"Dry" Whites From Alsace

A number of years ago, we ran into a Brit who lived in Gibraltar and had been to North Carolina on business. The thing that struck him most about North Carolina at the time was the difference between "dry" counties and "wet" ones. He couldn't get over the "dry" counties and kept repeating the word "dry" with a wry English imitation of a southern accent. Well, let me tell you, Alsatian whites are "dry." Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Riesling and Gewurztraminer in their dry Alsatian manifestations contrast sharply with North American versions from these same grapes. And they are typical bigger and more full bodied than their German counterparts. These food wines are delicious for the most part, although many are priced out of the market by scarcity and exchange rates. There were, however, some reasonably priced, flavorful wines offered by the the Alsatians who accompanied the French Rhone Rangers to town. Hopefully, some of these will be available in the Seattle market in the near future. The only red they made was a Pinot Noir with a heavy emphasis on the distinctive aroma of the variety and very little oak. It was a good thing they brought their buddies from the Rhone with them to fill out the red wine spectrum.