Wine Note – Alsace Pinot
2019 Alsace Pinot Gris Chassaux et Fils (Aldi £7.99)
A wealth of information is provided with the bottle. The details would fit nicely onto a sheet of A4, but they’ve been squeezed onto a back label just 8cm by 6. It’s just as well that the quality of the contents mean that you won’t need to damage your eyesight by straining to read the returns procedure.
On the Aldi sweetness scale of 0 to 6, this is marked as 3, so it’s definitely off dry. Not all Alsace labels are so helpful.
Your palate will confirm that it’s a 3, but that its sweetness is well balanced by its acidity. It has a floral nose and tastes of peaches.
Who made it? Chassaux? That’s just a marketing name. The back label shows that it’s bottled by CVH, which is Cave Vinicole Hunawihr, one of the renowned cooperatives of Alsace. And it’s imported by Liberty Wines, one of the UK’s top wine agencies. Well done Aldi.
They suggest that you should pair it with seafood and spicy dishes. I’m not convinced that it’s dry enough for fish but it went perfectly with chicken curry.
John Freeland (U3A Wine Tasting Group)
County Matchplay Champion
