Which French fine wines are the most under-appreciated? Arguably the wines of the Alsace, a region in northeastern France on the border with Germany.

These should be easy for the American consumer to understand because wines usually are labeled by the name of the grape variety. The difficulty may be that the consumer doesn't know what to expect. The whites are food friendly but have a large range, from dry to very sweet.

Another stumbling block is price. Entry-level prices start at about $15, with many famous labels at $50 to $70, and special late-harvest sweeter wines at several hundred dollars a bottle.

However, wines from Alsace can be delicious and very accommodating with a wide range of foods.

Alsace has been alternately controlled by France and Germany since the middle of the 17th century. The influences of Gallic and Prussian ownership are reflected in the medieval towns with timbered buildings and cobbled streets of this area, sheltered by the Vosges mountains on the west and bordered by the Rhone River on the east. Alsace was under German control until the end of World War I and was reclaimed by Germany in 1940. After World War II, control reverted to France. Winemakers from the region pursued a desire for appellation controlee status, which was achieved in 1962. This status acknowledges that the wines of a particular region have certain identifiable characteristics and allows winemakers who follow the guidelines to use the name of the appropriate region on the label, indicating that the grapes used are of a specific kind from a specific district.)

Ninety percent of Alsace wine is white and made from several grape varieties: French pinot gris (less important are pinot blanc, auxerrois, chasselas, and pinot noir), and German riesling and gewurztraminer (less important is sylvaner) and exotic muscat.

These grapes grow in the most geologically complex area of any of France's great vineyard regions. The sunny and dry climate means ripe grapes in the northerly setting.

Most wines are 100 percent varietal, dry, with very pure fruit, powerful and transparent to reflect the plot of ground where the grapes were grown. The wine-making is very minimalist with neutral fermenters, no malolatic fermentation, no oak aging — all to preserve uninhibited fruit, lively acidity and dryness making the wines natural partners for food.

When the weather permits, there are two types of late-harvest wines recognized from a decree started in 1984. "Vendange tardive," or late harvest, may be dry or sweet. "Selection de Grains Noble" is made from botrytized grapes (grapes that have contracted Botrytis cinerea, a fungus known as the noble rot, which tends to concentrate the sugars); these grapes produce a rare wine intensely sweet and elegant and expensive. Both are wines that are often seen with the cheese or dessert course.

From 1983, the first 25 Grand Cru vineyards were recognized and 25 more were added three years later. This controversial decree was meant to single out the best vineyard sites for growing riesling, gewurztraminer, muscat and pinot gris. However, the restrictions are too broad to ensure that truly exceptional wines are produced at these sites.

I've looked around town and found some Alsatian wines for you to try: