Gewürztraminer

VIVC records Gewürztraminer as variety number 12609 under the prime name Gewuerztraminer, a Vitis vinifera variety with a rose-coloured berry skin. According to VIVC, its country of origin is Germany. VIVC's passport enters no prime name for either parent, so the lineage record for this page lists no known parents and its parentage stays unknown.

• VIVC variety number 12609; prime name Gewuerztraminer; berry skin colour rose
• Country of origin according to VIVC: Germany
• Parents: no prime name entered for either parent in the VIVC passport

jancisrobinson.com describes Traminer as the more common name for Savagnin Blanc and Gewürztraminer as the aromatic, pink-berried version, and its Savagnin page states that the aromatic, pink-berried version, Savagnin Rose Aromatique, is Gewurztraminer. Savagnin itself is the characteristic vine of the Jura, responsible most notably for vin jaune, according to the same site. jancisrobinson.com notes that this aromatic version came to be known as Traminer Aromatico or, in German, Gewurztraminer and sometimes Roter Traminer, and that Australians have tended to use Traminer as shorthand for Gewürztraminer. The Alsace wine interprofession (CIVA) calls Gewurztraminer a particularly aromatic selection of the Traminer rose, an age-old variety in Alsace once known simply as Traminer, and notes that the Klevener de Heiligenstein grown in a small area of the Barr region represents a type of this Traminer. On the name, CIVA states that Gewurztraminer means spicy; jancisrobinson.com adds that no single spice smells particularly like the wine, and that 'spicy' was used there as a synonym for 'aromatic'. In central Europe, vines called variants of Traminer go by names such as Tramini in Hungary, Traminac in Slovenia, Rusa in Romania and Mala Dinka in Bulgaria, and jancisrobinson.com notes that some of these vines may be the more aromatic Gewürztraminer.

• Traminer is the more common name for Savagnin Blanc; Gewürztraminer is its aromatic, pink-berried version (jancisrobinson.com)
• Other names cited by jancisrobinson.com: Traminer Aromatico, Roter Traminer, and Traminer as Australian shorthand
• CIVA: a particularly aromatic selection of the Traminer rose; Klevener de Heiligenstein, grown in a small area of the Barr region, represents a type of this Traminer
• Central European Traminer names: Tramini (Hungary), Traminac (Slovenia), Rusa (Romania), Mala Dinka (Bulgaria)

WSET names Alsace AOC in France as the most famous region for Gewurztraminer, where it produces some of the region's highest-quality grand cru wines alongside Riesling and Pinot Gris. jancisrobinson.com calls Alsace Gewurz's most significant home ground, adding that the plants grown there today were probably originally imported from Germany's Pfalz region, and that the variety performs best on the heavier clay soils of the Haut-Rhin. According to CIVA, the Alsace Grands Crus are 51 terroirs on the sub-Vosgian hills between 200 and 400 metres above sea level, and their wines account for about 5% of production. CIVA lists four grape varieties accepted in the Grand Cru appellations: Riesling, Muscat, Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer, with Sylvaner authorised by derogation at Zotzenberg, and notes that co-plantation of various varieties is practised in the Altenberg of Bergheim and Kaefferkopf. Writing in Decanter, Thierry Meyer groups the grand crus by soil: marly limestone sites such as Hengst, Florimont, Mambourg and Marckrain give deep, rich and spicy wines with a good acid backbone; granite or sandstone sites such as Brand and Kessler can give aromatic and elegant wines; and limestone sites such as Furstentum, Osterberg and Zinnkoepflé give full-bodied wines with strong fruit and good acidity. The same article notes that simple Gewurz wines with no origin beyond AC Alsace are usually medium bodied and either off-dry or semi-sweet, and WSET notes that, as of the 2021 vintage, the level of sweetness must be indicated on Alsace labels using a standardised scale. For late-harvest wines, CIVA states that Vendanges Tardives and Sélection de Grains Nobles were officially recognised by a ministerial decree of 1 March 1984, may be added to labels of the Alsace or Alsace Grand Cru appellations, must have a particularly high sugar content when harvested, and can only be sold after ageing for 18 months. WSET explains that Vendanges Tardives means 'late harvest' and in Alsace typically denotes a medium to sweet wine made from extra-ripe grapes; CIVA describes Sélection de Grains Nobles as obtained from grapes with noble rot. jancisrobinson.com notes that Gewurztraminer can quite easily attain the ripeness needed for these late-harvest bottlings, and names Léon Beyer, Zind Humbrecht, Muré, Schlumberger and Cattin among the Alsace producers who try hardest with the variety.

