Gewürztraminer - Maybe because of the
pronunciation difficulties, this variety
gets neglected for lack of familiarity and
predisposition to sweet wine-making
techniques. Not every winery renders it
sweet. For a favor to your palate, taste the
dry version from Mendocino’s Navarro ($22
- navarrowine.com) It’s almost not fair that
this is a three-season wine, as its affinities
stretch from spring’s first fresh ramps to the
cranberries and stuffing of November. With
summer underway, this perfumed, spicy
wine fragrance balances dark leafy greens,
paprika-buttered corn and grilled seafoods.
Viognier - From light, silvery versions to the
honeyed golden-hued versions, this similarly
perfumed grape variety shows a touch more
texture than its other aromatic counterparts,
which translates into richness and
compatibility with heavier salmon and risotto
preparations. Justin Vineyards and Winery
($25 - justinwine.com) makes the ripe style
ready for hedonistic happy drinking while the
version from Washington’s Thurston Wolfe
Winery ($15 - thurstonwolfe.com) is blended
with Pinot Gris to make a quaffing wine more
interesting than 90 percent of every other
white — especially at this price.
July | August 2019
47