Gewurtztraminer

[gsquared]

I am often of the opinion esp with Gewurztraminer that you shouldn't bother drinking them from "non-Gewurz growing regions". I cannot see the point of drinking a Chilean, New Zealand, Italian, Spanish, Australian example when the Germans/French (and Austrians) can make a much better one.

Cannot see how you classify Italy under "non-Gewurz growing regions". Tramin is where it all started, after all... Dangerous to generalise, IMHO.

[Batgrrrl]

I'm going to throw in a plug for the Okanagan valley of British Columbia, a relatively new wine-producing region that has been making lots of really good whites for a while now, and is starting to get quite good at reds as well. I'm not at home, so I can't run down and check the "wine cellar" (read: pile of boxes), but I know when my husband and I were up there last, we picked up at least a few Gewurtzes. What I like about almost all their whites is that they specialize in traditionally "sweeter" varieties (including rieslings as well) but manage a lovely balance that makes them amazingly fruity and aromatic without being overly sweet. Some of the gewurtzes I often describe as "spicy", which I like quite a lot. Sorry I can't be more specific about wineries.

Unfortunately, this isn't helpful to most, because these are small, estate wineries, so they don't even really distribute beyond the valley, much less out of the country! A few are starting to distribute in the US--Mission Hill and Grey Monk are both available. But if you're looking for a nice vacation, I can highly recommend it--it's absolutely beautiful there, and the wine is very reasonably priced, especially with the us/canadian exchange rate!

Batgrrrl