SPRINGTIME WINES
 Spring is here and so is the fun lighter cuisine of salads and barbecue. So get ready to fire up the grill and host your first barbecue dinner event this year.
With the lighter fair comes the need to lighten up your choice of wines. The heavier reds and white wines you served over the holidays need to be put back in your wine cellar (or wine closet). It is time to fill your wine racks with lighter wines that compliment the barbecue and salad dishes of spring and summer.
Kevin Niemann, owner of CORKED, a wine shop in Columbia, South Carolina, suggests these 3 wine styles to serve.
* Rose'
* Sauvignon Blanc
* Merlot
Rose' Wines
"Rose's are great wines because of their fruity characteristics. They work well with entrees like barbecued chicken or other grilled meats. Many Rose' wines express both floral bouquets and the crips flavors of cherry and strawberry." One of Kevin's favorite Rose's is Crios Rose' of Malbec from Argentina. Kevin feels this wine is light, yet offers a strawberry and cherry taste that is refreshing and cleansing to the palate.
Sauvignon Blanc
Kevin's favorites in this category are the sauvignon blanc varieties from New Zealand. "They are especially good springtime wines. These wines exhibit pronounced citrus tones, mainly grapefruit and lemon zest. They are crisp and clean and leave the mouth feeling refreshed." Kevin's favorite from this category is Whitehaven. "Whitehaven has the grapefruit and peach characterisitics common in the New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs, but what I think is outstanding about this particular wine is it's crisp clean finish that does not linger on your tongue."
Merlots
With springtime nights still tending to be cool a bigger red wine like a Merlot is a great way to warm the evening. "Merlots are often thought to be a sweeter wine, however for the most part it is not true. Merlots tend to be drier wines, that have softer tannins than Cabernet Sauvignons and some of the newer Malbecs. Cherry, plum and blackberry are some of the flavors that grace Merlots." Kevin's pick, Wente Sandstone Merlot. "The soft finish and low acidity of this wine makes it ideal for this time of year."
Once you have purchased or pulled these wines from your wine cellar, use your wine racks to store your wines so they are easily accessible and organized. Having your wine selection displayed in your wine racks will help you know what you have available to serve up at a small dinner party or an impromptu gathering of friends.
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