It’s been a while since I’ve concentrated on a single country or a region – like what a proper wine column would do – so I thought I’d plump for the very interesting French region of Alsace.

This area on the east of France bordering Germany has had a tumultuous history, changing hands between the two countries (and the Roman Empire) until finally settling in French control in 1945.

A bastion of culinary delights, it boasts some amazing restaurants – in fact, it has the most Michelin-starred restaurants in any region of France, numbering a rather greedy 26.

This could be due to the mix of culture and history reflected on the plate, and it comes as no surprise to find the wines are amazingly food-friendly.

Alsace was probably the first region in France to identify its wines by their varieties.

More noted for the fragrant white wines, which feature here, it also produces some belting cool-climate pinot noirs that show finesse and concentration.

A good wine to start with is the HUGEL GENTIL 2014 (£13.90, Cambridge Wine Merchants Ltd, The Oxford Wine Company, Salut Wines, Lewis and Cooper Ltd, Taurus Wines and Last Drop Wines).

The wine is literally a who’s who of the varieties famous in the region, featuring gewurztraminer, pinot gris, riesling, muscat, pinot blanc and sylvaner, and shows off a glorious bouquet of aromatic floral notes coupled with a little restrained spice.

On the palate the fruit is balanced and fresh, with a little pear note combining with crisp citrus lime and apple fruit resulting in a lively mid-palate.

There is the most polite of mineral tones running through its spine.

It’s the sort of elegant Alsatian wine that is so well-behaved you half-expect it to shake your hand and hold the door open for you.

Simplifying things a little, the LÉON BEYER, AOC ALSACE SYLVANER 2014 (RRP £8.50, The Wine Society) concentrates on the single variety of sylvaner, showing off gentle white flower aromas on the nose with more forthright character in the mouth from the crisp white autumn fruits and showy lemon sherbert acidity at the edges.

Such a refreshing wine that washes across the palate with bright green apple showing up on the finish.

Finishing with a couple of rieslings, the FAMILLE HUGEL CLASSIC RIESLING 2014 (£18.35, Partridges of Sloane Square Ltd, J Townend Sons Ltd, Handford Wines, Wined Up Here Limited, Bubbles And Wine Ltd, Hailsham Cellars, John Kelly Wines, The Lovely Little Wine Shop and Taste Fine Wines) is, as the name suggests, a benchmark riesling, showing off the balance between crisp, zesty lime fruit and an almost creamy structure to the mid-palate.

The stony mineral tones add more layers of complexity, which if resisted and kept for a few years will become fuller and more intense.

But for you, my dear reader, I pulled the cork for some in-depth research.

Finally, the CLOS SAINT-JACQUES RIESLING 2014 (RRP £11.99, Majestic) follows the classic style of Alsatian wines, with delicate floral notes on the nose and assertively delivered citrus fruit in the mouth, making it an ideal accompaniment to a fine piece of fish or rich, sweet seafood.