Pratsch Skin-Contact Gewurztraminer

Gewurtztraminer made in a natural winemaking style. While at Wanderlust, we are not big fans of ‘natural’ wines because many can be faulty, this example of a skin-contact style wine really shows how expert winemaking can use techniques to bring out the best from these grapes. For this wine, Stefan picked the grapes from his best vineyard, the Steinberg, by hand, removed the berries, pressed them gently and fermented them in large oak barrels. The vines, which are over 40 years old, give the wine the minerality it needs to balance the tannins.
The grapes fermented on the skins for about 4 days and then placed in the wood without the addition of sulfur and stayed there for two years. The result is a wine with enormous body, strength, finesse, complexity and body.

The wine in the glass is a copper coloured, cloudy and opaque colour. It is reminiscent of a ‘ramato’ style of wine which is halfway between a red and white wine. The wine posses a huge vibrance of quince, orange zest, grapefruit and mineral metallicness.  The skin contact gives this wine a touch of grip on the sides of your mouth whilst being in balance with the rest of the wine and adding to the huge complexity that this wine possesses.