2022 Two Bud Spur Gewürztraminer $45

11/05/2025

Gewürztraminer was the wild child of the Tasmanian wine industry in the 1980s and early 1990s. Long before orange wines and new-fangled lo-fi varietals and blends appeared in our wine glasses, this was the left-field variety to drink or cellar medium-term. Tasmanian-grown Gewürz didn't turn out all fat and flabby and OTT after its journey through the winery - unlike its Big Island siblings. It was expressive in floral/musky ways, with intensity and fine natural acidity that made it a joy to behold.

But Gewürz is a Jekyll and Hyde in the vineyard. Often unruly to maintain in a neat trellis and sulky in tricky vintages, there can be seasons when it simply refuses to set a viable commercial crop. Many good iterations disappeared from the early Tasmanian wine scene because other aromatics like Riesling and Pinot Gris were far easier to grow and make. Hats off then to Karen Miller and Craig Mundy at Two Bud Spur, Gardners Bay. This is a ripper of a wine. And it's bottle-aged, too.

Pale polished gold in the glass with flashes of green, there's no mistaking the variety as the wine heads towards your lips. Ripe fruit wraps itself in aromas of Turkish delight, musk and lychee. The palate is very potent but comes with lively/zesty natural acidity and well controlled phenolic grip. The wine may be three years old but there's tremendous focus here. A 2008 Gewürztraminer from Two Bud Spur - opened alongside the 2022 - looked as fresh as a daisy. Impressive.

Source: Cellar door during Spring in the Vines, Wine South, October 2025