Sweetness: Dry

Grapes: Gewurztraminer

Grape info: A pink-skinned and particularly aromatic variety making full-bodied white wines with intense notes of lychee and rose. Wines are very often high in alcohol and have their naturally low acidity balanced by a characteristic bitterness. The best examples hail from Alsace and are capable of medium-term aging.

About: A family-owned estate since 1639, Hugel & Fils is now run by 12th generation winemakers in the picturesque town of Riquewihr. The estate encompasses 30 hectares of well sited vineyards, mostly classed as Grand Cru with a further 110 hectares farmed under contract.

After pressing, the must is decanted for a few hours, then fermented in temperature-controlled vats (at 18 to 24°C). The wine is racked just once, before natural clarification during the course of the winter. The following spring, the wine is lightly filtered just before bottling.

Tasting note: Delicate floral notes of rose and jasmine interact with hints of yellow fruit: peach, Mirabelle and tropical fruit: lychee, mango, dragon fruit. The bouquet is expressive but not overly so; it retains a sense of refinement and nuance, a true Hugel wine.

Character:Lychee, peach, jasmine.