Gewürztraminer
To an extent, the name says it all. Gewürztraminer means 'spicy Traminer' in German, and this really is a grape that goes all-out for flavour. Stick your nose in a glass and you're hit by great wafting clouds of perfume: lychees, roses, peaches and Turkish delight. It's probably the most recognisable grape of them all when tasted blind - a real love-it or hate-it varietal. Fans rhapsodise about its exotic taste; detractors claim it smells like a tart's boudoir. With Gewürztraminer there isn't much middle ground.
The big problem with the grape is that those same trademark flavours that make it such a recognisable and powerful presence in the glass can also make it tricky to match with food. Chardonnay, for instance, can be happy to take a back seat; Gewürztraminer likes to be the centre of attention.
The only way to deal with it is to play it at its own game and find food that is equally boisterous and won't cave in under its sensory onslaught. In Alsace, the grape's homeland, it's often drunk with strong cheeses like Munster; in Britain it's one of the few wines that can genuinely work with Asian cuisine.
It's not an across the board match, though, and requires both an open mind and, when it comes to customers, some hand-selling. For instance, it can be an inspired match with lamb curries (rogan josh is good), but hopeless with prawns. The "white wine equals fish" mantra was never less relevant than with Gewürztraminer, but it's worth the effort. After all, it has plenty of body, but none of the mouth-drying tannin that makes red wines such a no-no with chilli.
If you're looking for Gewürztraminer, your choice is still mostly limited to Alsace. This is one of the driest regions of France, giving the grape its trademark big body, big flavours and high alcohol.