Ochota Barrels Gewürztraminer

Gewürztraminer is a real fringe variety. Is it the name? Well, you can order Gewurz or Traminer, everybody would understand. And yet, it is probably the perfect variety to match with Thai food, popular all over the world.

In Australia, the number of producers for Gewürztraminer has shrunk over the years, so I was interested to try the 2016 Ochota Barrels Gewürztraminer, a relatively new entrant. Ochota Barrels is a bit of a fashionable producer, judging by wine writers and restaurant interest. Therefore I was doubly curious.

The flavours are quite interesting: pear, lychee, ginger, lemongrass spices - a good expression of the variety. The wine is very fruity, yet dry. It would match stir fry food well, but I find the wine quite broad and not very precise. It is also a little pricey, at about $35 per bottle, with hardly any track record.

Score: 88/-

Delatite Deadman's Hill Gewurztraminer

One of the conundrums in the food and wine world is that Thai food is very popular, yet the grape which best matches this food, Gewurztraminer, is definitely not. This is a shame, because more and more producers are abandoning this variety. On the other hand, it opens up great bargains.

One such bargain is the 2013 Delatite Deadman's Hill Gewurztraminer. This brand, which has been produced for a long time, is not just a price, but also a quality bargain. The lychee flavours are fine, not overly dominant, but blend in with spicy food nicely. There is no sweetness in this wine, as in some traminers. The wine is fresh and quite linear, and finishes with light acidity.

Drink young. Highly recommended.

Score: 93/+++

Lawson's Dry Hills Gewuerztraminer

I like Gewuerztraminer with Thai food. My choice normally is a Pipers Brook or a Delatite. Choices are very limited. Tonight I ended up with a 2008 Lawson's Dry Hills Gewuertztraminer from Marlborough. Dry it was not. My wife said she would not put this wine in a cask. It was very broad and sweet. No cut through the coconut or curry at all. This wine should be avoided. I still ended up drinking a bit, so hopefully I will not have a headache tomorrow.

This review gives me a chance to use more of the scoring scale.

Score: 75/---

Lawson's Dry Hills Gewuerztraminer

Gewuerztraminer must be the least fashionable variety in Australia. Only a few producers are left. Yet a good bottle, say from Pipers Brook or Delatite is the perfect companion to a Thai dish. Anyway, on this occasion I wanted to try something else and ended up with a bottle of 2008 Lawson's Dry Hills Gewuerztraminer from Marlborough.

The Lychee flavour is there, but it comes down to the fact that the wine is simply too sweet, despite its name. There is no noticeable acidity and the wine simply does not cut through the food, it sits unpleasantly next to it. Avoid!

Score: 83/---

Pipers Brook Gewuerztraminer

Gewuerztraminer is definitely an unfashionable grape variety. So what does everyone drink with Thai food? Viognier, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Grenache? To me, Gewuerz is the perfect compliment to Thai food.

There are not many producers of this variety left in Australia. Pipers Brook tends to be my choice. The 2008 Pipers Brook Gewuerztraminer has the typical flavours of lemon and lime, there obviously is spice, but a bit of sweetness, too. It really is a wine to accompany food. You would want to drink this young, to experience the freshness of the wine and the crisp finish.

Score: 89/++