Gewürztraminer

Gewürztraminer wine and its flavour

Gewürztraminer, officially called Traminer Aromatico, is an aromatic grape with attractive golden berries that have a pink tint. It found a uniquely favourable combination of Alpine soil and climate in valleys of Trentino Alto Adige. Here, Gewürztraminer produces medium to full-bodied wines with intense tropical and fruity aromas. Expect flavours of lychee, passion fruit, guava, blood orange, honeysuckle, banana and red apple, complemented by sweet spices.

Read our Guide to Italian Gewürztraminer wine.

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Guide to Italian Gewürztraminer Wine

Thanks to its attractive flavours, it’s no wonder Gewürztraminer has become a great commercial success. In the last ten years, its plantings in Alto Adige DOC have doubled. This denomination is responsible for two-fifths of Italy’s production. Trentino DOC is the second most important source of Gewürztraminer wines. Here, the best south-facing slopes are dedicated to this grape.

It was believed that Gewürztraminer was native to Alto Adige’s town of Tramin. However, DNA profiling showed that the grape Traminer was identical to Savagnin Blanc – a less aromatic varietal. It’s aromatic mutation, Savagnin Rosé, is indeed everyone’s favourite Gewürztraminer. With Traminer falling out of favour, these days Tramin crafts Gewürztraminer wines of excellent quality.

Gewürztraminer Grape in the Official Registry

Registration Code: 238

Official name: TRAMINER AROMATICO Rs.

Official permitted synonyms: Gewürztraminer (only in Trentino Alto Adige)

The grape has been registered in the official MiPAAF Registro Varietà since 1970. [1]

Where Italian Gewürztraminer wine is made

Gewürztraminer is a highly successful grape in north-east Italy. Its vineyard area has expanded by 227%, from a humble 430 hectares in the 1990s to over 1,408 hectares in the 2010s[1].

Alto Adige DOC is Italy’s single largest denomination for Gewürztraminer, responsible for about 40% of all Italy’s plantings. In this Alpine region, Gewürztraminer is the second most planted grape (after Pinot Grigio) and covers 10.9% of the region’s vineyards. It has been enjoying a tremendous success on the market, with production expanding by 320% from 1993 to 2019. Alto Adige produces around 4 million bottles of single-varietal Gewürztraminer wine every year (2019)[2].

Trentino DOC, located just south of Alto Adige DOC, is the second most important denomination for Gewürztraminer. This is the fourth most-planted grape (after Müller-Thurgau), with 4% of all vineyards planted with it [3]. It is estimated that Trentino DOC produces 1.5 million bottles of Gewürztraminer wine per annum.

Traminer Aromatico/Gewürztraminer is also planted in Friuli Venezia Giulia. Denominations in the eastern hills – Carso DOC, Fiuli Colli Orientali DOC, Friuli Isonzo DOC – produce some of the region’s finest examples.

Sources:

[1] MiPAAF (1970-2010)

[2] Consorzio Südtirol Wein / Vini Alto Adige (1978-2019)

[3] Consorzio Vini del Trentino (2014)

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