Gewürztraminer: an honest review from a wine novice

On this page:

• Food pairing
• Overall take on Gewürztraminer

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While browsing the wine aisle at Lidl on a Monday evening, a 2021 Camille Meyer Gewürztraminer caught my eye. Being someone who typically sticks to Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio, I wasn’t familiar with this new variety. But with a price tag of £8.99 and a rating of 90 — the highest among the selection — I couldn’t resist giving it a try. So, like any self-respecting wine lover, I added it to my trolley and headed to the self-service checkout.

I am by no means a wine expert and the Gewürztraminer was new to me, so I wasn’t sure if I would like it. However, after taking my first sip, I was pleasantly surprised. The wine has a unique taste, unlike any other wine I’ve had before. While I usually cannot describe the overall flavour of let’s say, a Sauvignon, the lychee notes of this wine instantly transported me back to my childhood in Malaysia, and the hint of subtle rose that you would usually find in a Turkish delight made me feel like royalty (and I don’t even like Turkish delight!).

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Food Pairing

My experience with food pairing is much like my experience with wine tasting — non-existent. Thankfully, when buying this wine, there was a sign that sat right above the price tag with recommendations. According to Lidl, this wine pairs well with spice — perhaps a stir fry or curry. With my food shop done for the week, I tried pairing the wine with a combination of meals across three days.

Spoiler alert: I didn’t have the ingredients to make a stir-fry or curry, so I had to get creative with the spice.

Monday

On Monday, I paired the wine with steak, broccoli, and oven-baked potato slices. Although I still enjoyed the wine, it tasted a bit too sweet when paired with the steak. I ended up going back to my default glass of water, saving the wine for after the meal. While it was still a pleasant experience, I think the wine could have been better with a different food pairing.

Try Sirloin steak and bearnaise butter with roasties and tenderstem broccoli recipe.

Tuesday

The next day, I paired the Gewürztraminer with a mozzarella burger, onion rings, sweet potato fries, and sweet chilli sauce. While the spice of the sauce made for a better pairing, its sweetness brought out the acidity of the wine, creating an imbalance in the flavours. Although the pairing was comfortable, it didn’t quite hit the mark for me as the sweet chilli sauce overpowered the wine’s taste, resulting in an average experience.

Wednesday

Wednesday was a revelation – I decided to spice things up with shepherd’s pie and a dollop of chiu chow chilli oil. The tingly spiciness of the chilli oil balanced perfectly with the sweetness of the wine, and I found myself alternating between bites of food and sips of wine to make the flavours dance in my mouth. It was truly a match made in heaven.

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Overall take

As I reached the bottom of the bottle, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of sadness. The Camille Meyer Gewürztraminer had quickly become a favourite of mine, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for an excellent starter wine. It’s an easy wine to drink, even for a novice like me.

This Gewürztraminer is perfect for summer, with its refreshing and light taste that bursts with floral notes. With each sip, you’ll feel like you’ve been invited to a beautiful garden, where the air is perfumed with the scent of lovely flowers that are so fragrant, you can almost taste them.

Have you tried Gewürztraminer? What are your favourite food pairings? And what winedo you think I should try next? Let us know in the comments section below!

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Lead photo credit : (c) Shutterstock and Lidl