As one strolls the streets of Strasbourg looking at the buildings and hearing grape names like Riesling and Gewürztraminer one could be excused for thinking that they were not in France. History explains this feeling as Alsace was French from 1674 until 1871, then German until 1918, then French until 1940, then briefly German and now French since 1945.

The cross-cultural nature of this area influences a style of wine that is quite unique and we have just expanded our range from the Willm Estate that was founded in 1896. After prohibition ended they were the very first to export Alsace wines to the US. Slow, gentle pressing and cool, temperature controlled fermentation of all their wines assures vibrant and pure fruit perfectly suited for a wide range of foods.

Please do not let the name Gewürztraminer scare you off as it is merely a combination of Gewurz (meaning spicy) and Traminer (the grape). Put them together and you have Guh-vurts-TRAH-MEE-NER, really not that difficult at all, and once asked for you will be rewarded with golden yellow hints, aromatic intensity and exotic fruits. It is the perfect wine to accompany oriental and Asian dishes whether Thai, Chinese, Moroccan or Indian.

As is quite common, the Willm Gewürztraminer Reserve 2013 has a little residual sugar left over after fermentation. We cannot taste sweetness in a liquid if the sugar content is less than one half of one percent (dry) and at about two percent, this wine mingles a tad of delicious sweetness with spice and a backbone to stand up to piquant and zesty foods from the east. $20.30.

The Willm Pinot Gris 2011 is from their Grand Cru vineyard called Kirchberg de Barr. The Italian clone of this grape is the ever popular Pinot Grigio, but here from Alsace we have a brand new taste sensation for me. Its yellow gold indicates a sugar content of almost four percent. It is very full bodied with honey and spicy notes, round, smooth and with a lengthy persistence on the palate. The history of this place is long and the vines at Barr are mentioned in an Eighth Century document at the Fulda Abbey which was in Germany at that time.

The Willm team suggests enjoying it with scallops, crabs, salmon, pike, quail, any fusion where north meets south, tex-mex, game, Cornish hen, duck, mushroom risotto, liver, kidneys, poached foie gras. Did they forget anything? $30.40.

The Willm Reserve Riesling 2013 sells for $17.75. This is one of our world’s classic grapes and if one is to believe many wine critics it is the finest white wine grape in existence. Possibly this opinion is derived from the ability of Riesling to age gracefully and offer so many styles of wine. In typical Alsace fashion it is dry and racy with great definition of fruit and a mineral character derived from the soil. Also evident are the aromas of yellow and green apples, peach, mango and white flowers. If, unlike me, you are a fan of sushi then this wine is a perfect match. I would prefer it with shellfish, smoked fish or pork dishes.

This column is a paid for advertorial for Burrows Lightbourn Ltd. Michael Robinson is Director of Wine at Burrows Lightbourn Ltd. He can be contacted at mrobinson@bll.bm or 295-0176. Burrows Lightbourn have stores in Hamilton (Front Street East. 295-1554), Paget (Harbour Road, 236-0355) and St George’s (York Street, 297-0409). A selection of their wines, beers and spirits are available online at www.wineonline.bm.