Get a taste of warmer weather with these tasty Spring wines
The first day of spring was this past March 20th, but we’re still feeling those windy fifty degree mornings. For those days when the sun does shine bright, welcome in those wondrous days of spring once again with a few bright wines suggested by Imbibe’s spirit specialist Toni Zablocki.
“For me, during the spring time, I want wines that are fresh and lively,” Toni explained, “Rosé wines, Grüner, and Côtes de Gascogne are really fresh wines for spring.” When the weather is cloudy, your day can be bright just by pouring a glass of these spring wines.
Rosé wines were Toni’s first choice for the spring season. “Rosé wines can be made from red and white grapes. Depending on the producer, they’ll leave the skin on the red grapes to give it that pink color.” Unlike most sweet rosé wines, those for the spring incorporate notes of “floral, red fruits and are medium-bodied for a Rosé wine. It can be earthy or herbal and dry. These are different from the traditional sweet rosé wines such as White Zinfandel.” With notes of fruit and white flowers, Clos du Château was the first pick for spring.
The second type of wine is unfamiliar to most, but Toni introduces it as, Grüner Veltliner, a wine made from white grapes. “Grüner Veltliner is the main white wine grape of Austria. It’s very fresh and not as well known, but it’s incredible. Grüner is very green. It’s a green wine and Veltliner combined and we have a lot of different kinds.” Toni then pulled out one of the finest examples, Ried Steinsetz’s Kamptal Reserve before continuing, “It can be spritzy with a hint of effervescence. It’s dry and has a lot of complexity, yet it’s easy-going.”
When it’s time to “wine” down, pour a glass of Ried Steinsetz’s Kamptal Reserve. It consists of earthy, fruitful notes with floral aromas, making it a clean and fresh Grüner Veltliner wine for spring.
“Sparkling wines are nice year round, but it’s nicer to have a wine that is exciting in the spring time,” Toni said, leading us to one last wine to top off our list. “Something that is an everyday wine and pairs well with spring is Côtes de Gascogne from Southwestern France, Gascony. It’s here where Cognac is made. The grapes they use for Congnac are used for white wines as well.” When picking your choice of Côtes de Gascogne, Toni recommends Domaine du Tariquet.
Domaine du Tariquet is a dry, fruity wine with floral and citrus scents and “a lovely touch of exotic fruit”. As the bottle says, “light and well-balanced”, it fits perfectly into the description of our spring wines.
Fresh, lively wines that you can enjoy every day pair well with the warm weathers of spring. As Toni suggested, these wines are for those easy-going Sunday afternoons. As you relax on the back patio while the tulips start blooming, take a sip of one of the wines mentioned above and continue to welcome these longer days.