As warmer days start to overtake crisp days, it’s time to think about replacing your big, bold, comforting winter wine with crisp, thirst-quenching spring wine. Can you continue to drink your winter wines? Absolutely. But let’s look at some of the reasons for making transitions.
White Spring Wine
Sunny weather calls for crisp, lively whites. The crispness is very refreshing on hot days, and the liveliness is perfect for a variety of spring dishes, including garden salads, fish tacos and seafood risotto.
Some of my favorite crisp, lively whites include:
- Sauvignon Blanc – This wine’s high acidity and citrus-driven flavors make it a must have for spring (and summer and the rest of the year :)).
- Grüner Veltliner – BrightCellars describes this wine as “a lean, herbaceous white wine that’s high in acidity with notes of pepper. It’s a classic palate cleanser that’s incredibly versatile when it comes to pairing with springtime dishes.”
- Albarino
- Garganega – According to Wine Folly and Italian Wine Central, this grape produces a dry, light-bodied wine that is similar to a Sauvignon Blanc but is steely, minerally and age-worthy.
- Gewurztraminer – This wine has prominent notes of lychee and grapefruit and pairs beautifully with Thai and Indian dishes.
Rosé Wine
While Rosé is now popular year-round, the thought of sitting on a patio on a sunny spring day and sipping a fruit-forward Rosé while eating a feta salad or a grilled salmon is just too good to be true. Also, the beautiful flowers in bloom go perfectly with the beautiful color in your glass.
Red Wine
Light-bodied reds, along with barbecue-friendly wines, are perfect for this time of year.
Here are some of my favorites:
- Pinot Noir – With flavors of strawberries and cherries, this lighter-bodied red is perfect for spring.
- Grenache – Grenache’s fruit notes are on the lighter, springier side: strawberry, black cherry and raspberry.
- Gamay – This is a grape that is most famous for producing the light, fruit-driven red wines of Beaujolais, the most famous of which is Beaujolais Nouveau.
What are your favorite spring wines?
1 comment
What a lovely post! Thank you.