What food does Gewürztraminer wine pair up with well?
"Wine is a living liquid containing no preservatives. Its life cycle comprises youth, maturity, old age, and death. When not treated with reasonable respect it will sicken and die." - Julia Child
Food
and Wine Pairing Building Blocks
Every person's tastes and flavour experiences are highly
personalized and individual; therefore it's no wonder that food and wine pairing
seems such a mystery to so many people! Probably the best thing to keep in mind
when attempting to match food with wine is that there are no rules; go with the
match you enjoy the most. Remember: if it tastes good do it! If you would like
some basic guidelines, esteemed wine educator Dr. Linda Bramble has
excellent guidelines to follow; see how they work for you.
There are basically three strategies you can use in making
suggestions on wine and food pairing. They are not mutually exclusive. Each has
a valid basis in practice; however, each has its limitations and should be used
as a guide and not an immutable rule.
Strategy I: White wine with fish (and light
meats); red with meat.
This is a good place to start but there are
fuller-bodied whites such as Chardonnay, that pair well with steak, and red
wines such as Pinot Noir that sing with salmon.
Strategy II: Balance of weight
Another useful guide is to pair lighter foods with
lighter wines; heavier foods with heavier wines. Weight in wine is defined by
the amount of alcohol and extract the wine contains. Weight in food is usually
defined according to the amount of protein and/or fat. Some wines of moderate
alcohol can feel fuller in the mouth because of higher glycerol content. Let
your palate be your guide. A lobster, being a heavier kind of seafood, would
pair nicely with a fuller-bodied Viognier. Dry Riesling would complement a
lightly baked filet of sole.
Strategy III: Component interactions
This strategy, although seemingly more complicated at
first, once you understand the underlying ideas, is more accurate and more
useful than the other two strategies. It is based on the premise that there are
certain interactions that you can predict between wine and food based on the
basic components that form their taste structure. Some interactions are
complementary and others wreck havoc with the wine. Food is seldom noticeably
affected by the taste of wine, except when it comes to alcohol. (see below)
The taste components of wine are: sugar, tannin (bitter),
acidity and alcohol. The taste components of food are sweetness, bitterness,
acidity and salt. When the taste components of food and wine interact in
positive ways, the match works, with no attention to flavour. When they are not
complementary, the match may have adverse effects on the wine.
There are two taste components about which you need to be concerned: sweetness and bitterness.
 | Sugar levels in foods that are higher than the wine could make the wine taste flat, muted or even coarse. This is especially important when you're making recommendations for Late Harvest wines, especially Icewine (or Eiswein). Make sure the food is less sweet than the wine. |
| Bitterness in food, such as in green vegetables, when paired with bitterness in wine, as in a young Cabernet Sauvignon with lots of tannin, could make the wine taste flat, muted, coarse and very astringent. However, it can be ameliorated by suggesting a little bit of salt, whether from a shaker or in cheese such as parmesan or in a sauce, such as soy sauce. Adding salt will soften the initial coarsening effect of bitterness and even make the wine taste slightly sweet and round. |
| Acidity. Oddly enough, a wine high in acidity will pair well with just about any food, and will taste slightly sweeter when served with foods high in acidity, such as a fresh tomato sauce. |
| Alcohol. Although alcohol is not a basic taste component, it is included here because of its effect on food. Low to moderate alcohol (10% -13%) has little effect on food, but when it is high (14% -17%) there is little that will pair well without overpowering the dish. Suggest it be served on its own as a sipping wine, perhaps as an aperitif or after dinner as you might serve port or brandy. If a food pairing idea is the customer's desire, suggest very robust foods that can stand up to the heat of the alcohol. |
A Problematic Pairing:
Foods with peppery, spicy heat, such as some Asian dishes will seem even hotter if paired with a wine that is high in alcohol or low in acidity and sugar. Many mistakes are made by well-meaning writers and merchandisers when they suggest pairing Gewurztraminer with spicy food. Classic Gewurztraminer is low in acidity and sugar, and high in alcohol. Suggest a wine that is off-dry and low in alcohol. If it happens to be Gewurztraminer, that's fine, but chances are it will not be. A touch of sweetness and low alcohol is the real key.
