Alsace, France

Alsace is often misunderstood and often overlooked. A pity. The mistake is to assume that its wines are similar to those of the Rhine, its eastern neighbour, with light, delicate and floral qualities. Not so. Alsacean wines tend to be bone dry, firm and quite high in alcohol. This makes them highly suitable for matching with food. They work particularly well with Pacific Rim cooking - and even the odd Chinese takeaway!