Every blue moon, a new wine-geek term surfaces that's actually useful to normal people. That's the case with "aromatic whites."
If you dine in trendy restaurants, the kind that serve duck "three ways" and Parmesan ice cream, you've probably encountered the expression, typically as a "consumer-friendly" category on the wine list, somewhere before the "full-bodied and oaky" section.
The reference is to a group of wines that have, yes, pronounced aromas, usually of fruits, herbs, vegetables or spices. The list tends to include gewurztraminer, sauvignon blanc, riesling, muscat, viognier and a host of other, more obscure varieties.
Sometimes they can suggest less edible fare, such as kerosene or lawn grass. One thing these wines are not is shy.
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Three things these wines are is hugely versatile with food (especially boldly flavoured Asian-fusion dishes), fabulous to sip in warm weather and grossly underappreciated.
"When we have dishes that have mango and cilantro and other seasonal, fresh items, you want a bold full-flavoured mouthful to go with it," says Patrick Austin, corporate beverage director for Glowbal Restaurant Group of Vancouver, which operates Glowbal Grill & Satay Bar, Coast Restaurant, Trattoria Italian Kitchen and Sanafir.
Mr. Austin says he introduced an "exotic and aromatic" section to the wine list at Glowbal Grill several years ago and it has since become "by far our fastest-growing, most sought-after classification."
Okay, so maybe they're not so underappreciated after all, at least not by patrons adventurous enough to nosh on the contemporary fare at Mr. Austin's restaurants. "We don't do subtle very well," he says of the food. One "local" favourite of Mr. Austin's is Tinhorn Creek Gewurztraminer from the Okanagan.
But if there's a spiritual homeland to aromatic wines, it's Alsace in France, where gewurztraminer soars to its greatest heights.
Sometimes you won't find the grape name on the front label. Recent years have produced a flock of new, proprietary-labelled whites blended from up to seven aromatic varieties. They include Conundrum and Beringer Knights Valley Alluvium Blanc from California; Joie A Noble Blend from British Columbia; and, from the aromatic haven of Niagara, Creekside Laura's Blend White, Strewn Two Vines white and Hillebrand Trius White. A well-priced blend from Alsace is Hugel Gentil.
Depending on producer and region of origin, the aroma classification may or may not be applicable. A sauvignon blanc from New Zealand, for example, will almost always be considered aromatic, with a characteristic punch of tropical fruit and grass. By contrast, a sauvignon blanc from France's Loire Valley, such as lean Sancerre, may not.
Another thing virtually all aromatic whites share is a complete absence of oak influence. Barrel fermentation and aging, which gradually expose the wine to oxygen, tends to mute the more transient floral-fruity scents that give most of these wines their character.
Gewurztraminer It's safe to say this grape is on everyone's aromatic list. Not for the olfactorily timid, gewurz vaults out of the glass with flavours of lychee, rose petals, ginger and spice. It is the nonpareil match for Asian food, including Indian curries.
Besides Alsace, regions excelling at dry gewurztraminer include Niagara, British Columbia, Australia and, thanks to a superb new $50 example called Vinoptima from veteran winemaker Nick Nobilo, New Zealand. Good Alsatian brands: Zind Humbrecht, Hugel, Kuentz-Bas.
Riesling It can be sweet, super-high in acidity and, usually when old and from Germany, smell like the exhaust at rush hour on an autobahn. Though German rieslings are among the most complex wines anywhere (including Kurt Darting and Von Hoevel), one newer and arguably more crowd-pleasing style comes from Australia. Aussie riesling can be surprisingly aromatic, bursting with fresh lime and bracing acidity.
