April Showers Bring May Flowers

We are two days from the start of May which, outside of October, is usually my favorite month of the year.  After what seemed like a never-ending winter, with a parade of wicked snowstorms, spring has finally arrived in earnest.  Days are beginning to grow longer.  The world feels just a little lighter -- like it has shed its rough skin to reveal the fresh new growth waiting below. The ground is a little tender and vulnerable, but also is full of vibrating energy ready to burst forth. 

Just a few days ago I heard the first low rumble of thunder during a rainstorm and it made me smile from ear to ear.  The town I live in is awash in the pale pastels of cherry and crabapple blossoms and the bright cheerful yellows of daffodils.  The air is perfumed with fragrance from flowers and flowering trees. 

I experienced a big change in my life last week. It was unanticipated and, at first, unwelcomed. I felt vulnerable and exposed. However, as each day passes, I realize I feel lighter and lighter.  I have sloughed off a heaviness that I wasn’t even fully aware of.  It’s like when you clear the wet winter leaves in your garden. As you rake, you realize how heavy the matted mass is.  You are happy to see the buds muscling through underneath and you are happy to help them along.  You can’t wait until the buds flower with color and perfume and announce, “look world, we are here!”

So, in honor of change and renewal, and the flowering month of May, I want to share a short discussion of a wine that distinctly announces to the world, “I am here,” with big intense floral aromas.  This wine is the wine everyone wants on a blind tasting exam because it is hard to mistake it.  The wine is Gewurtztraminer. 

Most Gewurtztraminer has intense floral character – typically rose petal/rose water/lychee aromas.  Other aroma notes you might find are ginger and sometimes a smoky quality, like incense. It is a perfect match for some of my favorite ethnic foods, spicy Indian and Chinese cuisine.

Gewurtztraminer is grown in cooler climates, the large majority being produced in the Alsace region of France.  The US is the second largest producer of the grape. Washington State and New York State, are areas with a great deal of potential for producing high quality Gerwurtztraminer.

I have a soft spot for the Finger Lakes region of New York, so I am reviewing a purchase I made in January at the famed Dr. Konstantin Frank Vineyards on Keuka Lake. Dr. Konstantin was a true pioneer, bringing northern European rootstocks to the Finger Lakes over 50 years ago, and proving that they could thrive. His work in viticulture in the 1950’s and 60’s elevated the quality of wines and winemaking in the region.

2012 Gewurztraminer Finger Lakes– Dr Konstantin Frank ($15)

Pale gold in color with powerful rose petal, honysuckle and lychee on the nose with hints of just ripe banana and pear.  Just off dry, medium- full bodied ‘mouth coating’ wine with tropical fruit – pineapple, passion fruit, and honey on the palate along with the floral notes.  Lemon and mineral notes on the long finish revealing good acidity that balances with the initial punch of sweetness on the tongue. Like the month of May in the mouth.

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