best Gewurz for spicy Asian food?

When you get the right Gewürztraminer, the right body, acidity, floral nose, with just a touch of sweetness, it is a perfect match for spicy Asian cuisine, especially Thai. But it’s hard to find the right style. My best match, so far, has been Cantina Terlan. It checks all of the boxes and it is reasonably priced. But there must be more like it out there. Can’t seem to find a good new world Gewurz.

Frankly, I think for certain Thai dishes, I think you need auslese level sweetness. We did a tasting at a Thai place a couple years ago, and a lighter Gewurtz was just blown away by certain dishes. I seem to remember a 2009 sauternes and 2001 Auslese being my favorite pairings. I can’t really think of any from the finger lakes offhand that would work. Good luck!

I’ll echo what Eric said that with many spicy asian dishes, you probably need something with some considerable sweetness than just an off-dry gewurztraminer. Gewurztraminer vary widely in how much RS, and how well they pair with your spicy food is going to depend both on how sweet it is and how spicy the food it. So do dig a bit for the specific bottle you’re interested in to check if the sweetness level matches your food appropriately.

Zind-Humbrecht’s gewurztraminers, especially his Hengst, Clos St. Urbain, and Clos Windsbuhl cuvées tends to have a fair bit of RS that I think can stand up to some spicy foods. Many of Trimbach’s gewurztraminers also tend to have enough RS o pair well with spicy dishes. If the food is especially spicy, it may also be worth considering VT or SGN bottlings.

Vinoptima from New Zealand is the answer you are seeking, sadly not made any more.
I am drinking the 07 and 08s at the moment when we have the right Thai dish to match
Stunning wine

I’m not a fan of residual sugar, so I would recommend Toulouse’s Gewürztraminer from Anderson Valley.

Theee are many Gewürztraminer produced in the Southeast of Austria, in the Eastern part of Styria/ Steiermark. You can find all levels of sweetness and usually a bit less alc. than in Alsace.
The vulcanic soil is perfect for this grape.

Singha beer seems to evoke some of the esters & aldehydes present in Gewurztraminer,
while adding much in the way of refreshment value

I’ve found the best Gewürztraminer for spicy Asian food to be a sec Chenin Blanc from Domaine Huet.

Sorry, I couldn’t resist.

Not a winemaker, right?

Pardon me for finding humor in your alternative spelling of volcanic.

That vulcanic soil tends to klingon my boots when I walk the vineyard.

In addition to Zind-Humbrecht’s - which usually have the subtlety of a sledgehammer but can really work with ultra-spicy Sichuan- I love the various gewurztraminers from Domaine Weinbach, which are generally made in a rich but more balanced style. You should also try their rieslings although they tend to be too dry to stand up to extreme spice.

Albert Mann gewurz is tops in my book.

All Star Trek jokes aside, what are the brands and/or regional designations for these? I’m not familiar with “Easter part of Styria / Steiermark.” Do you have a few wines you recommend?

If we are drinking gewurz with Asian we don’t over think it. Darting has been the latest favorite. I get the Riesling sentiment and drink that, too.

I’m not a fan of “considerable sweetness” - I used to regularly drink Zind Humbrecht Today Pinot Gris Raangen du Thann Clos St. Urbain with Thai but now that’s even too sweet for me.

But Mann, ZH, Weinbach, Schoffit, Bott-Gyl all make fine Gewurtz. Not sure I see a “best” of the group. Some are more floral than others (Mann is lovely in that respect), others a little more spicey.

Great recommendations. Thanks.

I’ve had most of the ZH and Weinbach Gewruz bottlings. I visited Weinbach when I was in Alsace. All good, but maybe a little steep for everyday drinking. I think Cantina Terlan is a revelation. I’m told that Gewürztraminer actually originated in the Sud Tyrol. My first Terlan wines were labeled in Italian and German. It’s Alsatian wine from Alto Adige.

Not much love for new world Gewurz, except Toulouse. I’ll look for it. And Austrian Gewurz is really intriguing. I’ll look for that , too.