Today’s Monday Musing is about how we limit our choices in wines often to ones we have liked in the past and don’t try the ones we didn’t care for again. Take Gewurztraminer, a grape for me that has never been one I sought out. Never sure what to pair with it, I often shied away. This past week, I tried one from Albino Armani, a producer I work with and whose winemaking style and hand I know well. That said, it didn’t guarantee that I work like this wine. Oddly enough, when I opened it last week, I love it and couldn’t get enough of it’s flavors which seemed to me much like an Alsatian Pinot Gris. Albino is a master of Pinot Grigio so it’s no surprise but Gewurztraminer is a completely different grape.

According to my trusty Steve De Long wine grape varietal table, hanging in my kitchen, Gewurztraminer is not too far away from Sémillon, in terms of acidity and weight.

This wine is an example I am using to make a point. I could have done the same with Pinotage, another grape I am not such a fan of. I became a Petite Sirah devotee after having changed my mind about that grape two years ago.

Life is short, as I was reminded today when I caught my son as he slipped in the shower before he hit his head, let’s embrace it all and give things, people, and wine grapes a second chance. You never know. He’s fine otherwise I wouldn’t be writing on my wine blog but boy was that a wake-up call.