The 1999 Gewurztraminer Carte d'Or is an excellent value. Its potpourri and rose water nose leads to a light to medium-bodied, simple, and easygoing style. Its lychee and rose-like flavors lend themselves marvelously to quaffing this wine down as an aperitif. Drink it over the next two years. Importers: William Deutsch and Sons, White Plains, NY; tel (914) 251-9463, and BCI, Evergreen, CO (for Wyoming and Colorado); Tel. (303) 674-2251.

This reliable producer's success with the lower level wines in 1993 and 1994 was spotty, but these four cuvees merit readers' attention. Sparr's most successful wines are generally made from more boldly-flavored varietals such as Gewurztraminer. Not surprisingly, his 1994 Gewurztraminer Carte d'Or is a spicy, honeyed, lychee-nut-scented, full-bodied, exotic wine. Although not complex, it is chewy and mouthfilling. Drink it over the next 2 years. Importer: Dan Kravitz, Hand Picked Selections, Warrenton, VA; tel. (703) 347-3471

Consumers looking for medium to full-bodied, ripe, concentrated, dry white wines with considerable character should check out Sparr's 1992 Pinot Gris-Carte d'Or, 1992 Gewurztraminer Carte d'Or, and 1992 Riesling Carte d'Or. The 1992 Gewurztraminer-Carte d'Or is a super bargain. The kinky nose of pineapples, lychee nuts, and rose petals is followed by gobs of ripe fruit presented in a full-bodied, lush style, with plenty of alcohol, glycerin, and fruit in the finish. Gewurztraminer can never be accused of being subtle, so expect an ostentatious, in-your-face wine that should drink well for 5-6 years. For $10, it is nearly impossible to find a Gewurztraminer of this quality level.While Sparr's wines are rarely capable of hitting the peaks reached by the likes of Alsace's Domaine Weinbach, Zind-Humbrecht, Albert Mann, or Bernard Schoffit, they are consistently reliable as well as fairly priced. All of the offerings reviewed in this issue are attractive, up-front, delicious, dry whites for drinking over the next 2-10 years, depending on the cuvee. Several other Sparr 1992s that are priced in the $12.50-14.00 range (too high for this article) are noteworthy wines. Consumers should be on the lookout for the 1992 Pinot Blanc Vieilles Vignes (86), 1992 Riesling Reserve (87; wonderful mineral/orange-like flavors in a dry, medium-bodied format), 1992 Pinot Gris Reserve (87; spicy, oily, buttery, and chewy), and the 1992 Gewurztraminer Reserve (88; textbook rose petal/grapefruit flavors in a full-bodied, dry format). Importer: Hand Picked Selections, Dan Kravitz, Warrenton, VA.