Riesling rules

Best buys
• Safeway Pinot Blanc 1999 (£4.99)
• Turckheim Pinot Blanc 1998 (£4.99); both available at Bottoms Up, Wine Rack, Threshers and Victoria Wine

Pinot Gris
Pinot Gris is also known as Tokay d’Alsace and is probably the least floral of all the varieties. It has a dry, complex flavour with just a hint of spice on the end that gives it its distinctive Alsacian quality. This is a great food wine and goes particularly well with fish and shellfish.

Best buys
• Turckheim Tokay Pinot Gris 1998 (£5.99) at Thresher, Bottoms Up, Wine Rack and Victoria Wine
• Tokay Pinot Gris d’Alsace 1999 Gave de Beblenheim (£5.79) at Waitrose

Riesling
Dry, with a rich citrusy tang, this wine is often described as oily due to its texture. It tastes great with fish, chicken, and garlic or chilli dishes.

Best buys
• Tesco Finest Alsace Riesling 1998 (£5.49)
• Riesling Clos Hausarer 1999 (£14.49) from Wine Rack and Bottoms Up

Gewürztraminer
This is the floweriest grape of all with really aromatic, tropical fruit-like aromas and flavours and lots of rose petal-like overtones that always remind me of Turkish Delight. The wines can be anything from dry through to sweet – the latter will have the words ‘late harvest’ or ‘vendange tardive’ on the label and are much more expensive. Even though they are technically dry, they often appear medium-dry because of their extreme fruitiness. This grape is ideal with all Thai dishes. But make no mistake about it – people either love or hate this variety, so if you are serving it at a dinner party it is perhaps an idea to have a substitute hiding.

Best buys
• Sainsbury’s Alsace Gewurztraminer 1999 (£5.99)
• Gewürztraminer Turckheim 1998 Zind Humbrecht (£7.99) from Waitrose
• And, for a very special dinner party, try the luscious Gewürztraminer 1995 Rolly Gassmann (£12.99) from Safeway

Have a question about wine? ask Alice