Standing Stone 2006 Gewurztraminer

Gewurztraminer is one of those grapes that you either love or hate. I happen to be one of those people that loves great spicy Gewurztraminer and luckily for me the Finger Lakes offer many great bottles. Historically speaking Gewurztraminer has found its greatest success in Alsace France, which is why it also excels here in the cool climate of the Finger Lakes. When fully ripened Gewurztraminer tends to have higher levels of sugar, that in turn requires the wine be higher in acidity to achieve balance. This need for a higher level of acidity requires the grapes to be grown in a cooler environment that allows the acidity to remain for a longer period of time.

Standing Stone located on the east side of Seneca Lake is home to some of the oldest vinifera plantings in the Finger Lakes. They currently own much of the Gold Seal vineyards originally planted back in 1972. The age of these vines is a rarity here in an area that has only recently embraced vinifera grapes. Standing Stone is known for making great Gewurztraminer and the 2006 is no exception. This copper colored wine offers attractive notes of lychee, grapefruit and orange on the nose. This medium to full bodied wine delivers a nice compliment of candied ginger and lemon grass carried forward by a core of zest and spice. Though Gewurztraminer makes a great aperitif it is really at home when paired with food. It especially lends itself well to spicy foods. The full- bodiedness of the wine allows it to stand up to a host of bold flavors.
I found that it paired excellently with this recipe for spicy bacon wrapped shrimp.

Grilled Bacon Wrapped Shrimp:

Marinade:
-½ C lemon juice (fresh squeezed)
-¼ C soy sauce
-1 tbsp sesame seed oil
-2 tsp chili oil

-1 lb large shrimp
-½ lb bacon cut in half (not thick cut)
-1 tbsp lemon zest
-sea salt
-freshly ground pepper

-whisk together marinade
-marinade shrimp for 20-30 minutes cover and in the fridge
-make sure to use regular thickness bacon.
-If you use to thick of bacon it will not cook as fast as the shrimp.
-wrap with bacon securing with a toothpick
-sprinkle with lemon zest, salt and pepper
-grill until shrimp just turns pink.
-be careful not to over cook as the shrimp will loose their tenderness