As Autumn comes whistling in, is there any better consolation that a bottle of Alsatian grand cru Riesling? We had two at Il Leone yesterday: Kastelberg and Rosacker. Both 2012 vintages made by Julien Schaal and they could not have been different. Rosacker almost tropical is lasciviousness while the Kastel, made from grapes grown on schist, was all nervy minerality.

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We have another four grand crus and all we need now is to find a chef to whip up some Alsatian dishes to complement them. Thinking foie gras, choucroutte, presskopf and Munster cheese. How about it, Vanessa Marx?