Steigelmann Gimmeldinger Meerspinne Gewürztraminer Spätlese 2009 (pfalz)

The Gerwurtraminer Spatlese appears a clear, medium lemon colour. Wine is cleanly aromatic with delicate light, refreshing fruitty and floral scent. Distinct bouquet of tropica fruit lychee on the nose. Meduim sweet, high acidity, low tannin, medium body with ripe tropical and black fruits like lychee, blackcurrent, blackberries and light floral flavour characteristics of rose. This wine pairs well with spicy food like Spicy Chilli Crabs and even Fish Head Curry.

Gewürztraminer is an aromatic wine grape variety that performs best in cooler climates.

One of my favourtite wine is the Gerwurztraminer Spatlese from Steigelmann. Traditional German wine labels often have a lot of information, which can appear confusing at first. The details includes the village and individual wineyard from which the grapes came from. PFALZ is german for Palatinate a wine growing region. Gimmeldingen is a village of 2636 inhabitants (as of 2004) and part of the city of Neustadt an der Weinstraße in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.

It is a well-known wine-producing region, source of the Gimmeldinger Meerspinne

Weingut Steigelmann is an old family winery located in the Neustadt-Gimmeldingen on the wine route of the Palatinade (German: PFALZ). The German Wine Route or Wine Road (German: Deutsche Weinstraße) is the oldest of Germany's tourist wine routes. Located in the Palatinate region of the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate, the route was established in 1935. The vineyards are located on the hills surrounding the valley of the Rhine and are favoured with some of the mildest and most predictable climate of Germany. Thomas Steigelmann, the owner and wine maker has had exclusive experience in making wine at many prestigious german producers before taking over the family business.

The German system grade their wine according to the sugar levels in the grapes. Prädikatswein is a QWPSR (Quality Wines Produced in a Specified Region); prior to 2007 these were labelled as Qualitätswein mit Prädikat (QmP). Within the Prädikatswein category, there is a hierachy of designations that reflect the sugar content of the grapes that are used to make the wine. In order of ripeness they are: Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese and Eiswein, Trockenbeerenauslese.

Spätlese meaning "late harvest" typically semi-sweet, often (but not always) sweeter and fruitier than Kabinett. Spätlese can be a relatively full-bodied dry wine if designated so. While Spätlese means late harvest the wine is not as sweet as a dessert wine.