The cooperative cave at Pfaffenheim turns out a clean, fruit-forward Pinot Blanc at unbeatable price, the easiest weekday white in Alsace. Soft apple and pear with a low-acid finish, comfortably under fifteen euros.
Tip: Pinot Blanc is the underrated workhorse of Alsace; this bottle is the case for buying it by the case for summer apero use.
Bestheim is a major Cremant d'Alsace house and its Prestige Brut is a serious step up from supermarket fizz. Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir, twelve months on lees, fine bead and brioche-and-pear under twenty euros.
Tip: The Prestige label is worth the small premium over the basic Bestheim Cremant; pour it as the table fizz for Christmas or a long Sunday lunch.
Schlumberger's Les Princes Abbes Riesling sits below the estate's four Grands Crus at Guebwiller and offers a serious Riesling at gentle price. Dry, mineral and racy, with the long stony finish of the Vosges sandstone slopes.
Tip: Princes Abbes is the smart trade-up from supermarket Riesling; pair with trout or pike-perch in beurre blanc to feel the wine's saline cut.
The companion Pinot Gris in the Les Princes Abbes range, off-dry with ripe pear and a touch of smoke. A versatile food wine and one of the few sub-twenty-five-euro Pinot Gris that carries house-level Grand-Cru DNA.
Tip: Off-dry Pinot Gris is the classic partner for foie gras and choucroute royale; serve at twelve degrees to balance the residual sugar with the wine's acidity.
Kuentz-Bas, biodynamic-certified since 2007, turns out the Tradition Riesling as its entry cuvee. Dry, taut, lemon-lime fruit with a chalky finish, a serious biodynamic Riesling for under twenty euros.
Tip: Few biodynamic Alsace Rieslings come in this cheap; Kuentz-Bas Tradition is the entry to a serious house whose Pfersigberg Grand Cru pours far higher.
Gustave Lorentz of Bergheim has farmed its estate vineyards organically and the Reserve Riesling is its dry, dependable entry cuvee. Crisp apple, lemon and a touch of saline mineral from the village's limestone-marl soils.
Tip: Lorentz Reserve is the wine to pair with quiche lorraine or a goat-cheese salad; the Altenberg de Bergheim Grand Cru above the village is the same producer's flagship.
Josmeyer of Wintzenheim is Demeter biodynamic and the Mise du Printemps is its spring-release Pinot Blanc and Auxerrois blend. Fresh, low-key, salty and citrusy, the best biodynamic Pinot Blanc under twenty euros on the wine route.
Tip: Mise du Printemps is released in spring as the name suggests; drink the youngest vintage you can find, ideally as an aperitif on a vineyard terrace.