This was a big surprise discovery. I did not expect any Gewürztraminer in South Africa, let alone such a fabulous one. The best Gewürztraminers I tasted so far were during a holiday in the Elsass region. But this one not only has a beautiful name and story to it, it also tastes beautifully: spicy, full-bodied and fruty, but not too sweet. A real masterpiece from Nederburg if you ask me. Here is their own description of the story and a link to some more details:
The Beautiful Lady takes its name from a description of Ilse Graue, the wife of Johann Graue, a German immigrant who bought Nederburg in 1937. He is credited with introducing new wine-growing and winemaking changes at Nederburg. She brought a gracious sense of hospitality to Nederburg, planting a rose garden that still occupies pride of place in the garden. It was former winemaker Günter Brözel who called her “the beautiful lady”. She made him welcome when he joined Nederburg as winemaker in 1953.