• WSET: Alsace AOC is the most famous region for Gewurztraminer
• CIVA: 51 Grands Crus between 200 and 400 metres on the sub-Vosgian hills, about 5% of production; Riesling, Muscat, Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer accepted
• Decanter (Thierry Meyer): Hengst, Florimont, Mambourg and Marckrain on marly limestone; Brand and Kessler on granite or sandstone; Furstentum, Osterberg and Zinnkoepflé on limestone
• Vendanges Tardives and Sélection de Grains Nobles: ministerial decree of 1 March 1984; particularly high sugar content at harvest; sold only after 18 months of ageing (CIVA)
• Sweetness must be indicated on Alsace labels from the 2021 vintage, using a standardised scale (WSET)
• Producers jancisrobinson.com names as trying hardest with Gewurztraminer: Léon Beyer, Zind Humbrecht, Muré, Schlumberger, Cattin

According to the Deutsches Weininstitut, Germany had 1,122 hectares of Gewürztraminer in 2023, around 1% of the German vineyard area, with 508 hectares in the Palatinate (Pfalz), 233 hectares in Rheinhessen and around 137 hectares in Baden, where the focus is the Kaiserstuhl; in Saxony it is one of the regional specialities. The institute notes that historical documents prove the variety's existence in Germany in the 16th century, and that the Pfalz village of Rhodt has a single-varietal Gewürztraminer vineyard about 400 years old. It also describes low yields caused by a high tendency to trickle, a very thick, slightly reddish skin, and vineyards that on average rarely achieve more than half the permitted yield per hectare. jancisrobinson.com places Germany's plantings mainly in Baden and Pfalz and writes that Austria has almost as much Traminer planted as Germany, with the most successful examples coming mainly from Styria. In Italy, jancisrobinson.com notes that some fine Traminer Aromatico is produced in Alto Adige, although many of the wines are lighter-bodied and higher in acidity than their Alsace counterparts; it lists Hofstatter's Kolbenhof and Cantina Terlano's Lunare among its suggested examples.

• Germany: 1,122 ha in 2023, around 1% of the vineyard area; Pfalz 508 ha, Rheinhessen 233 ha, Baden around 137 ha (Deutsches Weininstitut)
• Rhodt (Pfalz): a single-varietal Gewürztraminer vineyard about 400 years old (Deutsches Weininstitut)
• Viticulture: low yields from a high tendency to trickle; very thick, slightly reddish skin (Deutsches Weininstitut)
• Austria: almost as much Traminer as Germany, the most successful examples mainly from Styria (jancisrobinson.com)
• Alto Adige: some fine Traminer Aromatico, many wines lighter-bodied and higher in acidity than in Alsace (jancisrobinson.com)

New Zealand Wine (nzwine.com) states that the volumes of Gewürztraminer produced in New Zealand are tiny, and that it is grown throughout the country by a handful of dedicated producers. It describes a naturally lower acid variety that appreciates the country's overall cooler climate and free-draining soils, and says New Zealand Gewürztraminer is typically made in a dry to off-dry style, although styles can vary from bone dry to a sweet late harvest. In Gisborne, the same body says the warmer inland Patutahi subregion, home to around one-third of the region's vines, produces excellent, rich Gewurztraminer with good texture and body from sloping clay and silt soils. New Zealand Wine (nzwine.com) also notes Marlborough Gewürztraminers for pure, fragrant aromatics, with several producers making wines from older vines, alongside examples from Hawke's Bay, Nelson and North Canterbury. jancisrobinson.com mentions interesting examples from New Zealand's east coast and lists Framingham's F-Series VT from Marlborough among its suggested wines.

• Volumes are tiny; grown throughout the country by a handful of dedicated producers (New Zealand Wine)
• Typically dry to off-dry, though styles range from bone dry to sweet late harvest (New Zealand Wine)
• Gisborne: Patutahi, with around one-third of the region's vines, produces rich Gewurztraminer from clay and silt soils (New Zealand Wine)
• Marlborough: pure, fragrant aromatics, with several producers working older vines (New Zealand Wine)

jancisrobinson.com writes that Gewurztraminer ripens so fast it needs relatively cool sites to develop discernible perfume, which rules out many New World wine regions, but that interesting examples have come from South Australia's Clare Valley, the cool new regions of Chile's deep south and cooler corners of North America. The same source considers the Pacific Northwest well suited to the variety, notes that Canada and New York state have a little planted, and names Navarro in California's Anderson Valley. In Spain, jancisrobinson.com notes that Torres of Catalonia has long grown Gewurztraminer for its Viña Esmeralda, and points to Viñas del Vero in the high-altitude vineyards of Somontano. The Deutsches Weininstitut lists Alsace, South Tyrol, Australia and California among the places the variety is also cultivated.

