Tonight was our next-to-last night in Christchurch, so we went out to arguably the best restaurant here, The Bodhi Tree. This took on extra significance as this restaurant is the only Burmese restaurant in New Zealand and we arrived the day after the landmark elections in Myanmar (Burma). With an outstanding dinner of shrimp in garlic, seasoned lamb cubes and a very unusual green papaya salad, we got:
2009 Lawson's Dry Hills Gewurztraminer (14% ABV) color: golden yellow nose: lychees and rose water palate: medium body, off-dry, balanced acidity, powerful fruitWhat a marvelous expression of Gewurztraminer this was, and a challenge to the wines of Alsace. It went beautifully with the food, most especially the lamb (which had been rubbed with aromatic spices and served with a delicate mint sauce). In the packed restaurant, virtually every table had a bottle of wine at it, but ours was the only Gewurz in evidence. I couldn't have asked for a better wine with dinner, though.
Mark Lipton