Comparison
Gewürztraminer vs Viognier
How Gewürztraminer and Viognier differ, dimension by dimension.
The short answer
Gewürztraminer and Viognier come from the same country but sit in different territory. The main differences: Gewürztraminer has more sweetness; Viognier has more body; Viognier has more oak influence.
Choose
Viognier
Choose Viognier if you want something fuller and richer, more oaky, rounder and creamier in texture.
Where they genuinely differ
Only differences large enough to notice in the glass are listed here. A gap of half a point on a five-point scale is noise, and WineHQ does not dress it up as a finding.
Sweetness
Clear differencePerceived sugar in the finished wine, driven mainly by residual sugar but modified by acidity, alcohol and fruit ripeness.
Gewürztraminer is sweeter: medium against low-medium.
Body
Clear differenceThe overall weight and viscosity of the wine in the mouth — a composite of alcohol, sugar, extract and glycerol.
Viognier is fuller and richer: high against medium-plus.
Oak influence
Clear differencePerceptible impact of barrel or alternative oak contact — vanilla, toast, coconut, smoke, cedar and added texture.
Viognier is more oaky: low-medium against low.
Spice
Clear differencePepper, clove, cinnamon and related spice notes, whether from the grape (as with rotundone in Syrah) or from oak.
Gewürztraminer is spicier: medium-plus against medium.
Texture
Clear differenceMouthfeel independent of weight — from lean and cutting through to creamy, waxy or velvety. Driven by lees contact, malolactic conversion, skin contact and ageing.
Viognier is rounder and creamier in texture: high against medium-plus.
Where they are much the same
Just as useful: knowing which parts of the choice do not matter.
- Acidity: Similar — both low-medium.
- Tannin: Similar — both low.
- Alcohol: Similar — both medium-plus.
- Fruit intensity: Similar — both high.
- Aromatic intensity: Similar — both high.
Full side by side
| Dimension | Gewürztraminer | Viognier |
|---|---|---|
| Sweetness | typically medium, ranging from low to medium-plus (3/5) | typically low-medium, ranging from low to low-medium (2/5) |
| Body | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to high (4/5) | typically high, ranging from medium-plus to high (5/5) |
| Oak influence | low (1/5) | typically low-medium, ranging from low to medium (2/5) |
| Spice | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to high (4/5) | typically medium, ranging from low-medium to medium (3/5) |
| Texture | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to high (4/5) | typically high, ranging from medium-plus to high (5/5) |
| Acidity | typically low-medium, ranging from low to medium (2/5) | typically low-medium, ranging from low to medium (2/5) |
| Tannin | low (1/5) | low (1/5) |
| Alcohol | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to high (4/5) | typically medium-plus, ranging from medium to high (4/5) |
| Fruit intensity | typically high, ranging from medium-plus to high (5/5) | typically high, ranging from medium-plus to high (5/5) |
| Aromatic intensity | typically high, ranging from medium-plus to high (5/5) | typically high, ranging from medium-plus to high (5/5) |
| Savoury character | low-medium (2/5) | low-medium (2/5) |
| Floral character | typically high, ranging from medium-plus to high (5/5) | typically high, ranging from medium-plus to high (5/5) |
| Herbal / green character | low (1/5) | low (1/5) |
| Earthy character | low (1/5) | low (1/5) |
| Perceived freshness | typically low-medium, ranging from low to medium (2/5) | typically low-medium, ranging from low to medium (2/5) |
| Carbonation | low (1/5) | low (1/5) |
| Serve at | 10–13°C | 12–15°C |
| Typical flavours | lychee, rose petal, ginger, orange blossom, allspice | apricot, peach, honeysuckle, orange blossom, mango |
Values are typical points within each wine’s range. Both wines vary — see the individual pages for how much.
Read more
Grape
Gewürztraminer
The most unmistakably aromatic white variety: lychee, rose and ginger, with low acidity and often a touch of sweetness.
Grape
Viognier
A full-bodied, apricot-and-honeysuckle-scented Rhône variety that nearly disappeared in the 1960s.
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