INSIDER'S PICK: 2018 DOMAINE BOTT-GEYL METISS 'POINTS CARDINAUX' ALSACE $22.99

Even though we will not be doing the public tasting portion of the Insider's Pick until further notice, we will still be offering the wine for purchase with the usual 10% discount on Thursday and Friday. The wines will still be ones we highly recommend, and the tasting notes will still be our own. We will be returning to doing just the one wine on Thursdays and Fridays until further notice. We hope you are able to come by and get some wines to enjoy.

Another pre-Thanksgiving wine to get you in the mood. We always love recommending Alsatian wines for this time of year for their versatility over the broad spectrum of foods and flavor combinations that make it to the holiday table. Many people may feel adverse to trying them expecting them to all be sweeter (a pre-associated prejudice against the tall narrow bottles, perhaps), but by and large they are much drier than people think. Grapes like Pinot Blanc and Chasselas make up a lot of their everyday wines and blends, and both are very dry and clean tasting. Riesling here also tends to be much drier and minerally/stony on the palate than in most parts of the world, though sweetness does creep in. Point being, you stand to get a fairly dry wine when picking an Alsatian wine, and a 'Metiss' field blend (also called a 'Gentil' by many producers) are a great way to introduce yourself to the region. Bott-Geyl is one of the long-standing greats of the region, known for high quality as well as one of the longest followers of organic/Biodynamic viticulture in the region. Their blend is primarily Riesling, Pinot Blanc and Chassselas, but also has a splash of Muscat, which brings a touch of perfume and prettiness without influencing the overall sweetness. Clean and forward on the nose with lots of cool pear and white fruits, fresh mountain streams and a bit of orange blossom and wildflower from the Muscat. Just enough weight to the palate to give the fruit some body and intensity, but no sugary sweetness, nothing cloying at all, just pure juice with some acidity to the finish that brings some tingle to the tongue. The clean fruit character handles all the savory and sweet combos in the food, while the body can contend with a lot of the creamier sides and diversity of meats.

---