Australia Gewürztraminer Wine Index
"In Vino Veritas" (Truth in Vine)
Updated 04/06/2007
In Robert M. Parker, Jr.'s 1989 book Parker's Wine Buyer's Guide, 1989 - 1990 Edition, page 856, the only Australian viticultural area he mentions that grows Gewürztraminer is the Yarra Valley, which Australian "proponents argue that the climate and resulting wines come closest in spirit to those of Bordeaux and Burgundy in France. I am not convinced.", though the book contains tasting ratings from other areas. Under "White Wines", page 857, he says this of Australian Gewürztraminer, "Contrary to the local salespeople who hype the quality of Gewürztraminer, this grape produces insipid, pale, watery wines that are a far cry from what Gewürztraminer does in France." Further, on page 858 he comments about the wine's flavor - "Where's the spice and exotic lychee-nut character found in the great Gewürztraminers of Alsace? Watery, thin wines are usually disappointing". Source: Parker's Wine Buyer's Guide, 1989 - 1990 Edition, by Robert M. Parker, Jr., page 814, A Fireside Book, © 1989.
Hopefully as the years rolled along, Mr. Parker's statements have changed, as well as the quality of Australian Gewürztraminer which in many instances is referred to as "Traminer".
Submitting Gewürztraminer Wines for Review: Wines should be submitted to
GWTRAMINER SAMPLER, W259 N9116 Hwy 164, Hartland, WI. 53029-9010, U.S.A.
There is no charge or reimbursement for wines submitted, and though all submitted wines will be tasted, I can't guarantee that this will occur, or that a review will appear on this website. For each wine submitted, please send (2) bottles, unless limited by production, then (1) bottle will be satisfactory.
Mike Reilly
If you have additions/corrections/comments to the information, please contact me with your information
More Australian wines will be added here, but meanwhile, please refer to the Guide by Vintage year to find more Aussies.
| Rating | Growing Region | Producer | Vintage | Town/City, Oregon | #Acres Gewürztraminer Grown 2000 | Approx. 1st Gewürztraminer Year Release |
| 75RP | Mudgee | Amberton | 1987 | |||
| 72RP | Clare Valley | Tim Knappstein | 1986 | Formerly known as Enterprise Wines | ||
| NRRP | Hunter Valley | Saxonville | approx. 1986-87 | RP says "a very dull wine" | ||
Dry Gewürztraminer 2000 Clare Valley, Knappstein Wines, by Jancis Robinson
"First things first. Actually there are so many important things about this wine that it's difficult to choose which to tackle first. Perhaps the fact that the wine is terrific. I had rather fallen out of love with Gewürz. It's such an obvious flavour that after a while a little can go a long way, and so many Alsace examples nowadays are sweet, blowsy and lacking focus... But this one single wine has completely revitalised my affair with the grape variety, just as a dalliance is supposed to. Perhaps part of the reason for the grip and focus of this wine is the great Clare Valley drought which meant that the 2000 crop was a fifth its normal size, which has concentrated an amazing amount of flavour into this bone-dry wine, plus quite enough acidity and real zest - yet no shortage of crystal-clear lychee and rose petal Gewürz flavours too.
Another important thing is that it was made by the excitingly consistent Andrew Hardy, winemaker for Knappstein Wines (now part of the Petaluma conglomerate), not by Tim Knappstein who has left to run his own admirable Lenswood operation in the Adelaide Hills (particularly good at Sauvignon Blanc and an increasingly good Pinot Noir).
The wine was also bottled entirely under screwcaps in protest at the high level of cork taint experienced by Australians who both demand absolute cleanliness of their wines (Ch de Beaucastel not an obvious Oz favourite) and tend to feel they get the the scrapings off the cork suppliers' floors, being so far from Portugal.
And finally, the bad news. As far as I can tell, this wine is available only in Australia (see WineSearcher) but is practically given away, even by the Australian Wine Centre who claim they will ship the wine anywhere in the world from both Australian and US distribution points. Unlike the slightly more expensive but very fine Hand Picked Riesling 2000, this is not a wine to stashed in a cellar, but one to be enjoyed with and without food and with a great big smile on your face over the next few months."
10/05/01
Rosemount Estate Traminer/Riesling 2003, Australia, 63% Traminer & 37% Riesling, 11% alc., $6.49
Wolf Blass Traminer-Riesling 1997, Australia, a combination of Gewurztraminer and Johannisberg Riesling grapes
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