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Lower acidity wine varietals, esp. French, Italian, Swiss, German

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I'm sure I'm not the only wine lover who sometimes gets bad acid reflux. Fortunately, over the counter meds help me control the worst of it, but I know wine can be a major culprit. Rather than give up wine entirely (NOPE!), I'm curious if folks know of some varietals that seem less acidic to you. Of course, I asked "Sommelier Google," and there are some standard answers like Pinot Noir and Grenache. But I'm curious if some veteran travelers and fellow oenophiles might have more esoteric finds or knowledge. Also, while the aforementioned Grenache often is named, we're probably done traveling to Spain for a while. So I'm particularly interested in varietals we're likely to encounter in France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, the Low Countries, etc. rather than Spain and Portugal.

Thanks in advance!!

Posted by
20090 posts

My small knowledge of Swiss wine,

Fendant, made with Chasselas grapes. Dry white, fruity, just a tiny amount of fizz.
Heida, made with Savagnin Blanc grapes (NOT Sauvignon Blanc), a high altitude varietal, Dry white.
Dôle, made from Pinot Noir and Gamay grapes. Red.

Posted by
10192 posts

Very informative valadelphia. It's American because at the end it talks about "sipping on a hot day" or something like that. In Europe, wine goes with food at a meal or apéro, not just sipped alone. Come to think of it, the right foods would be acid buffers. Tchin-tchin.

Posted by
2333 posts

Germany:
White: Weißburgunder and Grauburgunder (Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris), Silvaner, Muscat (not to everyone's taste), Müller-Thurgau. Unfortunately, there are many mediocre Müller-Thurgau products on the market (anything under €10 must be viewed critically), which are the reason for its poor reputation, but there are also excellent ones (e.g. the "Hasennest" from Franconia by Christian Stahl). For a start, you can check whether a winery is a VDP member. Some top wineries are not members, but you get to know them quickly. Of course, you should generally avoid Riesling.
Red: Spätburgunder (Pinot noir); resonable quality and prices e.g. at the Hassian State Winery Kloster Eberbach; Dornfelder (used to be the poor man's Pinot Noir, but in the last 20 years the quality has improved greatly).

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