Spring is the season of new beginnings, and what beginning is more enjoyable than popping the cork on a new bottle of wine?
Our wine experts are eager to share their favorite springtime sips you need to try this season, so we sat down with ABC wine expert Janessa Schuster, a WSET Level 3 Certified Sommelier, to hear about her top 6 wines at the moment. Here are her recommendations.
Q: Ok, I feel like I speak for all of us when I say I have NO clue what a pecorino is. Tell us about it.
A: [Laughs] Sure. So, this wine is made with the pecorino grape from the Terre di Chieti IGT in the Abruzzo region of Italy. Typically, the wine team carefully selects wines based on quality and appeal, and pecorino isn’t as widely known in the U.S. Yet, the Riporta line has exceeded expectations, proving that this hidden gem is worth discovering. Riporta is a brand that overdelivers quality for the price point, and their pecorino is remarkably refreshing with notes of white peach, jasmine flowers and good acidity.
Q: We know you have a fun fact for pretty much every wine. Hit us with a little pecorino trivia.
A: Well, the story goes that sheep used to pass through vineyard sites in Italy right as the pecorino grapes were ripening. The sheep would eat the grapes, so the shepherds would give the vineyard owners Pecorino cheese to say sorry, which gave the grapes their name. The grape itself is said to be an ancient variety that nearly went extinct but resurged in the 1990s. So, when you sip this wine, you’re sipping a little bit of history, too!
Q: What kind of wine drinker would like this?
A: Any sauvignon blanc drinker looking for a refreshing, dry white that's not overloaded with peppers and gooseberry would enjoy this patio sipper.
I see “Familie Gueguen,” so I’m going to go out on a limb and say that this wine comes from a small, family-owned winery?
Correct! This is a lovely producer in Burgundy, France. Céline and Frédéric are amazing people who ventured out on their own after many years in Céline's family's wine business. They currently farm around 36 hectares—just shy of 90 acres—which is exceptionally small in the grand scheme of the wine industry. Their dedication to quality and commitment to their vineyards truly set them apart.
Chablis is one of those varieties that people may have heard of, but don’t know much about. Give us the rundown.
Chablis is made from the chardonnay grape, but it’s very different from the chardonnays of California or even other regions of France because it’s typically not aged in oak. This one is made in 100% stainless steel tanks, which preserves the freshness of the wine. It undergoes malolactic fermentation on fine lees, which will give some creaminess in the mouthfeel, but this is nowhere near the butter-bombs people are accustomed to when seeing the word "chardonnay."
No butteriness, got it. What notes can we expect from this one then?
This Chablis is light and refreshing with crisp acidity, notes of quince and citrus and a lingering finish with salinity and minerality. The most recently known rating is 90 points from Wine Spectator for the 2022 vintage.
Our mouths are watering already. What meal are you pairing this wine with?
Oysters and shellfish, hands down.
This is your first red wine recommendation, and it’s a shiraz. What’s the difference between a syrah and a shiraz?
They’re actually the same thing! A red wine that gets less attention than it deserves is syrah, known as shiraz in Australia. That’s where this beauty from Serafino comes from.
What notes make this a good springtime red wine?
The fruit on this is dark and jammy, with blue and black fruits like blackberry and mulberry. It has an herbaceous and floral touch, with hints of mint adding a fresh, spring-like quality. Cedar and oak peek through as well, but the wood isn’t overpowering—it’s all very well-balanced. With a rich and chocolatey finish, this wine is layered and complex, making you wonder about all it has been through while the lamb stews. This is a wine that wine geeks like me almost consider having a soul and a story to tell.
So, we’re guessing this one pairs well with lamb chops?
Most definitely.
We knew it was only a matter of time before a rosé popped up on a spring wine list. What makes this one the bottle to reach for this season?
This wine comes from an Italian producer whose family has owned their land over 1,000 years. It's technically made in the hills of Prosecco, but it can't be called Prosecco because it doesn't use the grapes required by the new wine laws. Instead, it has always used the Manzoni Moscato grape, a cross that's exclusively grown at Collalto's estate. This wine is especially meaningful to Princess Isabella Collalto, as it’s dedicated to her daughter, Violette.
Wait, rewind. The Princess?
Yup, winemaker Isabella Collalto is an actual princess! The Princess of Valdobbiadene. So, when we say that sipping this wine will make you feel like royalty, we really mean it.
It says in the name that this wine is extra dry, but how dry are we talking?
I joke that I should get the sweetness levels of sparkling wine tattooed on my arm because, confusingly enough, extra dry wine is actually sweeter than brut. But it’s not cloyingly sweet—just perfectly balanced. It has a beautiful peony hue, plenty of freshness, liveliness and acidity. Plus, it’s popular at parties because it appeals to many palates.
The name of this wine is a bit of a word salad. Break it down for us.
Many people love a well-made red blend, and Côtes du Rhône is one of the kings of red blend appellations. This one from Chateau Gigognan is composed of quite a few different grapes: grenache noir, mourvèdre, syrah, cinsault and carignan.
You’re a big fan of estate-grown wines like this one. Why? What sets them apart?
In my opinion, estate-grown wines are always the best option of any price point. There's a dedication to quality there that is in control from start to finish, and a higher commitment to the wine and connection to the land it comes from. Wine in this price point is likely to outshine many others simply for that fact.
What notes can we expect from this wine, and what are we pairing it with?
The wine showcases loads of blackberry and plum flavors, laced with olive tones from that lovely syrah, and finishing with some spice. It's perfect for our Florida springtime barbeques and just begging for a nice charcuterie board to go with it.
You’ve given us a sparkling rosé, now we've got a still rosé to round out your picks. Why is this one in your top 10 this season?
While many of the world's greatest rosés come from the Provence region of France, there are so many undiscovered ones that are hidden gems waiting to be found. Pays d'Oc, where this wine comes from, is an appellation that has an amazing quality-to-price ratio. This rosé bursts with tart berry aromas, vibrant freshness and lively acidity. It’s springtime in a bottle, and you can’t beat the price point.
Every wine has a good story. Tell us a story about this one before we bid you adieu.
I remember visiting one of this producer’s wineries in Châteauneuf-du-Pape—a highly distinguished winegrowing region known for premium wines that often start at $50+. That evening, when we had dinner with the winemaker, he showed up with a massive 3 liter bottle of this rosé for us to enjoy. His reason? Simply because he likes to drink it.
Cheers to that.
Cheers!
