At the first sign of spring it’s time to shift out of heavy winter clothes and heavy foods, and into some lighter wear and fare. To accompany this, I would like to recommend some light white wines. Many great choices are now available — wines we never heard of a few years ago are now part of our daily wine vocabulary. Torrontes, Albariño, Verdejo and Moscatel — all sound sexy. They drink light and are ready to drink from Spain and Argentina.
Torrontés — Argentina’s top white wine.
Fragrant — aromatics rather like Viognier. I’ve found that flavors of lychee nut and citrus abound in this wine.
Verdejo — Similar to the ubiquitous Pinot Grigio, although this Spanish wine usually has bit more citrus and acid, which makes it a great food wine.
Albarino — Peach and apricot flavors can be expected of this mildly acidic light white wine. This Spanish wine makes a perfect complement to seafood.
Moscatel — Never heard of it? Well, it’s the number three white wine sold in the USA, mostly as a sparkling wine, as in Asti Spumante. I like the Spanish rendition without bubbles and just a trace of sweetness.
Below are a few selections
from these grapes:
Torrontés — Crios from Argentina
Albarino — La Cana from the Rias Baixas area of Spain
Moscatel — Botani from Spain
Verdejo — Agricola Castellana from Spain
Some standard bearers (whites):
Allan Scott Sauvignon Blanc — from New Zealand
Inama Soave Classico — from Italy
Russiz Superiore Pinot Grigio — from Italy
Kung Fu Girl Riesling — from Washington, USA