8 editor-picked estates growing Auxerrois in Alsace.
Where to taste Auxerrois in Alsace: the estates that grow it, how the region expresses the grape, and how to book a visit.
Rorschwihr family domaine with library cellar stretching back four decades, specialising in long-aged Rorschwihr lieux-dits Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Pinot Gris.
Tasting: Cellar visits and tastings by appointment at the Rorschwihr winery.
Signature wines: kappelweg-riesling, moenchreben-gewurztraminer, stegreben-de-rorschwihr
Tip: Rolly Gassmann releases its wines with extended bottle age; current vintages frequently sit five to ten years behind release.
Orschwihr Cremant specialist founded by Balthazar Albrecht in 1698, a historic house involved in the 1976 founding of the Cremant d'Alsace AOC.
Tasting: Cellar visits at the Orschwihr house; Cremant tastings are a particular focus.
Signature wines: cremant-brut-rose, pfingstberg-riesling, cremant-brut-blanc
Kientzheim domaine farmed by cousins Philippe and Frederic Blanck across 36 hectares with parcels in four neighbouring Grands Crus on granite and limestone.
Tasting: Daily cellar visits and tastings at the Kientzheim winery.
Signature wines: schlossberg-riesling, furstentum-gewurztraminer, wineck-schlossberg-riesling
Wolfberger is a major Cremant d'Alsace producer and the Brut is a reliable supermarket value. Crisp apple and brioche from a Pinot Blanc and Auxerrois base, traditional-method, comfortably under fifteen euros.
Tip: Use this as the house aperitif fizz; the rose version is also under fifteen euros and useful with charcuterie, while the cuvee Prestige is the small step up.
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.
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.
Felix Meyer's small Katzenthal estate is a respected wine-route grower and the village Pinot Blanc is a generous, fleshy take on the variety. Stone fruit, salty finish, a step above supermarket Pinot Blanc.
Tip: Felix Meyer's Kaefferkopf and Wineck-Schlossberg Grand Crus are the bottles to chase, but the basic Pinot Blanc is the gateway under twenty euros.
Bergholtz's Loberger family makes a soft, generous Pinot Blanc that lands as a quiet wine-route bargain. Pear and saline finish, the kind of wine that disappears at table with no fuss for well under fifteen euros.
Tip: Bergholtz sits in the southern Haut-Rhin near Soultzmatt; Loberger's range is far easier to taste at the cellar than the village's bigger neighbours.