My new fixation of late is Riesling, as the warm sunny evenings we’re miraculously enjoying cry out for a glass of something crisp and dry. So, emboldened by the surprisingly enjoyable bottle of Riesling for just €5.49 in Lidl I rashly decided that all wine from the Alsace region must taste like this. * Cue the scoffing laughter of wine connoisseurs everywhere*
The Tesco-selected 2009 Gewurztraminer was a thing quite apart from its Riesling neighbours.
The first warning sign should have been that it doesn’t actually say Riesling and I should have engaged the brain a small bit and realised that a variety of grapes can be cultivated in the same place, especially one as large as the Alsace-Lorraine region.
The second should have been that on the blurb (yes, there was a blurb, I believe this is a bad sign in itself) three-quarters of the text described the architecture of the region rather than the wine, grape or vineyard. Mmmm. Odd, no?
Anyway, I found it to be initially light on the tongue, with the refreshing taste that I enjoy in Riesling. However, the after-taste was something quite different indeed. The description of ‘spicy’ is apt – for once – and this is not something I would generally choose to enjoy in my wine. It’s actually a rather heady spicy after-taste which could easily translate as bitter, and by the third glass convinced me of same.
I am very much a fan of dry wines, so perhaps this is why I personally found this one so unsavoury, others (with actual wine knowledge) may appreciate it much more than I For me though, it’s definitely not one for the Friday night basket next time.
Tesco-selected 2009 Gewurztraminer, €8 Tesco -1/5