• Needs relatively cool sites to develop perfume (jancisrobinson.com)
• jancisrobinson.com: interesting examples from Clare Valley, Chile's deep south and cooler corners of North America; the Pacific Northwest well suited; a little planted in Canada and New York state; Navarro in Anderson Valley
• Spain: Torres Viña Esmeralda in Catalonia; Viñas del Vero in Somontano (jancisrobinson.com)

WSET calls Gewürztraminer one of the most aromatic grape varieties, often filling the glass with rose petal, Turkish delight and lychee, and links these aromas to compounds such as geraniol and cis-rose oxide, which the variety naturally contains at higher levels. CIVA describes a powerful, complex bouquet of exotic fruits (lychees, passion fruit, pineapple, mangos), flowers (notably roses), citrus fruit and spices, and a full-bodied palate whose freshness is more discreet than in other Alsace wines. jancisrobinson.com adds that some of the most concentrated examples show a savoury element some have likened to bacon fat, and that because the grape's skin is pink, the wine can have a deep golden, sometimes copper colour. On structure, a WSET guide to acidity groups Gewürztraminer with Viognier as often softer and more voluptuous, in contrast to high-acid varieties such as Riesling, and the Deutsches Weininstitut describes a relatively mild acidity common to all its wines, sometimes with considerable alcohol. jancisrobinson.com writes that as the variety builds up particularly high sugar levels its acid levels can fall dangerously low, so malolactic fermentation of this variety is rare. WSET states that Gewurztraminer grows best in cool to moderate climates, is made in a range of styles from dry to sweet, and is typically unoaked to preserve its floral aromas. In Decanter, Thierry Meyer writes that the grapes need to be harvested at perfect ripeness to avoid bitterness, high alcohol or overt sweetness, and that dried fruits and honey appear when there is noble rot; WSET notes that very good or outstanding examples can develop flavours of honey and dried fruit in the bottle. jancisrobinson.com also warns that if excessive extraction of phenolics from the deep-coloured skins is not avoided, the wine can be slightly bitter on the finish, and that some producers blend in a little Muscat to give overcropped Gewurztraminer more aroma.

• Aromas: rose petal, Turkish delight and lychee, linked to geraniol and cis-rose oxide (WSET)
• Alsace bouquet: lychees, passion fruit, pineapple, mangos, roses, citrus fruit and spices (CIVA)
• Acidity: often softer and more voluptuous (WSET); relatively mild (Deutsches Weininstitut); malolactic fermentation rare (jancisrobinson.com)
• Styles: dry to sweet; typically unoaked to preserve floral aromas (WSET)
• Colour: deep golden, sometimes copper, from the pink skin (jancisrobinson.com)
• Bottle development: honey and dried fruit in very good or outstanding examples (WSET)

Primary sources: https://www.vivc.de/index.php?r=passport%2Fview&id=12609 ; https://www.vinsalsace.com/en/tastes-and-colours/grapes-varieties/powerful-and-intense/gewurztraminer-dalsace/ ; https://www.vinsalsace.com/en/grands-crus/ ; https://www.vinsalsace.com/en/tastes-and-colours/aoc/vendanges-tardives/ ; https://www.vinsalsace.com/en/tastes-and-colours/aoc/selection-de-grains-nobles/ ; https://www.winesofgermany.com/our-wine/grape-varieties/grape-variety/120/gew%C3%BCrztraminer ; https://www.wsetglobal.com/media/13022/wset_l2wines_sessionplans_en_may2023_issue2.pdf ; https://www.wsetglobal.com/knowledge-centre/blog/2026/strawberry-pepper-and-petrol-why-wine-smells-the-way-it-does ; https://www.wsetglobal.com/knowledge-centre/blog/2026/understanding-acidity-in-wine ; https://www.nzwine.com/en/winestyles/gewurztraminer/ ; https://www.nzwine.com/en/regions/gisborne/ Reference sources: https://www.jancisrobinson.com/learn/grape-varieties/white/gewurztraminer ; https://www.jancisrobinson.com/learn/grape-varieties/white/traminer ; https://www.jancisrobinson.com/learn/grape-varieties/white/savagnin ; https://www.decanter.com/learn/what-is-gewurztraminer-like-300561/ Last verified 2026-09-29