Two Pinot Blancs, Alsace and Alto Adige

The pinot blanc grape regularly plays second fiddle in whatever region it is grown. A mutation of pinot gris, itself a lighter-colored version of pinot noir -- it's a complicated, slightly incestuous family tree -- pinot blanc is often described as a light chardonnay, though if that's the case why bother? The grape seems to have originated in Burgundy, …