This locally bred variant of the German Gewuerztraminer ("spicy Traminer") is a truly memorable wine; in its elegance and distinguished character, Traminec is comparable to Renski Rizling, although it is quite different in taste and bouquet. The yield is slight and the vine is very sensitive to wind in its flowering season; it demands deep, warm, and nutritious soils. Traminec is quite unreliable, and it is said that two out of every three vintages are more or less failures.
There are actually two types of Traminec vine: the "red" and the "fragrant" Traminec; however, the "red" Traminec is almost forgotten and if it appears by chance in Traminec vineyards, it is not processed separately. The origin of this vine is unclear, but its known history is very long: Traminer was grown in Germany 1500 years ago although it was not processed as a varietal wine. Some ampelographers believe that Traminec may have been the noble and aromatic wine described by Pliny, and there are also some indications that the vine may have originated in Egypt. In this respect, Traminec remains a mystery.
The Traminec bouquet is simply incomparable, with an aroma reminiscent of roses, linden blossoms, muscat, and a plethora of other, more subdued fragrances. The rare good vintages produce a very aromatic wine, smooth with high alcohol content and rather slight acids; Traminec is usually semi-dry to semi-sweet, full-bodied, and velvety. It is a true connoisseur's wine, sometimes also described as a "ladies' wine" on the precarious assumption that its aromatic flavour is especially preferred by the female sex. Aging is a risky business with Traminec and definitely not to be undertaken by an amateur - - only some very rare late harvests improve with age, but only under the professional care of a master cellarer.
Traminec was once exclusive to the Podravje region, but in recent decades it has been successfully transplanted to [marje-Vir{tajn in Posavje which is similar in soil composition although somewhat colder. In Podravje, the competition to produce the best Traminec is fierce among the Maribor, Srednje Slovenske Gorice, Radgona-Kapela, and Ljutomer-Ormo` areas - with Maribor and Radgona-Kapela most frequently the winners. The Haloze area also produces good Traminec in warm years.
Sweet or semi-sweet Traminec should be served at 8 - 10 °C (46.4 - 50 °F) - the sweet late harvest Traminec is really a dessert wine and should be served with subtle bitter-sweet delicacies such as Sachertorte. Semi-dry Traminec should be served at 10 - 12 °C (50 - 53.6 °F) with ham, trout, salmon, and other fish dishes with special sauces, or with piquant cheeses. Traminec particularly enhances the taste and aroma of cinnamon - this is certainly not advice based on Slovene tradition, but I strongly recommend Traminec with cinnamon-containing Indian curries: the wine and the spicy food act together to suffuse the palate with an overpowering aroma of aged cognac.
