A breathtaking, lip-smacking gewürz
This Alsatian gewürz is the quintessential definition of the grape in crystalline, liquid, dreamy form.
2018 Gewürztraminer, Domaine Weinbach, Alsace, France £25.08, sold in cases of six, Justerini & Brooks, justerinis.com, 020-7484 6430, email:justbrooksorders@justerinis.com
My favourite winery in the whole of Alsace is Domaine Weinbach. The old vintages look exquisite, the elite cuvées are spectacular and every wine I have tasted from there has been memorable. But there is one category of wine from this amazing producer that I rarely mention and this is remiss of me. The so-called “straightforward” or “entry-level” wines (I prefer the term “estate” wines) are simply spectacular – not just in terms of value for money, given that they come from the greatest producer in the region, but in terms of pure expression of their individual grape varieties.
My featured gewürz is the quintessential definition of this grape in crystalline, liquid, dreamy form. It is aromatically perfect with no traces of confection or, indeed, soapiness. The palate is lithe, pliable, glisteningly clean and the finish is crisp and lip-smacking. It is the greatest value and most accurate example of this grape that I know.
It is also a gastronome’s most exciting food and wine-matching weapon. Gone are the days of simply saying that Alsace gewürz goes with all forms of pâté or, the awful catch-all term, “Asian food”. This is a heavenly, challenging, multi-layered wine with blushingly beautiful near-tropical tones balanced by an ice cool, mid-palate brightness. It can go with anything. Weinbach’s 2018 Pinot Blanc (£18.88) and 2018 Riesling Cuvée Théo (£24.68), both sold in cases of six, are also simply breathtaking.
• Matthew Jukes is a winner of the International Wine & Spirit Competition’s Communicator of the Year (matthewukes.com)