Posted by Fiona Beckett (Google+) on March 28 2007 at 10:11 The last two days have been quite, quite beautiful, starting mistily, basking midday in an unseasonally warm sun and finishing with an extended dusk that announces that spring is finally here. I immediately want to eat lighter meals: the new season’s vegetables are not quite in yet but I can at least plan for summer and that means a spring clean of the cellar, pushing the full bodied reds to the back and assessing what whites, lighter reds and rosés I still have lurking in the racks. Now is the time to drink up any lighter wines from last year that may have slipped my notice and make a shopping list for the weeks ahead. The idea of changing the wine you drink with the season, just as you change your diet and your wardrobe still meets some resistance. People tend to ‘like what they like’ when it comes to wine, drinking the same bottles right through the year. The more pronounced acidity and palate weight of lighter wines may not be to your taste.

But try them with the right kind of food and you’ll see how perfectly tuned they are to the flavours of spring. Sauvignon Blanc and Sauvignon blendsWhat more is there to say about Sauvignon Blanc? Only that there is much more variety than ever before and that quality seems on an unstoppable upward curve. Try those from South Africa if you’re not familiar with them. And revisit white Bordeaux and other Sauvignon-Semillon blends.Best food pairings: goats’ cheese, asparagus, grilled fish and other seafood, dishes flavoured with coriander and dill Grüner VeltlinerNo sign of the Grüner bandwagon slipping off the rails. food and wine best hotel barsIt’s still every sommelier’s darling - less demanding than Riesling, more sophisticated than Pinot Grigio (though see below). best wines to taste

Best food pairings: Light Asian flavours e.g. Asian accented salads and noodle dishes, Vietnamese spring rolls AlbariñoAnother fashionable option, Spain’s feted seafood white, which comes from Galicia in the North West of the country, has the intensity to cope with most light fish preparations. A good wine to choose in fish restaurants.Best food pairings: shellfish, light fish dishes, spring and summer soups e.g. gazpacho, tomato salads Chablis and other unoaked or lightly oaked ChardonnaysIf you’re a Chardonnay drinker, time to change the register from oaked to unoaked or at least subtly oaked. top wine brands 2014(Those rich buttery flavours will overwhelm delicate vegetables and seafood unless they’re dressed with a rich butter sauce.) best wine brands at targetFaced with competition from the new world, Chablis is better quality than ever and a good own brand buy from supermarkets. ac dc wine buy online usa

Watch out for offers. Best food pairings: oysters and other seafood, poached chicken, creamy sauces, fish and vegetable terrines, sushi Dry RieslingLike Marmite Riesling tends to polarise wine drinkers - some love it, some hate it. There’s no denying though that its crisp, fresh flavours and modest levels of alcohol it makes perfect spring sipping. If it’s the sweetness you’re not sure about stick to Alsace Riesling, German kabinett Riesling or Clare Valley Riesling from Australia. food and wine best beer gardensIf it’s the typical kerosene flavours it can acquire with age, stick to younger wines. watch the arrivalBest food pairings: Smoked fish especially smoked salmon, crab, trout, smoked chicken, salads,Cantonese and lightly spiced south-east Asian food Pinot GrigioThe tide of insipid, cheap Pinot Grigio has given the wine a bad name but the best examples (mostly from the Alto Adige) are elegant minerally whites that deserve a place in your cellar. best finger food for red wine

Best food pairings: antipasti, light seafood pastas and risottos, fresh tomato-based pasta sauces Prosecco The Veneto’s utterly charming sparkling wine, softer and more rounded than Champagne. It mixes fabulously well with fresh summer fruits such as peaches and raspberries as in the famous Bellini Best food pairings: A perfect spring aperitif or to sip with panettone Light roséI say light because so many rosés now are little different from reds in their levels of alcohol and intensity. best wine to bring to a partyNot that that style doesn’t have a place (it’s a great wine to drink with barbecues, for example) but it can overwhelm more delicate flavours. At this time of year try the lighter, less full-on styles from Provence and elsewhere in the South of France or from the Rioja and Navarra regions of Spain. Best food pairings: Provençal-style dishes such as salad Niçoise and aioli (vegetables with a garlic mayonnaise), grilled tuna, mezze Light Loire redsWell, actually not so light if you look at the 2005 vintage but in general Loire reds which are mostly based on the Cabernet Franc grape are light and fragrant, perfect served cool.

Examples are Chinon, Bourgeuil and Saumur-Champigny. Best food pairings:Seared salmon and tuna, grilled chicken, goats' cheese Young Pinot NoirI stress young because you want that bright, intense, pure raspberry fruit rather than the slightly funky notes you can get with Pinot (especially red burgundy) that has a couple of years’ bottle age. The most reliable place to find it currently is in the Marlborough region of New Zealand. Chile, California and Oregon have some appealingly soft, fruity Pinots too, though again, watch the alcohol and serve lightly chilled. Best matches:Seared duck breasts, salads that include fresh or dried red berries or pomegranate seeds, seared salmon or tuna.If you'd like to subscribe to our free monthly newsletter and be eligible to enter our fabulous prize draws click here or to get notice of posts as they're published click here. Enter the code shown in the image below:It’s time for spring-like red wines to burst forth. Let’s have a change from the robust, mature and savoury reds of the properly cold months and see some lighter styles blossom.

Right now – especially on slightly warmer, brighter evenings – I’m after a red with a (and the) spring in its step: juicy, succulent, youthful and fresh. It should be bursting with red berries – no oak-laced tannin and spice. That may mean a simple Italian such as an inexpensive valpolicella or bardolino. Or perhaps Piedmont’s dolcetto or newly trendy frappato. It could lead to a strawberry-scented, decent beaujolais-villages or a young, affordable red burgundy. Indeed, pinot noir, the beguilingly soft red grape of Burgundy, is a star buy at this happy time when winter gives it up. The smooth cherry-ish fruit is perfect with fresher, lighter new-season dishes. I’ll take a pinot from Chile (these are especially good value) or New Zealand (particularly fruity) just as happily as one from France. • Why March is the best time to drink young South African white wine • Bitters: how best to use botanical tinctures in your cocktails Look for wines with slightly lower alcohol levels, too.

A softer, more refreshing red should say 12 to 13 per cent on the label – no more, or it might taste like stewed jam. I don’t think I’ll be chilling my red wines just yet, as cold reds are more suited to hot weather, rather than March, but I don’t feel the need to decant them or approach them with any ceremony. As for the big reds, we don’t need to wait until the cold autumn for them to feel “right” again. There’s always barbecue season in between. First Class Pinot Noir 2013 Aconcagua, Chile (Majestic, £8.99, or £6.74 when you buy two until 27 April) A light, moreish, juicy and easy-drinking party pinot, fine on its own, for the Easter holidays. 13 per cent Marks & Spencer Frappato 2013 Sicily, Italy (£8) This tastes like the best redcurrant jelly, but less sweet, with a raspberry tang lifting the finish. Refreshing stuff and a happily low 12 per cent Winemakers’ Selection Red Burgundy Pinot Noir NV France (Sainsbury’s, £8.75) Nicely balanced, with a sweet core of juicy strawberry and red cherry.