Alsatian wines, I’m Tom Simoneau with today’s wine minute here to say Alsace, spelled A L S A C E, pronounced AL – SASS is the wine region located on the German border in Northeast France. The wines of Alsace, 90% of which are white, include Gewurztraminer, Riesling, Muscat, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, and Sylvaner. With its long cool growing season and high elevation vineyards (2000 feet), the wines are unique showing full in body with floral fruit aromatics. Here in the U.S. some of the finest Alsatian wines can be found in the Finger Lakes Region of New York State. But closer to home, Mendocino’s cool Anderson Valley has developed a reputation of producing some of California’s best. For a taste, look for the Handley Cellars 2011 Gewürztraminer, a fruit bowl in a glass, spicy with banana, mango, and golden delicious apple, 5 wine stains, $18. Alsatian wines – look for them in the tall slender Mosel like bottles.