First Review

Let me say from the start I have been around wine since I was very young (2 years old). When I was little my framily lived in Vallejo, California. My mom and dad discovered Buena Vista Winery and being too young to stay by myself -- 8-) -- they took me along when they went to the winery just outside Sonoma to the tasting room.

When I was older I discovered wine and really enjoyed tasting and learning about wines. I belonged to a wine tasting group in Reno for several years. The presto -- strange chemistry -- chango I could no longer drink wine -- or any alcohol for that matter. Just a little would make my eyes swell shut. This sort of put the damper on trying to drink any alcohol. It must have been a threshold issue because I could still eat the chocolate truffles I make at Christmas and they have alcohol in them. I didn't have any issue with the applesauce cake that I make for holidays and it has Cherry Herring in it. I understand that cooking removes some of the alcohol but not all.

Two years ago a nephew brought a beautiful Gewurztraminer to Thanksgiving. just smelling the wine brought back wonderful memories. For New Years I decided that I just had to have champagne -- even if I was only going to have a little. A bottle of Gewurzt came home as well.

So a little glass New Years eve and no adverse effects. Since then I have tried 2 other Gewurtz's and a bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau. No closed eyes or anything else negative happened.

Yesterday I took advantage of a local shop's Wednesday's discount and brought home a bottle of Louis Jadot Beaujolais Village and a bottle of Gewurz 2009 Mendocino County Gewurztraminer by Alexander Valley Vineyards.

So here are my impressions of the Gewurz. I am not sure why the wine maker is promoting this as a Gewurztraminer. I don't know what percentage of the grape is in this particular wine but the wine in the bottle bears no resemblance to most gewurztraminer wines -- and this is NOT a good thing. While most gewurztraminer wines produced in the Alsace or Germany have a good balance between sweet and dry this wine lacks such finesse or character. You can tell from the wine that the sugar content of the grape was pretty high when the fermentation process began because there is a good deal of natural carbonation in this wine. The wine was left ot ferment until the end wine is extremely dry. The wine has none of the normal aroma's or taste one expects in a gewurztraminer.

I will try it tomorrow to see how it might be for cooking. It is certainly not good for drinking. Not knowing yet which type of rating process I can't give the wine a score. Once I make up my mind I will edit this entry.