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Wine grapes have, in recent years, been subject to much examination using the techniques of DNA analysis. The results have often been quite surprising, and the identities and inter-relations discovered have often been remarkable, to say the least. The grape we are discussing here is one of the most remarkable of all. Its story is an epic, or perhaps a saga—certainly a long and winding tale—so have a little patience with this one.
Once upon a time, long, long ago in a land far across the sea, there lived a grape. The grape was (as is common with wine grapes) called by different names in different places—“Traminer” being one of the more common names—and it was a good, respected grape. That grape was most likely born as a natural (that is, not deliberately man-made) cross between some now-unknown types, and it seems to have arisen in north-east France. It was such a good, useful grape that its cultivation soon expanded to many areas across Europe. In the course of its travels, it developed (as wine grapes are prone to do) various clonal mutations that became established in the areas where they developed. Now it is important to understand that a “clonal mutation” is, biologically speaking, not “speciation”: that is, the mutation is not a new grape type but simply a variant of the original. Thus, all the various clonal variants of the grape we are discussing here are effectively the same grape.
What is this “Ur-grape”? Jancis Robinson in her eminent reference Wine Grapes lists this grape under the heading “Savagnin”; she recognizes that the name “Traminer” for the grape is older, and arguably more widespread, but uses Savagnin “because it is less misleading in terms of the variety’s origin.” With some trepidation, we take leave to disagree. We present this introduction here, but essentially repeat it on our “Savagnin” page. On this page, we will confine ourselves to the grape as used under the name “Traminer”.
Before we proceed, however, it is worth reciting some of the names under which modern Traminer is known and grown in the world. Those names include (among many others) Savagnin, Gewürztraminer, Heida, Païen, Savagnin Blanc, and Savagnin Rose. Yes, the famous Gewürztraminer is basically just Traminer/Savagnin under another name. (And of course each of those types just listed has itself a small host of regional synonym names.)
Now on to Traminer as used under that name (we have a separate page for Gewürztraminer).
The Traminer grape, being an old and successful type, has spread far and wide in the world. Besides its existence as Savagnin in France and now Australia, and as Heida or Païen in Switzerland, it can be found, under various local names, in many places—nowadays many of them in central and eastern Europe: Austria (where Gelber Traminer is an outstanding clone), Bulgaria (as Traminer or as Mala Dinka), the Czech Republic (as Prynč or Brynśt), Hungary (as Tramini), Romania (as Rusa), Slovenia (as Traminec), and even to some extent in Russia.
The taste of Traminer table wines is variously described, but its essence seems to be tropical fruit strongly balanced by a citrusy lemon streak, and—repeated several times—a “savory” quality (which doesn’t help much because that’s a word with a rather indefinite referent). The wines are generally described as medium-bodied, with good acidity. Recalling the grape’s ancestry, we should perhaps give some credence to one reviewer’s description of it as “a bit like Riesling but with greater texture”.
(If it’s any help, remember that Savignan is essentially Gewürztraminer, so look there for more extended discussions.)
Factoid: Some of the world’s most celebrated wine grapes are descended in some way from Traminer, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Chenin Blanc.
(Most descriptions of Traminer wines focus on Gewürztraminer and Savagnin, which see; here we have tried to include more general Traminer notes, which are scarce.)
“The colors and flavors of Traminer wines vary considerably depending on which sub-set they belong to. The most prominent example is undoubtedly Gewurztraminer, which also produces some of the most profoundly aromatic wines on the planet. Less well known is the deep-pink-skinned Roter Traminer (also known as Red Traminer, Savagnin Rosé and Klevener de Heiligenstein), which produces intensely aromatic white wines, sometimes with a faint pinkish hue. Members of the Traminer family have proven so genetically unstable that it almost impossible to track their ancestry with any degree of certainty. Even White Traminer and Savagnin Blanc, which are now accepted as being the same grape, display subtle differences in leaf structure depending on where they are grown.”
“The wines are low in acidity, but rich in extract and aromas (roses, lemon, forest berry, raisin, dried fruit), have good durability and excellent ageing potential. Prädikat wines often have a residual sweetness and a discreet, harmonious bitter touch.”