The generally strong acidity of Alsatian Gewürztraminer wines makes it a most versatile white food wine on the planet; it will stand alone in its' ability to pair with moderately spicy foods from China, Thailand, and India. (For highly spiced foods, try a slightly sweet or off-dry German white, or stick to beer.) Gewurztraminer even crosses the color barrier, matching well with a fairly wide range of smoked and spicy red meats.
Here are some recommendations (Note: but read above first) -
Remember...there are Gewürztraminers and there are Gewürztraminers, ranging from "Bone Dry" to extremely sweet; one doesn't necessarily go with the same food pairing. Because wines made from the Gewurztraminer grape are so highly scented, spicy and fat, many people have a problem matching them with food.
Dry Gewürztraminers are delightful with many ethnic foods and can be extraordinary with rich poultry dishes.
The off-dry examples are fine with cheeses and desserts that aren’t overly sweet.
Dry gewürztraminer can accompany dishes with exotic spices (but not dishes with a lot of heat from chilies).
Many will find that dry Gewurztraminer is ideally suited to the cuisine of Alsace. In fact, it would be difficult, to find a better wine match to goose liver dishes, carp cooked in nearly any manner, choucroute garni, quiche Lorraine or bacon soup. In general, it is also appropriate to note that dry Gewurztraminer is well suited to fatty meats and fish.
It is more difficult to find food matches for semi-sweet or sweet Gewürztraminer. They do go nicely with most egg dishes, cheese fondue and quiches but many people (including those in Alsace prefer these wines as aperitifs or with their dessert.
Delicious served lightly chilled with many seafood and Asian influenced dishes utilizing lemongrass, coriander, chili and coconut cream.
"...nice served as an aperitif, or as a picnic wine with chilled fresh fruit and smoked cheese."
With croquetas of chicken with jamon, Foie Gras of oco, and stuffed egg calamaries.
A favorite with chicken, fish, oriental and spicy meals. It is one of those special wines that make the colours of a sunset better, turns a soft summer breezes into a caress, and lends an appreciation to wonderful things in life.
"...makes for a lovely wine for Shanghai-noodle salads or fresh fish." (Jurgen Gothe, The Georgia Straight)
Meal: Terrinen, bright meat and spicy cheese. Noble-sweetly as Aperitif or to the dessert.
A perfect match for spicy or strong-flavoured food like cheese and smoked seafood. Ideal with Asian cuisine or pre-dessert.
"...perfect companions to foods of aromatic nature, such as stir fry, many Asian dishes, and curries, etc."
Served with lychees stuffed with cream cheese and chopped crystallized ginger then topped with a macadamia nut, it is a memorable experience.
The inherent spiciness of this grape variety is unmistakable and a charming compliment to spicy or Asian fare. Curry, spicy Asian foods, and oriental cuisine. At it's best when served with desert.
Try it with Fusion, Thai, Chinese and all other Asian foods -- anything with spices and fruits and tangy flavors.
Also a well-known partner to turkey, chicken, ham or scallops.
Delicious with: terrines and pâtés, Thai food, mild curries, smoked seafood and meats, soy honey duck, creamy blue cheeses and aged cheddar.
Gewurztraminer is better with sauerkraut, sausages and the Alsatian cheese Munster, curry seasoned dishes, Chinese and Mexican cooking and other spiced dishes. A Gewurztraminer can even be served as a dessert wine.
Well suited for Asian dishes, game poultry and after dinner cheeseboards. Try with honey basted smoked salmon.
The following food suggestions are from Sue Courtney's various tasting notes; I've not attempted to match them with any particular dry, semi-dry, sweet, semi-sweet, or dessert Gewürztraminer wine:
"...match to stonefruits or pears poached in a little Gewürztraminer or perhaps even red wine infused with cloves and a cinnamon stick, or a spicy plum pudding."
"Picks up an earthy trait when tasted with my Pork and yam Casserole." But late harvest or much sweeter varieties had this comment - "Too sweet for my spiced pork and yam casserole so chill and enjoy for tasty drinking this summer."
"...My own preference with semi dry or sweet versions is to sip them well chilled, either as an aperitif or alongside a cup of steaming hot coffee, instead of dessert." © Daniel Rogov
See individual Gewürztraminer
Vintages and Tasting Notes for more food pairing recommendations.
Vintages and Tasting Notes for more food pairing recommendations. Also read
"
Vintages and Tasting Notes for more food pairing recommendations. Also read
"A
Problematic Pairing" first.
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