Autumn leaves a taste for Alsace

I’m not quite sure why it is that Alsace wines put me in mind of autumn – and vice versa – but it must be something to do with their golden qualities of ripeness and richness and fullness. If that sounds good to you then you’re in for some treats as the region has, in my view, the highest quality-to-price ratio of any wine-producing region in the world.

Wines from this north-eastern corner of France can be quite literally autumnal as the growers tend to leave the grapes on the vines later than in other regions – the extra ripening gives the high sugar levels that are important to get the right balance between the sweetness of the fruit and the acidity that stops it from cloying. Indeed, for the finest Vendange Tardive (late-harvest) and noble-rot affected Selection de Grains Nobles wines, the poor blighters can shiver out on the slopes until November or even December.

It’s no surprise that these wines sometimes seem to have more in common with German wines as the region has been part of Germany more than a few times over the past five centuries. The best advice for selecting a wine from this region, and indeed for all wines, is to go for a producer with a good reputation and then to stick to the four “noble” grapes – spicy Gewurztraminer, racy Riesling, elegant Pinot Gris and the luscious, grapey Muscat.

Tesco’s Alsace Gewurztraminer 2002 (£7.03) is an excellent introduction to this most distinctive of grapes. It’s rich and golden with long, exotic flavours of lychees and a hint of Turkish Delight thrown in. At Marks & Spencer, the Alsace co-operative Cave de Turckheim provide an excellent – and modestly priced – range of wines from the region including a Riesling 2002 (£5.99) which is a good entry-level example of this grape. It has a crisp, appley acidity to round up the cinnamon spiciness of the fruit and just a whiff of the petrol – don’t be put off – that often characterises Riesling in this part of the world.

I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad Alsace wine (don’t call them Alsatian, by the way, because that’s a dog) and, in the £8-£12 range, examples from leading producers such as Hugel and Trimbach are still terrific value. Hugel’s Tokay Pinot Gris “Tradition” 2001 (£10.99, Adnam’s: 01502 727222) has nothing to do with the famous Hungarian dessert wine called Tokay, which is made

from the Furmint grape: the old-fashioned name for Pinot Gris around these parts is Tokay d’Alsace.

It does, however, have everything to do with concentrated, creamy layers of white fruit flavours kept in check by a lick of clean acidity. If you like it as much as I do, you’ll probably have to try its big brother Tokay Pinot Gris “Jubilee” 2000 (£17.95 at Berry Brothers & Rudd: 0870 900 4300) which adds a smoky intensity and lush, peachy flavours of great depth and length.

And what of those essences of autumn, the late-harvest lovelies? At £33.95 (Berry Brothers), I’m not going to be drinking Trimbach Tokay Pinot Gris Vendange Tardive 1997 every day, but when I did try it I thought it was worth every penny: rich and long, with beautifully balanced acidity.