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I have long been a fan of Alsace wines, but they were always notoriously difficult to sell to the public - probably something to do with the Germanic bottle shape and names - undermining the fact that these are usually elegant dry white wines, a long way from their sweeter German cousins. The other issue has also been price - there is no real cheap entry wine in Alsace (excluding Edelzwicker which is not worth trying usually).

However, my predeliction was always for Riesling or exotic Gewurztraminer - avoiding the deadly dull Edelzwicker blend, and usually finding the Tokay Pinot Gris a bit thin and uninteresting. Hence my delight to find a superb Tokay Pinot Gris from Domaine Fleischer at the Lille Wine Fair. This has a good weighty mouth with lots of structure and length - and stands up well to a rich chicken in mushroom sauce. I did also enjoy their Riesling and a very good Crémant d'Alsace.

Alsace is one area where "Co-operatives" are usually very good, and quite dominant in the mid-range. But this should not be allowed to obscure the fact that there are many good independent growers such as the Fleischer family who take huge pride in the quality of their production,

The good news is that their wines are available in the UK through The Wine Collective - although I will not upset you or them by revealing the price I paid in Lille. But then by the time you add the ferry costs, fuel, a few nights hotel and the odd gourmet meal it did not end up so cheap - but nevertheless a bargain.

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Keywords: France,Wine,Alsace,Lille,Riesling,Tokay,Pinot,Gris