Alois Lageder Am Sand Gewürztraminer 2017 Vigneti delle Dolomiti, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy 75cl

Alois Lageder has farmed the vineyards around Magrè in the far south of Alto Adige for generations, and is one of Italy’s leading names in biodynamic, Demeter-certified viticulture. The family treats the estate as a living system, and that thinking runs through every bottle, including this aromatic white.

Am Sand takes its name from the sandy, alluvial soils on which the Gewürztraminer grows. This is pure Gewürztraminer, the grape that put the village of Tramin on the map, picked in the middle of September and fermented in stainless steel to keep the fruit clean and precise. It then rests on its fine lees for around six months, building texture without losing freshness.

The 2017 was made in a fully dry style rather than an off-dry one, a deliberate choice that lets the variety’s natural perfume speak without any sweetness getting in the way. Alto Adige, cool and Alpine, is one of the few places where Gewürztraminer keeps this kind of tension between ripeness and freshness.

Expect a straw-yellow glass and a heady nose of lychee, rose petal and ripe exotic fruit, lifted by a gentle herbal note. The palate is dry and generous, with a pleasantly bitter twist and fresh acidity that keeps everything in balance. Serve it well chilled, and open the bottle a little ahead of the meal to let the aromatics unfold.

Gewürztraminer is one of wine’s great food matchers, and this dry version earns its place alongside spiced Asian cooking, aromatic curries, shellfish or roast white meats. It is equally happy with a board of washed-rind cheeses. If you have only met the grape in sweeter guises, an aromatic yet dry Alto Adige example like this is the natural next step.