If it was any easier to pronouce, I would be just drinking brandy. Gewürztraminer (ɡəˈvʏrtstraˈmi:nÉš) is a sweet, sensous and aromatic wine that has hints of roses, passion fruit and floral essences. I don’t remember exactly how I first tasted Gewurztraminer, but it was definitely by chance; it was one of the scores of wines that I randomly picked from my local grocery stores. That was three years ago, but even today, given a choice of whites, I almost unequivocally tend to gravitate towards a Gewurztraminer without much hesitation.

The higher than normal sugar content in this wine might make it enticing for many people, but for me its the perfect consonance that it brings with asian (and most indian foods). The name Gewurztraminer literally translates to “spiced traimer”, the “traimer” being a green-skinned grape with an apparently abnormal genome, which predominantly grows in the town of Tramin (Italy). And while the Gewurztraminer vine is prized for its wine, it is seldom despised for its viticultural difficulty; it buds early in Spring and is hence very susceptible to frost. Additionally, it has very weak defenses again vine infections, and because there are very few areas in Europe that can grow this variety, producers often try to over-produce and therefore end up diluting the wine.

But the real reason I fell in love with this wine, and I suspect most Indians would too, is because it pairs so beautifully with most spicy dishes including hotter variations of Indian curries. For a spicy food lover like me, there are very few whites that have the right balance of sweetness and acidity that a good Gewurztraminer provides; the closest white that comes to my mind would be a Sauvignon Blanc. Both Fetzer and Beringer make a cheap and light version of Gewurztraminer that is both affordable for regular consumption and not too overpowering on the palate. Gewurztraminer also makes an excellent dessert wine and goes well with most less-sugary cakes and chocolate offerings.

After discounting the Chardonnays and Merlots of the world, there are very few wines that most Indian people truly appreciate, mostly because the subtleties in the popular wines are too in many ways too difficult to appreciate. Although I have heard people complain that a full-bodied Gewurztraminer can be fairly overpowering, I would disagree and defer to my earlier opinion that is the only wine that pairs well with most Indian dishes.