Much of the joy of spring is in the anticipation. This all too short season is a relief after the cold and dark of winter. Blossoms are forming, weather is warming, and porch drinks are back in order. It’s a big mood swing.
And, just as you swap your bulky cable-knit sweater for a breezy linen shirt, it’s time to stock up on light and refreshing white wines, to match the pleasures and lighter foods of springtime.
This week’s trio of wines will break you out of your pinot grigio rut, without breaking your budget. They are delicious, without being overly complex — wines you can splash in a tumbler and not have to contemplate too much. All three whites are low-intervention, organic and/or biodynamic, and all are priced less than $25. Ask for them at well-stocked wine and bottle shops.
Ameztoi txakolina 2020
Sizzling with acidity, this low-alcohol thirst quencher from the Basque region of northern Spain is an effortless choice for warm spring days. Made from the indigenous grape hondarrabi zuri, it has a refreshing, natural, spritzy quality. Offering pleasant salinity, intertwined with tart citrus and pear, it tastes like a day at the beach. The Ameztoi family is a benchmark producer, now in its fifth generation of winemaking. Its rubentis rosé txakolina — the first rosé ever produced in the region — has a near cult-like following, so, be sure to seek it out, too.
Meinklang Burgenland white 2020
This is a harmonious blend of grüner veltliner, welschriesling and muscat from Austria that smells like spring. It has lush floral aromatics, thanks to the muscat, but finishes dry and snappy, with bright acidity, while the peppery herbaceousness of the grüner shines through on the finish. If there is such a thing as farm-to-glass wines, it is the wines of Meinklang. This biodynamic cattle farm is a closed cycle of agriculture, giving back to nature, rather than just taking. This bottle offers exceptional quality at a Tuesday night price.
Cieck erbaluce 2020
If you’ve never had a wine made from erbaluce, you are far from alone. This varietal is one of the rare grapes of the Piedmont region of Italy, and Cieck is considered one of its finest producers. The winery was one of the original five producers in San Giorgio Canavese, in the Alpine foothills north of Torino. With refreshing notes of limeade, sweet melon and seashells, this white is wine geek-approved, and totally crushable.
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