Ok. Did you know these 5 fascinating facts about Alsace gewürztraminer?

Alsace, France, is the key region globally for great gewürztraminer
Very aromatic, Alsace gewürztraminer smells like roses, litchis, marmalade, fruit cocktail, and spices, not to mention Pond’s Cold Cream (which all Boomers will know).
Alsace gewürz is low in acidity–and almost never oaked.
Because Alsace gewürz is usually full bodied and fruity, it works beautifully with any dish that has soy sauce which can massacre wine; not gewürz; it’s up for the challenge.
Virtually all Alsace gewürz are dry. But they can seem sweet because they are so fruity.

Which Eastern European country makes a wine known as Bull’s Blood?

A. Hungary

B. Bulgaria

C. Turkey

D. Romania

One of the most popular well known dry reds of Hungary is Egri Bikavér—bull’s blood of Eger. It is made primarily from the kékfrankos and kadarka grapes, grown in Eger. The legend behind the wine dates back to the mid-1500s when the fortress of Eger, which belonged to the Magyars (ancestors to modern Hungarians), was besieged by the Turks. The Magyars (men, women and reportedly, even children) fought fiercely, drinking huge amounts of red wine in the process. As the story goes, when the Turks encountered the Magyars’ ferocious fighting skills and saw their red-stained faces, they retreated, fearing that the Magyars attained their prowess by drinking the blood of bulls.

“Based on chemistry, DNA, ancient texts, art, ethnography and experimental archaeology, it’s clear that as humans, we are set up as biological creatures to drink alcohol.”

—Dr. Patrick McGovern
Director of Biomolecular Archaeology, University of Pennsylvania,
and author of Ancient Wine: The Search for the Origins of Viniculture

Ok. Did you know these 5 fascinating facts about Alsace gewürztraminer?

Get WineSpeed