Two posts: the everyday Pinots and the rarest wine in Alsace
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Hello, Reader, Two posts on the blog today. One practical, one exceptional. Post 1: Pinot Blanc & Pinot Gris — What to Expect in the Glass The side-by-side guide. Pinot Blanc is light, approachable, gentle — the wine for aperitif service, mild food, any occasion where you want white wine that is pleasant and uncomplicated. Pinot Gris is full-bodied, aromatic, and built for rich food — smoked stone fruit, candied spice, a texture that can almost feel viscous in the glass. They are different wines for different moments, and the post gives you a clear framework for when to choose each one. It also addresses the question worth answering directly: Pinot Gris is not Pinot Grigio. Same grape, completely different style. If you have avoided the grape based on Italian Pinot Grigio, the Alsatian version is worth revisiting. Post 2: Sélection de Grains Nobles — The Rarest Wine in the Alsatian Cellar The full story. What noble rot is and how it transforms a grape rather than destroying it. How SGN is harvested — one berry at a time, by hand, over multiple passes through the vineyard, sometimes producing a single bottle per picker per day. What it tastes like: honey, dried apricot, saffron, a sweetness that does not cloy because the acidity keeps it precise. And when to open one. Thursday's post is built around the pairing this wine was made for.
P.S. SGN is available in half-bottle format — 375ml — which is the right size for a dessert wine pairing. Worth looking for when you go searching. Sélection de Grains Nobles: The Rarest Wine in the Alsatian Cellar |