I have tasted this curio four times, and consistently find it appealing. It has come out of left field from a PEC start-up; yet it delivers such authoritative gewurztraminer character. The nose is classically lifted and exacting with lychee, rosewater, lanolin, vaguely peppery spice and orange/mandarin peel. It is not rich and unctuous texturally, which may actually please those who find gewurz cloying and seek more linearity and dryness. It is almost a summer sipper, but not too sweet or easy. Very good to excellent length. I would enjoy it thus, or with curries and/or other Asian. Don’t overchill.

Backgrounder – Volta Estate is an impressive work in progress by the Del Degan family, with a dramatic winery rising on the Loyalist Parkway near the hamlet of Rosehall in Prince Edward County, completion est 2028. But vineyards are already yielding (their own and those of top PEC viticulturalist Edgar Ramirez), wine is being made by Christopher Thompson in rented space next door at Rosehall Run, and marketing is full-on. It is largely a premium chardonnay and pinot noir house, but this nifty little Traminer, planted in 2022 on the home estate, offers a whimsical diversion. It is actually gewurztraminer, but using the grape’s original truncated traminer name signals a pared back experience. Chris explains the winemaking. “It was nerdy and slightly less than straight forward but not rocket science (though heavy on the science). Fifty percent of the fruit was pressed whole cluster and pressed inertly under nitrogen, and fermented in stainless steel inertly. The other 50% was de-stemmed and left to cold macerate on the skins in the press for about 16 hours on dry ice, so also inert and down to about 5 degrees C. We pressed it and that portion was split between steel (about 75% of this half) and amphora (25% of this half). Each three separate vessels were fermented separately with different yeasts, then were blended back together in the spring prior to bottling. So only about six months of bulk aging in tank”

Accolades Silver National Wine Awards 2026