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Gewürztraminer is a popular wine around my house not only with me, but also with my spouse.

What's not to like in a well-made Gewürztraminer? It has aromas that wake up the senses and flavors that tickle the palate. It's a great wine with spicy foods, especially Asian dishes, and a terrific cocktail drink.

Like Riesling, Gewürztraminer can range from bone dry to honey sweet. That's why Pacific Northwest wineries continue to make this variety, which to many consumers has an almost unpronounceable name but is oh so enjoyable.

A properly made Gewürztraminer offers aromas and flavors of spice, tropical fruit and grapefruit that appeal to both the inexperienced and experienced wine drinker. Another attribute is its price: Generally, you can get a fine Gewürztraminer for under $8.

In 1999 when Wine Press Northwest did its first Gewürztraminer judging, 35 wines were entered. The second time around, 51 wines made it to the judges' table.

The top two wines included Eaton Hill Winery 2002 Late Harvest and Montinore semi-sweet 2002, Willamette Valley. Both received an outstanding rating from all five judges.

The wines entered were tasted by their rank of sweetness from dry to late harvest. The Montinore was the 10th wine tasted, and the Eaton Hills late harvest was 51st.

Here are some of the favorites:

-- Eaton Hills Winery, 2002 Late Harvest, Stewart Vineyard, Yakima Valley, $18 - This vineyard has a history of producing top Gewürztraminers. Sweet with 12.45 percent residual sugar yet well balanced with great spice, ripe fruit, good complexity and acidity. Like a honey-poached apple. Great with cheesecake.

-- Montinore Estate 2002, Willamette Valley, $9 - Prominent spice aromas with apples, limes and orange oil. Delicious lychee nut, mouth-filling big and bold flavors. Light honey with lots of peach intensity.

-- San Juan Vineyards 2001, Columbia Valley, $10.25 - Charming, complex herbal aromas. Mineral and dried tropical notes, huge acidity with enough fruit to back it up. Some spicy nuttiness.

-- Hogue Cellars 2002 Columbia Valley, $7 - Intense apricot and complex orange zest aromas with big intense fruit and great length. Lemon, delicious grapefruit and lime, enjoyable balance.

-- Thornhaven Estates 2002, Okanagan Valley, $9.75 - This region of British Columbia produced some of the finest Gewürztraminers in the world. Lychee, cardamon, cloves, tropical fruit, kiwi, nice sweetness, terrific balance and great length of finish.

-- Quails' Gate Estate Winery, 2002 limited release, Okanagan Valley, $11.25 - People in the know are aware that almost any wine made at this British Columbia facility is tops. Grapefruit, great spice, zinging finish, floral and grapefruit essences. Rich, mouth-filling ending with a wonderful clean balance of acid and sugar.

-- Amity Vineyards 2000 dry, $12 - Good varietal character. Spice, perfume, lime and gooseberry. Bright fruit in the mouth, good length, slight bitterness.

-- Maryhill Winery 2002, Columbia Valley, $12 - This Columbia Gorge winery has been turning out tasty Gewürztraminers since opening three years ago. Flavors and aromas of citrus, sweetened lemon and ripe peaches, plus good acids and varietal characteristics.

-- Covey Run Vintners 2002, Washington, $7 - Sets itself off in the mouth as great summer sipper, delicious grapefruit with nice sweetness. Gooseberry and flinty qualities.

-- Chateau Ste. Michelle 2002, Columbia Valley, $8 - Nice complex aromas and flavors, spice, white pepper, white peaches, all well balanced, and intense fruit flavors.

-- Columbia Crest 2002, Columbia Valley, $8 - Loaded with grapefruit, spice, pear and apple flavors, good intensity, balance, finish, honey. A gorgeous wine from start to finish.

-- Three Rivers Winery 2002 late harvest, Biscuit Ridge Vineyards, Walla Walla Valley, $12 for half-sized bottle. - Honey sweet with lychee and spice. Good weight and structure with balanced acidity. Residual sugar is 9 percent.

-- Gordon Brothers Cellars 2002 late harvest, Columbia Valley, $10 - Classic sweetened grapefruit along with green apple and pears. Sweet 12 percent residual sugar, some spice and lingering clean, impressive acids.

-- Kiona Vineyards Winery 2002 late harvest, Red Mountain, $10 - Nice acids, fruity with spice, apricot and peach flavors. Good sweetness with residual sugar at 10 percent and a touch of crushed herbal leaf.

-- Tinhorn Creek Vineyards, Okanagan Valley, $11.25 - Tinhorn Creek consistently makes some of the best Gewürztraminer in Canada. Delicious juicy fruit, tropical and citrus, nice clean bitterness and balanced elegance.

-- Eaton Hill Winery 2002 Tucker Cellars Vineyard, Yakima Valley, $9 - Lychee, grapefruit aromas, white pepper, peaches and cream, with nice sweetness at 6 percent sugar along with acids to balance.

-- Tucker Cellars 2002 Stewart Vineyards late harvest, Yakima Valley, $20 - Dried tropical, smooth flavors of peach and apricot, nice body and finish. Residual sugar is 8.5 percent.

-- Maison de Padgett 2001 Yakima Valley, $13 - David Padgett's new winery offers a wine showing herbal and clove aromas with honey grapefruit and tropical fruits, light acids.

-- Werner-Ernst-Friedich, 2001 dry Columbia Valley, $7 - This wine was produced at Knipprath Cellars in Spokane. Some classic spice and candy aromas, dry unsweetened grapefruit. An excellent food wine.

-- Columbia Winery 2001, Columbia Valley, $8 - Fragrant aromas, tropical touches and herbal. Sweet citrus and honey flavors with light acids.  

Bob Woehler has been writing about grapes and wines of the Pacific Northwest since 1978. His columns appear twice monthly in the Tri-City Herald in Tri-Cities, Wash. and in Wine Press Northwest.

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