Rieslings from Alsace are drier than other versions

Riesling wines vary widely in style. A Riesling can be bone-dry and crisp, it can be a rich, supersweet dessert wine, or it can be anywhere in between.

Most Rieslings from Germany and the United States tend to be sweet, but if you prefer a drier style of white wine, you still have an option available to you -- Rieslings from the Alsace region of France.

Alsatian Rieslings are almost always dry or off-dry. They are generally medium-bodied and very aromatic. One often finds combinations of aromas and flavors such as stone fruits (apricots, peaches, etc.), flowers, honey and minerals.

The tasters tried five Rieslings from Alsace. Here is what we found:

- 2003 Pierre Sparr Reisling at $13.99. This wine had a very expressive nose that made us think of a honeyed apple-peach puree. We also noticed aromas of fennel, pine, apricot, assorted spices and minerals. It was much drier in the mouth than the nose led us to believe. One taster noted the wine was similar to tea -- infused with aromatics, but light and crisp in the mouth.

- 2001 Lucien Albrecht Grand Cru Riesling at $14.99. This wine had classic Old World mineral aromas of slate stone and petrol as well as under ripe banana and citrus fruit, white pepper, licorice and anise. Tasting the wine revealed tart white grapefruit flavors with notes of lemon pith and orange and a hint of pineapple in the finish. This wine finished first.

- 2003 Domaine Marc Kreydenweiss Andlau Riesling at $22.99. We smelled roasted apples, burned sugar and cauliflower in this wine. In the mouth, it was spritzy and tart with mouthwatering acids. The wine was very lean, meaning it did not offer many fruit flavors, but we did detect some hints of Granny Smith apples and under-ripe pears. We decided this wine would probably pair well with food.

- 2002-2003 Hugel Riesling at $19.99. The 2002 version of this wine smelled of petrol, musk, dried apricot and Pine-Sol. It tasted salty in the mouth. We thought perhaps this bottle was off, so we later tried a bottle from the 2003 vintage. The 2003 wine smelled of pineapple and minerals; in the mouth it was lean and tart, with hints of apple and citrus.

- 2002 Trimbach Riesling at $20.99. This wine had a delicate yet complex nose offering fennel, fresh pear, bay leaf and talcum powder. We discovered that the wine tasted like it smelled. It had a creamy texture and savory fennel flavors.

Surfing the wine shelves

- 2004 Kathy Lynsky Sauvignon Blanc at $19. This was a delightful wine from New Zealand, full of grapefruit and other citrus and also pineapple and other tropical fruit. It was not as tart as other sauvignon blancs from that country, making it easy to drink before dinner.

- 2004 Kathy Lynsky Gewurztraminer at $25. The aroma suggested honey and orange spice with floral notes. In the mouth, it was very dry, almost like an Alsatian wine, with a spicy finish.

- 2003 King Estate Domaine Pinot Gris at $25. Tropical fruit exploded in the nose along with honey and spice. On the palate, it was very big for a pinot gris, with heavy tropical fruit and orange. It had a spicy finish.

Questions can be sent to Frank Sutherland, The Tennessean, 1100 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37203 or e-mailed to fsutherland