From 792 Ukrainian hryvnia, NZ$46.54, £31.50, 379.90 Norwegian kroner, 4,980 Japanese yen, SG$74.30
After a year to forget, a wine to remember – not just as a genre-defying white from an oft-maligned variety, but as a fitting tribute to its winemaker, who sadly passed away in October at far too young an age.
This Gewürztraminer bears only passing resemblance to the flamboyance for which the grape is renowned. Instead, it is entirely dry, with introspective fruit flavours, modest alcohol and a gently fibrous texture caused by limited skin contact. In its opposition to expectations, it is the perfect Gewürz for people who claim not to like the grape – as I mentioned in Finding new wine to love.
I treated myself to a bottle of the 2017 vintage on Christmas Day, and it was the ideal antidote to the excess of the festive season. With a few years of screwcapped bottle age, the lychee and elderflower aromas had assumed a dry, savoury snap more like a revitalising herbal tonic than the syrupy opulence of most examples.
I met the late Taras Ochota only once, on a visit to the Adelaide Hills (where these Gewürztraminer grapes are grown), and his thoughtful approach to winemaking stuck with me. Minimal sulphite additions are often viewed as the be-all and end-all, but that is only one component of a considerate winemaking approach such as his. By picking earlier than usual and allowing a brief period of maceration on skins, rather than following the formula for aromatic white winemaking, he was able to craft a Gewürztraminer that revealed a different side of its personality – one with acidic spine, no sugar and only 11% alcohol – yet that remained true to its varietal DNA.
I can't help comparing the wine to the man: a former punk bass-player turned hands-off winemaker, going from raucous to reflective. For anyone wishing to bid farewell to last year while toasting better times, I can't think of a more meaningful bottle.
Wine-Searcher.com shows availability of several recent vintages in a handful of UK merchants and across at least five other countries, although the wine appears to have sold out in Taras's native Australia. Too many Australians remembering him with fondness and admiration perhaps?
Wherever you are this New Year's Day, we look forward to a healthier and happier 2021 for all, accompanied by great wine along the way.
