Hugel Pinot Blanc

2010 Hugel et Fils Pinot Blanc ‘Cuvee Les Amours’: How to win a bar bet: ask someone what’s the most planted grape in Alsace, and when they say Riesling or Gewürztraminer, collect. That’s because Pinot Blanc has taken over, perhaps partially because of the version this well-respected house (in business nearly four centuries) makes.

Hugel claims its Cuvee Les Amours is “not far in style from an unoaked Chardonnay,” but that’s a bit of an overstatement. This is a direct and lean wine, bright and acidic and a great match for a range of foods, from roasted mushrooms and leeks over pasta to a hearty goat cheese. You’ll get notes of citrus and citrus blossom, and then a lovely but restrained core of green apple and white peach.

At a $17, and often cheaper, it could easily become a versatile house white that works as a handy aperitif, too.

See hugel.fr.