Today's post is to showcase a nice white I had a few weeks back. It's Chateau Ste. Michelle's Gewurztraminer, an aromatic white wine originating in France and Germany. This wine is grown in the Columbia Valley of Washington state, USA. I'm planning on touring the winery in a few weeks.
You will notice on the label it features 100% Vinifera rootstock. Rootstock is a term used to describe the roots of any given species of vine. In the 19th century, many vintners in both the US and Europe faced a serious threat in the Phylloxera louse, a parasite which kills Vinifera grape roots. As a result, any vintners switched to other kinds of hybrid grape varieties with louse-resistant roots. Problem is - those grapes don't always make great wine. So most have have opted to use the louse-resistant roots and to essentially graft the good Vinifera grapes onto resistant roots not their own. There are a lot of louse-resistant rootstocks out there, but Vinifera isn't one of them. Having Vinifera rootstocks means that the rootstocks aren't a hybrid, signifying a purity of vintage.
It ended up being rather tasty - it was a little drier than a Reisling, still kinda sugary though, with a nice crispness and a strong flavor of green fruit. It had just the right amount of sugar on the finish, with no serious carbonation or effervescence. The aftertaste was pleasant and paired well with some cut cheese and crackers. I brought this over to a house party and it paired well with the noshes that our host Jacob laid out. But both the Gewurtztraminer and the Riesling are great wines; years ago, at my family's seaside cottage in Connecticut, I served this with medjool dates and some Papillon roquefort cheese on water crackers and it was a huge hit. You don't have to go all out, though - these wines are fine on their own and are super refreshing for the summer.
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