Our Favourite Wines to Toast Spring

This weekend was spent getting our backyards in order. The first really nice weekend of this extraordinarily cold year, we welcomed the sunshine by washing windows, hauling out the patio furniture and pitching the faded winter floral arrangements to make way for the summer foliage that will move in over the next few weeks.

In honour of this long-awaited weekend comes our go-to list for Spring wines. With the satisfaction of remarkably clean windows as our encouragement, we toasted our Spring Cleaning success with a chilled glass of Ontario rose, and put pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard, to write our top warm weather sippers paired with the lighter fare that promises longer, warmer, sunnier days to come.

Rosé

It’s no secret we love rose. And what’s not to love? The fruity-berry flavours of a red with the vibrancy of a white, that’s incredibly food friendly? Yes, please.

We like: Flat Rock Cellars Pinot Rosé, VQA Twenty Mile Bench, 2011
$16.95 Vintages 39974
Spring Food Pairing: Fresh burrata cheese sprinkled with torn herbs, olive oil and sea salt.

Soave

Crisp and clean with subtle citrus/floral aromatics, and a bit of weight, we like how this offers easy refreshment on warm afternoons spent chatting around the patio table.

We like: La Cappuccina Soave, Veneto, Italy 2012
$14.95 Vintages 81489
Spring food pairing: Grilled prawns with bagna cauda

Pinot Gris

The aromatic Alsatian counter part to its Italian alter ego Pinot Grigio, we enjoy both the off-dry and dry styles in which it’s produced, and will flirt with just about any region in which it’s made: Alsace, New Zealand, Oregon …monogamy is not our strong suit, here. However, we really think Pinot Gris shines in Canada – both Ontario and BC, and more often than not it’s the home team that makes it to our glasses.

We like: Huff Estates Pinot Gris, VQA Ontario, 2011
$19.95 Vintages 134221
Spring food pairing: Fresh scallop ceviche with lime

Albariño

Also known as Alvarinho in Portugal, Albariño is one of Spain’s top white wines. It’s aromatic with ripe peach and floral flavours, vibrant, focused acidity and a fairly delicate structure: almost like a cross between Viognier and Riesling.

We Like: Señorio de Rubios Albariño, Rias Baixas, Spain 2011
$17.95 Vintages 314427
Spring food pairing: Braised chicken thighs with tarragon and wilted spring greens.

Chardonnay

We like: Rosehall Run “Cuvée County” Chardonnay, VQA Prince Edward County 2010
$21.95 Vintages 132928
Spring food pairing: Fava bean risotto

Chianti

With its mid-weight body, elevated acidity and lovely blend of fruity and savoury flavours, we turn to Chianti Classico quite a bit for its versatility and food friendliness.

We like: Rocca delle Macìe Chianti Classico, Tuscany, Italy 2008
$18.95 Vintages 741769
Spring food pairing: Minestrone soup with spring vegetables, shaved parmesan & olive and rosemary foccacia

Gamay

Delicious and unassuming, it seems Gamay will always be the poor cousin to glamourous Pinot Noir. But wine lovers are catching on that this light-to-medium bodied red is wonderfully easy to drink and ranges in styles from rustic and savoury to juicy and fruit-driven, and goes with lots of warm weather fare.

We like: 13th Street “Sandstone” Old Vines Gamay Noir, VQA Four Mile Creek, Niagara Peninsula 2010
$29.95 Vintages 130195
Spring food pairing: Pulled pork tacos

Cabernet Franc

A little lighter than its off-spring Cabernet Sauvignon, with a bit more herbal, earthy flavours, this is a great wine to enjoy during the cool nights of spring. Medium bodied with great tannic presence and dark berry, earthy, spicy complexity, Cab Franc offers elegance and poise.

We like: Cave Spring “Estate” Cabernet Franc, VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Peninsula 2007
$24.95 Vintages 72751
Spring food pairing: Skirt steak fajitas

Barbera

We like Barbera for much the same reason we enjoy Chianti Classico – it’s bright and fresh with high acidity and low tannin, making it highly gulpable and food friendly. With flavours ranging from sweet red cherry to dark plum, with spice and chocolate, styles range from powerful and complex to elegant with refined.

We like: Michele Chiarlo “Le Orme” Barbera d’Asti, Piedmont, Italy 2010
$15.95 Vintages 265413
Spring food pairing: Ricotta stuffed eggplant involtini