at the MI competition. His panel always gets a lot of Rieslings since that is his love and training in Germany. Have you tasted his Pinot Noir Rose? Really good! it's direct press; not saigne.

the difference between the MI market and other nearby ones is huge. we had a judge from Ohio who had made a mere 25 cases of dry gewurz; and it took him 2 years to sell through. those dozen or so ones from MI often sell through before the next harvest. i think we make almost as many dry gewurz's here in MI as are made in the entire rest of the country! of course the production of each is fairly small.

Tom, I think your view of the Chronicle column is right on the mark.

And I especially agree with you that the higher alcohol, lower acid Alsace Gewirtztraminers we are getting now are a disappointment. We used to be able to enjoy GWTs with Alsace dishes, say, choucroute garnie (granted that Riesling was generally a better match for that), but now they generally no longer complement the acid of cabbage and the fat of the sausages and meats.

And thanks to the high alcohol I haven't been able to get enthusiastic about drinking many of them with Asian food, which I know isn't what they were first designed to do, but you have to drink wine with something.

I expect someone is going to chime in and say I don't know what I'm talking about because X, Y and Z Gewertraminers have low alcohol and reasonable levels of acid and are good food wines, and he or she probably will be right, and I will be glad to hear from them. I used to be fond of Gewurtztraminer and my wife was crazy about it, so we would like to learn about the good ones.

Thanks for posting, Tom.

Any credible article on California gewürztraminer has got to mention the high alcohol levels one often finds. Navarro may clock in at 13.5% year after year, but outside the cool Anderson Valley I frequently find wines that remind me of the boneless chicken ranch from the far side. Still, good to see the grape getting some props in a suitable location in California.

Walt

I think Randy Buckner has been fond of Boxler Gewurz but I've never had it. I usually buy Trimbach which is one of the few I can find. I have tasted the Gewurz from Manigold at a Mo'Cool and it was exceptionally fine!

I think Randy Buckner has been fond of Boxler Gewurz but I've never had it. I usually buy Trimbach which is one of the few I can find. I have tasted the Gewurz from Manigold at a Mo'Cool and it was exceptionally fine!

Martin Schaetzel is another pretty good producer - more classical, dry Gewurz with good acidity and the wines are generally quite reasonable (generally <$20). Need to try a Trimbach Gewurz though - have only had their Rieslings.

And re. Californian GWT, haven't had any yet that made me want to go out and buy/drink some. I was quite impressed when tasting a few in the Finger Lakes last year - thought some producers there were making really promising, balanced Gewurz without too much sweetness or alcohol.

Got no problems with the article.

It's a newspaper article; therefore necessarily truncated and brief.

And it's not about California Gewurz, not really: it's about Anderson Valley Gew, with some Sonoma and Napa obligatorily thrown in.

And I know Steve, and he knows what he's talking about, especially with Gew and Riesling. Even Michigan riesling.

On the other hand...heh heh heh...I guess I do have a beef: that anyone who likes Gewurztraminer that's not dry is drinking low quality wine. If you like the Gew you're drinking, and it has some sugar in it, big deal. Same with Riesling. Presence of residual sugar is not a determinant of high quality.

tom - the latest news is that scott harvey will be making a MI gewurz this year.

tom - the latest news is that scott harvey will be making a MI gewurz this year.

Thanks for getting back to me, David. If you see Scott at the judging again, give him my best. I need
to connect with him again.
Tom

On the other hand...heh heh heh...I guess I do have a beef: that anyone who likes Gewurztraminer that's not dry is drinking low quality wine. If you like the Gew you're drinking, and it has some sugar in it, big deal. Same with Riesling. Presence of residual sugar is not a determinant of high quality.

Well, some people seem to have an issue with the idea that sweet wines actually can be of high quality (unless they're obscenely priced Sauternes like Yquem, in which case they're there to be point-chased).

Totally off-topic, but have been in Asia for the last couple of months and it's distressing to see the number of people who'll turn down a 'sweet' Riesling (even if it's a bone-dry Aussie one) to go with local food in favour of a tannic young Bordeaux or Brunello or superripe (and super-scored) Aussie wine. Gewurztraminer - forget about it. Yeah, maybe those off-dry ZH and Trimbach Gewurz VTs are just low quality sugary crap...

On the other hand...heh heh heh...I guess I do have a beef: that anyone who likes Gewurztraminer that's not dry is drinking low quality wine. If you like the Gew you're drinking, and it has some sugar in it, big deal. Same with Riesling. Presence of residual sugar is not a determinant of high quality.

Well, some people seem to have an issue with the idea that sweet wines actually can be of high quality (unless they're obscenely priced Sauternes like Yquem, in which case they're there to be point-chased).

Totally off-topic, but have been in Asia for the last couple of months and it's distressing to see the number of people who'll turn down a 'sweet' Riesling (even if it's a bone-dry Aussie one) to go with local food in favour of a tannic young Bordeaux or Brunello or superripe (and super-scored) Aussie wine. Gewurztraminer - forget about it. Yeah, maybe those off-dry ZH and Trimbach Gewurz VTs are just low quality sugary crap...

That's sad, Salil, but not terribly surprising. If you look at the progression of wine tastes in the US, it's taken roughly 33 years (from the Judgment of Paris to today) for Americans to get beyond "bigger is better" when choosing wines [yes, I realize that it's a far from complete shift, but I see even here in the heartland a shift away from big, buttery Chardonnay and CalCabs toward Pinot Gris, Sauvignon, even Riesling and Pinot Noir]. If we put the start of Asian wine appreciation (with the exception of Japan) at the mid-'90s, then we shouldn't expect any shift away from the big stuff for another, say, 10-20 years. People like you and Kim Jong Il are just ahead of the curve is all.

On another note, I agree about the role of limited RS in Gewürz: bone dry Gewurztraminers rarely do much for me, much as German Trockens used to leave me cold.

Mark Lipton