Wine can be intimidating enough. There’s red, white, or pink; Old World or New, “first growth” or grand cru. So why did they have to go and name some of it gewürztraminer? I’ve already introduced you to that other wonderful white that suffers so in the recognition department, not because it tastes weird or unmemorable, but because nobody can say “viognier.”

But the true crime of gewürztraminer’s obscurity, caused we’re sure by its difficult moniker, is that this sleeper of a varietal boasts some powerful, oft-unused secret weapons. It’s got an intoxicating aroma; a competitive sticker price; and best of all, the hidden super power to pair will with a popular class of food that is otherwise nearly impossible to enjoy with wine.

To reveal gewürztraminer’s secret powers, click here for

First, a little pronunciation lesson. For me, the trick to saying gewürztraminer was learning something about its origins. “Traminer,” it turns out, refers to the Italian region of Tramino, to which the gewürztraminer grape is native. (Appropriately, one of the favorites among my tasting group, the Ladies Tasting Society, hailed from the north of Italy.) “Gewürz” is probably derived from the German word for spicy, which is doubly appropriate since some of the best modern examples of this spicy white come from Germanic regions of Europe (especially Alsace in northern France).

So for the first part, just grunt like you’re a Hun, “geh-VERZ.” Then, like you’re a gondolier, sing “trah-meen-er.” Geh-VERZ-trah-meen-er. Or you can try to be hip with just “geh-VERZT.”

Now, for gewürztraminer’s secret weapons. The first is the wine’s gorgeous aroma, full of flowers in bloom, cinnamon, cloves, and musk. It’s almost like opening one of those Kama Sutra powder tins and taking a whiff, then following it up with a palate full of exotic fruits like pineapple, ripe pears, rich pink grapefruit, and lychee nuts. The Pamela Anderson of white wines, a good glass of gewürztraminer should overwhelm you just slightly with its dimensions and — although my tasting group tried only dry versions — its girl next door sweetness.

Then there’s the price, which should land between $10 and $15, in good part thanks to the grape’s continued flight under the radar. And finally, the coup de grace. Until I learned to love gewürztraminer, I confess I always drank beer with Indian food. I find that the peppers in curry, for example, demolish the subtleties of a merlot or chardonnay. But they stand up and waltz with the pleasingly oily texture and rich, spicy tastes of gewürztraminer. Try the combination. You will never again tremble before the word.

Tasting Notes

BEST OF TASTING

Sineann “Celilo Vineyard” 2003 (Oregon) $18
Asian spices, with crushed rose petals on teh nose, followed by citrus and apple flavors, with ripe bananas at the end. Not too oily, not too brisk. B+

BEST VALUE

Trimbach 2002 (Alsace, France) $17
Modestly spicy aromas, but lots of pink grapefruit, tropical fruits, and lychee nut on the palate. Cristper in texture, this older gewürz still packs a punch. B+/B

Stiftskellerei Neustift, “Abbazia di Novacella” 2003 (Alto Adige, Italy) $20
Pungent rose and violet petal aromas, with traces of orange blossom honey. Tropical fruit flavors coat the tongue; its thick, blowsy texture tightened a bit in the glass. B

Hugel “Hugel” 2001 (Alsace, France) $20
One taster bet money this Hugel was the Trimbach. But they’re not twins, just neighbors. Similar sweet grapefruit flavors, with banana on end palate. B

Weinbach “Cuvee Laurence” 2003 (Alsace, France) $50
Made with the gewürztraminer junkie in mind, with its signature oily texture, lychee nut flavors, and big floral bouquet. Too sweet for the ladies, though. C

Stony Hill 2002 (Napa, California) $16
A disappointment, since the ladies love Stony Hill’s classy chardonnays. A reserved nose is followed by a light-bodied wine with a short finish. “Just pour me a glass of ice water and be done with it,” exclaimed one irate lady. D