Five Deliciously Perfect Wines for Springtime Drinking
Dust off the credit card, it’s time to spring clean your cellar.
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Springtime in the wine world is when we start looking forward to the upcoming vintage. Wineries start releasing some of the fresher styles of white wine, bright and lighter reds and rosés ahead of new wines to be made in the beginning of 2018. Others dust off their retail shelves and push full-bodied reds to the back, making room for all the new release rieslings and other aromatic whites coming into the store, ready for the warmer months.
But if don't know where to start drinking with all these new springtime releases, fear not — we've done the heavy lifting for you by combing through the Vinomofo cellars to find the best drops, regardless of the occasion, time of day or springtime locale you might find yourself in.
And what's more, if you're looking to start stocking up your home cellar in preparation for the party season (yes, it's less than three months till Christmas) you can use any extra American Express reward points you have floating around to buy some vino. Here are the drops we think you should be looking to first.
RIESLING
In the words of Miranda Priestly, "Florals? For spring? Ground-breaking". It may not be new, but a delicious floral riesling and springtime are a classic pairing for a reason. For example, it's Friday night, you've had a long week at work and got hit with one of those days where you thought the weather was going to be mild (but ended up being a scorcher), and you wore too many layers. You're exhausted, and all you want to do is peel off your sweaty clothes and eat takeaway in front of the TV.
Enter, refreshing and soul-reviving riesling. The wine style naturally hangs on to its acidity while its balanced with white florals, ripe citrus, tropical fruit (and sometimes) melon notes, so it's always going to have this lovely, invigorating quality to it. That's what makes it so perfect for food. Indian, Thai, Chinese and anything with spice, oil or fat (you know, all the necessary food groups). Always keep one in the fridge, nice and cold, like the 2017 Penna Lane Lot 5 Riesling from the Clare Valley in South Australia. It's pretty much the wine version of a first aid kit.
ALBARIÑO
Albariño has seen its way through a funny turn of events in the history of Australian wine. In 2009, after the CSIRO did DNA studies on winery vines, it was discovered that the vineyards in Australia that thought they had planted albariño were in fact planted with savagnin. Native to Spain, the white grape is perfect in any warm climate (not only to grow but also to drink in abundance) because of albariño's light style and bright acidity and freshness.
For a perfect thirst quencher after an afternoon springtime dip in the ocean (when the water is still crisp and refreshing), splash some of the 2014 Paco Y Lola 'Lolo' Albariño in your glass and sip on the Spanish version wondering what could have been if we had it planted on our great shores.
ROSÉ
Picture this: a warm spring day in the park, sitting on a picnic blanket with a little Bonobo playing out of your Bluetooth speakers. What's missing? A glass of dry rosé in your hand. Rosé typically has fresh acidity alongside a natural meatiness and density in the mid-palate. This is usually paired in the wine with bright red fruits that are stereotypical of the varietal along with a dry finish to refresh the palate after each bite of food.
Want to up your rosé game with something a little left of centre? Try a sparkling rosé like the NV Royal Marine Sparkling Rosé Brut. It has classic characters of raspberries, redcurrant, rose petal and gooseberries, not to mention that pretty, pale pink aesthetic that makes it a wonderful pair with a sailboat around Sydney Harbour, springtime breeze on your skin included.
MALBEC
There's nothing that pairs better with quintessential springtime Aussie barbecue than malbec. There's a reason why it's heralded as Argentina's 'national grape' (have you seen how much meat is piled on your plate at an Argentinian steakhouse?).
Opt for one of the more fruit driven styles like the 2014 Chevalier du Lagrezette from the south of France, with a bit of spice weaving its way through the palate, and go for some huge hunks of chargrilled steak to counteract the fruitiness of the wine. Then, crank The Strokes or LCD Soundsystem in the background, and you'll be food and wine matching like a rockstar (and a crowd favourite at any springtime housewarming).
TAWNY PORT
What about those of you with a sweet tooth? Or those still holding onto the last dregs of winter by craving full-bodied reds? Enter fortified wines, or, specifically, tawny port. Australian vintage ports tend to be richer in style than their Portuguese ancestors.
Tawny ports are blended ports (a combination of older wines mixed in with the new wine and then aged in oak barrels and casks from five to up to 100 years. Tawny ports are ready to drink when bottled as most of the maturation has already taken place in the five to 100-year period. They're perfect for romantic balcony hangs, paired with an assortment of cheeses and golden light from the setting sun. Try the Lou Miranda Estate Dark Angel Grand Tawny. It's smooth and sweet, showcasing toasted nut, toffee, spice and raisin notes. It's also full-bodied, just like the rest of your evening if all goes well.
Treat yourself this spring. More and more places welcome American Express — like Vinomofo — and you can even use your reward points to pay off your purchases, so you'll feel like you're winning at life as you use all those points you've collected over winter.
Images supplied by Vinomofo.
