Maybe we’ve gotten cocky. After all, the Winettes have been skipping through enormously large wine-tastings for more than six months. Gone are the days of total drunkenness by midnight. No longer are there girls passed out on the couch by the end of the night or the following morning. We have faced down 18 bottles of wine and somehow come out on the other side.

But none of that prepared us for the sugar involved in 10 bottles of white German wine.

I woke up the next morning and felt like I’d just consumed 12 pounds of cotton candy.

But it was totally worth it.

This month, the Winettes skipped back across the ocean and settled in for German and Alsace wines. (Dry) Gwen has cleverly avoided steering the group there since she’s a dry and red girl through and through. But when Winette roommates Alison and Mathilde offered to host, Mathilde stipulated the German region as she’d lived there and loved their wine. Game, set, match. Thus, we dutifully researched the region, made an effort to get some nice white blends that weren’t Rieslings and even had a couple of reds at the end.

But still – there was SO much sugar! And this is from the girl whose nickname is Sweet!

We started with the Rene Mure ($16.99) from Alsace, a Pinot Blanc that had aromas of honey, honeysuckle, pears and apricots. It was light, pale yellow color with a short finish and a crisp taste. It was a balanced, soft and light wine and Earthy’s mother, who joined us, accurately called it “gentle.” Winette Sharon even researched a dish that would go well with it and made the most amazing orzo-shrimp-scallion dish, which I shall be recreating tonight if you’d care to join me.

The next wine I must mention is the 2007 Helfrich Gewurztraminer from Alsace. It had a pretty color but beware: once you hold it up for a smell, the aroma leaps from the cup and assaults the nose. (Dry) Gwen described it as a “one-two punch to the nose.” But other Winettes felt differently. Most of the Winettes loved the aroma and Sharon even remarked “I like the smell better than the taste.” It’s a very floral aroma with hints of tropical fruit and a complex taste of candied apricot. It’s pretty sweet. It was described as a “hangover in a bottle.”

The winning wine of the month was brought by Estelle (Earthy’s mom). It was a lovely 2007 Rene Sparr “ONE” from Alsace, recommended by Earthy’s personal shopper, Ryan, at Total Wine. It’s a blend of just about every type of white grape you can find, including Sylvaner, Muscat, Riesling, Pinot Blanc and Klevener de Heiligstein. It had an inviting bouquet smelling of flowers, lilacs and apricots. It’s light, off-dry with a short finish and would go great with a summer meal. We were intrigued by this wine because the smell and the taste didn’t match up. The smell was intoxicatingly sweet – “like a lemon sugar cookie, Winette Sandy said. But the taste was crisp and acidic. It was a great wine, though.

Then we went into the Rieslings for the next six wines, which were kind of a sugar-induced blur. But one wine stood out: Dr. Heidemann’s Bernkastel 2007 Riesling Spatlese (93 points, go Alison!) from Mosel. It was a sweet, light Riesling with higher concentration of taste that comes from a Spatlese (retailing about $22.99). “I could drink a bottle of this wine like that,” Earthy said snapping her fingers. And that’s the danger of the Rieslings. You love the way they taste and hate to see them go! This wine, brought by Alison, was a runner-up for the prize.

Finally, we stumbled our way through the remaining Rieslings, which were (in my opinion) all a lovely bunch. We had one fascinating red that interested all of us. It was a 2007 Gerd Anselmann from Pfalz made with Dornfelder grapes. And you’re not alone if you haven’t heard of those! It was soft, silky, fruity, accessible, and a little bit bouncy. One girl suggested a jazz hall singer but we turned her down and instead, decided if this wine were a singer it would be Jewel.

Come back for the next Winettes review, where we see what happens when we invite the “Dudes” for a rare, coed tasting.

What we tried:

2005 Rene Mure Pinot Blanc $16.99 at Total Wine

2007 Rene Sparr Pinot Gris $15.99 at Total Wine

2007 Helfrich Gewurztraminer $14.99 at Village Wine and Spirit

2007 Jean Albrecht Riesling Reserve $17.99 at Total Wine

2007 Rene Sparr ONE $11.99 at Total Wine

2008 Dr. Loosen Brothers Qualitatswein Riesling $12.99 from Zsazsa and Company, Inc.

2007 Adolf Mueller Kabinett Riesling $8.99 from Total Wine

2007 Dr. Heidemanns Bernkastel Spatlese Riesling$22.99 at Total Wine

2006 Von Hovel Schwart Riesling Auslese $29 at Crown

2007 Eifel-Pfeiffer Auslese Riesling $24.99 at Total Wine

2007 Gerd Anselmann Dornfelder $13.99 at Total Wine

2007 Villa Wolf Pinot Noir $20 at Chill Wine Merchants