When I first started trying to learn about Washington wines, a friend said "If you like Rieslings," (and I do!) "you'll probably like Gewürtztraminners too" (and I do!).
Gewürtztraminer (Gewurtztraminer sans umlaut to the French) is one of those wines that's named after the grape variety. The Gewürtztraminer grape is mostly associated with the Alsace region, though the grape's early history links it to Italy. Gewürtz- means "spicy," or perhaps "perfumed," with the addition of -traminer, after Traminer, from the grapes most likely birthplace in Italy's Tyrollean Alps, near the village of Termeno (Tramin) in Alto Adige. At some point a few centuries ago the Traminer grapes, a variety known in the Middle ages, spawned a mutation, a rosier-skinned grape with a tendency to sport lighter colored, faint spots. The French began calling this new variety traminer musqué, traminer parfumé, or traminer aromatique. That grape is, if not identical (opinions vary) to the modern Gewürtztraminer, is at least its closest ancestor.
Gewürztraminer grapes were first grown in Alsace sometime in the nineteenth century; today they're roughly 20% of the grapes grown by Alsace vineyards. The grapes have a pink to rose skin, though the wine they produce is a white wine. Gewürztraminer wines tend to be on the sweet side, with a marked "fruit" note, and a distinctive scent. It is not a simple grape to grow; it favors a colder climate, (which is why growers thought it would do well in Eastern Washington state). Gewürztraminer vines tends to bud very early in the spring, which means the buds run the risk of damage from a late frost. The grapes tend to attain high levels of sugar, so there's a tricky balance between ripeness and harvest time and balancing the sugars (which mean in dry wines the alcohol level can increase) and the desire to avoid problems caused by the grapes' native low acidity. Pick the grape too early and the flavor and scent so very closely tied to Gewürztraminer may be absent; wait too long, and they may produce a higher alcohol wine than desired. Gewürztraminer is also susceptible to the "noble rot," botrytis, which means it is frequently used to produce dessert wines; they tend to fetch a premium price. Moreover, many Gewürztraminer wines are perfectly suitable for aging, from five to ten years, depending on the wine.
Gewürztraminer vines were grown in Washington in sixties, particularly around the Columbia valley. Today there are a number of Washington wineries producing Gewürztraminer, in the full suite ranging from dry to dessert wines, to the tune of 493 acres of the grape. In the glass, the wine ranges from a very pale barely perceptible yellow, to a lovely deep gold. Spritz, tiny bubbles clinging to the glass, are not uncommon. Though the delicate scent is very definite, it does differ from wine to wine, and the flavor ranges from lovely spicy slightly acidic to a sweet almost muscat-like flavor in the dessert wines. Gewürztraminer is traditionally paired with "fatty," flavorful cheeses, egg dishes, and spicy foods, as well as seafood, particularly salmon. I confess that I favor drinking some Gewürztraminer chilled to the lower end of their ideal temperature as an aperitif.
Ste. Michelle has produced Gewürztraminer for years. Their 2007 Columbia Valley Gewürztraminer uses grapes predominantly from the Yakima valley. Hogue Cellers' Gewürztraminer is a fruit-forward version, fermented in steel tanks then bottled. Columbia Winery's Gewürztriminer is one of my personal favorites. It was my very first, but it's held up well. It displays the scent and slight spicy quality the grape is known for, and it's a lovely pale gold color. It goes well with food, but it's quite capable of standing on its own merits as well.
Covey Run's "Quail series" Gewürztraminer is one that frequently seems overlooked. I very much agree with their Web site description of their wine, which notes the citrusy-overtones and describes it as "the perfect wine to quaff ice cold on the patio on a sunny summer day." Snoqualmie Wines makes a 2007 Naked Gewürrztraminer using certified organically grown grapes in a certified organic facility.
Pacific Rim winery, known primarily for their fine Rieslings, also produces a notable award-winning Gewürztraminer made from a blend of Washington and Oregon grapmes. This one is on my list of wines to try. Hinzerling Winery in Prosser offers both an intriguing blend of Riesling and Gewürztraminer under the Ashfall White label, as well as a Dry Gewürztraminer. They tend to make small batches of finely crafted wines, so you might have to look for a bit. Canoe Ridge Winery's Gewürztraminer is made from grapes grown along Washtington's White Salmon River, an area that's almost too cold for the grapes, but which has allowed Canoe Ridge to produce a wine with limited distribution in the Pacific Northwest.
Finally, Kiona Winery produces Red Mountain Late Harvest Gewürztraminer. It's a nice balance of acid and sweet, sold in half bottles since it's really a dessert wine.
If, like me, you're curious about Washington Gewürztraminer, I note that several of the wines featured here are available in the eight-to-ten dollar range; most notably my personal favorite, Columbia Winery's Gewürztriminer. The Gewürztraminers from Ste. Michelle, Covey Run, and Hogue are all are worth trying.