Some wines simply don’t get the attention and respect they deserve. Our wine columnist’s top 5 underrated bottles are overachievers when it comes to quality, quaffability and value for money.
From left: Trimbach Riesling, 2016 Cabriz, 2018 Southern Right Sauvignon Blanc, Champalou Brut Nonvintage, 2014 Woodlands ‘Margaret’ Margaret River.
Alsace Riesling
Although Alsace produces some of the most interesting white wines made in France, they’ve never been a particularly easy sell in the U.S. For one, they tend to come in tall, slender, Germanic-looking bottles, which only confuses matters. Though Alsace belonged to Germany from 1871 to 1918, its Rieslings have a style distinct from that of the German Rieslings associated with that bottle shape. Some fault, too, lies with the producers, who don’t seem to focus overmuch on making their wines better understood by Americans. And the way the wines are categorized and sold here certainly doesn’t help. When I went looking for Rieslings from Alsace in my local wine shop, I found them grouped under “dessert wines.” Never mind that nearly all the wines displayed were actually dry.
It doesn't help that there are winemakers in Alsace who call their Rieslings dry yet vinify them sweet. But Trimbach’s are reliably dry and also reliably good. One of the oldest and most highly regarded producers in Alsace, this winery was founded in the quaint town of Ribeauvillé in 1626. The Trimbach Riesling ($17) is dry, crisp, elegant, food friendly and marked by a pleasing floral note.