Riesling Flight, $7

2006 Leon Boesch Tradition, $14.99... Domaine Leon Boesch was established in 1640. Gerard Boesch is the 11th generation of his family to run this estate in Westhalten, a village hidden in the Vosges mountains equidistant between Colmar and Mulhouse. Centuries of farming experience led the Boesch clan to the use of enlightened and successful methods; this estate has been organic for quite some time, and rumor has it that in recent years they have adopted many biodynamic practices. Gerard remains active in the promotion of the wines of his home region both domestically and abroad, and served as head of the Alsatian grape growers association for several years.

2005 Binner Vignoble de Katzenthal, $20.99... This estate was established in 1770. The average vine age on Binner’s property is 35-years-old, with 40% over 60 years old, and plenty that have entered their second century of productivity. Binner has an excellent slice of land in and around the Kaefferkopf Grand Cru, close to his home village of Ammerschwihr. They own nine hectares, with only six planted to vine.

2005 Fritz Haag Estate, $17.99... This estate sets the standard for the village of Brauneberg. Here in the heart of the Middle Mosel, just south of Bernkastel, quality estates are easily spotted on the banks of the river. Still, Fritz Haag is in a different league. Northern Mosel austerity wed to southern Mosel vibrant fruit? Who knows why, but the wines at this address seem complete, perfect incapsulations of one of the world’s great white grapes. I biked into town on a sunny day, and with fields of grass ad little yellow flower and the slow-moving river as a backdrop I craved the refreshment of Haag’s Riesling. It fits the place.

Apline Flight, $9

2007 Mayr Blaterle, $28.99... Elda and Heinrich Mayr farm land that has been in the family for at least 200 years of recorded history. Their modest estate is located on a street named for Heinrich's relative, Josef Mayr Nusser, who is recognized for his opposition to the Nazi occupation during World War II, and resulting death as a Catholic martyr and conscientious objector. The Nusserhof Estate was certified for organic farming in 1994. They adhere strictly to a naturalistic approach to caring for their vines, and won't even use organic fertilizer to amend the soil.

2007 Niedermayr Santa Maddalena, $15.99... Josepf Niedermayr’s estate covers a total of 15 hectares. Muller-Thurgau, Schiava, Pinot Nero (Noir), Silvaner, Muskateller: grapes that thrive in the long, dry growing season and cool spring and fall of Alto Adige. After a brief inspection (it’s hard to know what to say, vineyards all look pretty similar, though the view down onto the town below from Niedermayr’s vines was impressive) it was back to the winery for speck, salami and armloads of grappa. Josepf also has an interesting collection of antique farming equipment in the cellar, tools he can remember using with his father, and his winemaker’s father. The two families have worked in symbiosis for generations. They share reverence for these agricultural traditions.

2006 Grosjean Torrette, $21.99... The whole region of Valle d’Aosta has 520 hectares of vineyards, and only 385 acres of this land is in a DOC zone. This is less than half the acreage cultivated 20 year ago. At the end of the 19th century the Valle d'Aosta had over 3,000 hectares of vines. Many of these terraced vineyards disappeared between the two world wars. Fewer than 2,000,000 bottles are produced in the region annually. There are single estates in Sicily making more wine in a given year.