Exotic fruit mirrors flavor of some Finger Lakes wines

Most people know what tangerines, oranges and pears taste like. But what about lychees?

Many white wines have flavors reminiscent of tropical fruits, such as pineapple or mango, or citrus fruits such as grapefruit, orange, lime or lemon.

Before I taste a wine, often I can pick up fruit in the nose, and the flavor is usually confirmed when I taste the wine.

But I must confess I never knew what to make of tasting notes that described wines as tasting "like lychees." The reference often is used to note the characteristics of Finger Lakes Gewurztraminers.

I have been drinking Gewurztraminer for years and enjoy its spicy flavor. Some vintages have been full, rounded and mellow in the mouth, and they go great with fiery Chinese dishes. But I never used the term lychee to describe the flavor. I did not know what lychees are, let alone what they taste like.

Well, the Internet is a wonderful thing. I learned that the lychee is a tropical fruit that originated in China more than 2,000 years ago. According to the Produce Pair Web site (www.producepair.com), "the lychee is as popular there (in China) as the apple is here in the United States"

Lychees grow in clusters on trees that may reach 40 feet in height. They are cultivated in warm-weather locales such as Mexico, Australia, Florida and Hawaii.

Now I knew a little bit about the history of lychees, but I still had no idea what they tasted like. After a couple of unsuccessful calls to area produce departments, I walked into the Tops Friendly Market on South Main Street in Elmira, and there they were!

Lychees are oblong fruit about the size and shape of a strawberry and nearly the same color. Although listed in grocery stores as the lychee nut, it is really a juicy fruit. The skin looks like 16-grit sandpaper; this rough- textured exterior is not edible.

I brought home a pound and peeled off the thin shells. The fruit inside was a juicy pulp, similar in texture and color to what you would see if you peeled a white grape. Within is one hard, oblong pit that you don't want to bite down on.

As for the taste test, I took my lychees and my Red Newt Cellars 2001 Reserve Gewurztraminer to a gathering friends had after a canoe trip Sunday afternoon on the Chemung.

To say that some were hesitant to try the fruit is being kind. "I don't eat anything I can't recognize," one guest said.

Several brave souls tried the wine and the lychees, back and forth. Reporter Salle E. Richards (no relation), who admitted she wasn't a wine connoisseur, said that as the wine warmed up, she could taste the lychee flavor.

I complimented her on her observation; some grape varieties, such as Gewurztraminer and pinot gris, show flavor better when closer to room temperature.

Sports reporter Mike Sharp, when asked if he found similarities between the wine and the fruit, simply said, "Yes."

During my own experimentation, I tasted lychees at different stages of ripeness. I noticed that the ripest reflected the characteristics of the wine the best.

So, what does a lychee taste like? It tastes like a Finger Lakes Gewurztraminer.

Jeff Richards' wine column appears Saturdays. For comments or questions, he can be reached at 607/271-8279 or 800/836-8970, ext. 279, or e-mail: jrichards