“This grape variety is mostly known for its spicy and succulent attributes. The wines made from this grape family are not too white, but a little golden in appearance. These grapes are very soft and smooth and therefore they are used in the preparation of some of the richest wines…The wines produced out of these grapes are bodied entirely and are very aromatic whenever it comes to their fragrance. Not only this, some of the Traminer wines are very pungent to the nose. They spread the aromas of hints of roses, lychee as well as dry cloves.”
“The grapes are produced very aromatic, high quality white dry, semi-dry and sweet wines and champagne wine materials. Varietal wines are characterized by golden color, high alcohol content and extract and strong sweet fragrance with predominant notes of flowers and exotic fruit that develops in aging.”
[Machine-translated to English.] “The variety produces well-structured white wines with quality and aging potential. Especially the most common type of game Gewurztraminer provides white wines rich in extract and alcohol varietal, intense aromas musk (musqué), bitter orange, lychee (lychee tree), marzipan and roses, That is why the vine is one of them bouquet places.”
“There are two common variations – Red Traminer, named after the distinct colour of the berries, which produces golden yellow and moderately strong wines in the semi-dry and semi-sweet categories; and aromatic Traminer, which produces wine with an intense rose and marzipan aroma in the semi-sweet and sweet wine categories. Both representatives of this grape variety grow in the continental wine countries of Europe…[Traminer] is characterised by a high alcohol content and low acidity, which makes it particularly sweet.”
“Traminer can be fabulous and, given the occasion, quite unsurpassable,…Leading English wine critic, Michael Broadbent says that traminer is the most disregarded of all the noble grapes.”
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Some Descriptions of Traminer Wines
“The colors and flavors of Traminer wines vary considerably depending on which sub-set they belong to. The most prominent example is undoubtedly Gewurztraminer, which also produces some of the most profoundly aromatic wines on the planet. Less well known is the deep-pink-skinned Roter Traminer (also known as Red Traminer, Savagnin Rosé and Klevener de Heiligenstein), which produces intensely aromatic white wines, sometimes with a faint pinkish hue. Members of the Traminer family have proven so genetically unstable that it almost impossible to track their ancestry with any degree of certainty. Even White Traminer and Savagnin Blanc, which are now accepted as being the same grape, display subtle differences in leaf structure depending on where they are grown.”
“The wines are low in acidity, but rich in extract and aromas (roses, lemon, forest berry, raisin, dried fruit), have good durability and excellent ageing potential. Prädikat wines often have a residual sweetness and a discreet, harmonious bitter touch.”
“This grape variety is mostly known for its spicy and succulent attributes. The wines made from this grape family are not too white, but a little golden in appearance. These grapes are very soft and smooth and therefore they are used in the preparation of some of the richest wines…The wines produced out of these grapes are bodied entirely and are very aromatic whenever it comes to their fragrance. Not only this, some of the Traminer wines are very pungent to the nose. They spread the aromas of hints of roses, lychee as well as dry cloves.”
“The grapes are produced very aromatic, high quality white dry, semi-dry and sweet wines and champagne wine materials. Varietal wines are characterized by golden color, high alcohol content and extract and strong sweet fragrance with predominant notes of flowers and exotic fruit that develops in aging.”
[Machine-translated to English.] “The variety produces well-structured white wines with quality and aging potential. Especially the most common type of game Gewurztraminer provides white wines rich in extract and alcohol varietal, intense aromas musk (musqué), bitter orange, lychee (lychee tree), marzipan and roses, That is why the vine is one of them bouquet places.”
“There are two common variations – Red Traminer, named after the distinct colour of the berries, which produces golden yellow and moderately strong wines in the semi-dry and semi-sweet categories; and aromatic Traminer, which produces wine with an intense rose and marzipan aroma in the semi-sweet and sweet wine categories. Both representatives of this grape variety grow in the continental wine countries of Europe…[Traminer] is characterised by a high alcohol content and low acidity, which makes it particularly sweet.”
“[T]he grape can yield sturdy, ample-bodied dry white wines with a reputation for evolving attractively for five to 10 years in the cellar.”
“Traminer can be fabulous and, given the occasion, quite unsurpassable,…Leading English wine critic, Michael Broadbent says that traminer is the most disregarded of all the noble grapes.”