Russ Winton: Springtime brings white wines

White wine aficionados have probably been wondering why "What's on our table" hasn't featured a white in the past few months. The answer is simple: Fall and winter months favor eating hearty foods which pair well with big, bold, hearty wines.

Now spring has definitely arrived, and there are some excellent new releases of some great domestic white wines to go with the season's lighter fare.

Robert Mondavi

Genenieve Janssens, director of winemaking and a former resident of Merced, has crafted two food-friendly wines that are well suited for a variety of spring celebrations. The 2007 Napa Valley fume blanc and the 2006 Napa Valley chardonnay are good examples of the continued excellence of the Mondavi brand. The fume is both barrel- (58 percent) and stainless- (42 percent) fermented with a touch of semillon (8 percent) added for richness and complexity. The 2006 Napa Valley chardonnay (100 percent) has aromas of pear and white peach. Suggested retail for each is $20, but you can find it for less at Costco or BevMo.

Blackstone

Although Blackstone Winery is noted for its merlot, the 2008 winemakers select riesling, pinot grigio and sauvignon blanc are perfect spring sippers. The riesling features flavors of peach, apricot and lime and enough acidity to balance light seafoods, fruit salads or spicy Asian foods. The pinot grigio is a crisp aromatic wine with notes of pear and lemon and would be a perfect match for a seasonal dish, such as pasta primavera. Sauvignon blanc is the perfect spring wine, with crisp acidity and light citrus flavors. Suggested retail is $12, but Raley's or Save Mart sell it for less.

Soprano wines

If you are a fan of the HBO production, "The Sopranos," you won't have difficulty finding this wine on the supermarket shelf. Just look for "The Sopranos" logo on the bottle. Released this year, the wine is imported by the Vesuvio Wine Company of New York in association with HBO. "The Sopranos" wines feature a range of daily wines, a chianti, pinot grigio and pinot noir -- all for around $10. A second level consists of a Tuscan red blend and a bigger style pinot grigio for less than $15. Finally, the top tier features two chianti classicos in the $20 price range. Look for these wines at your local supermarket.

Madera Wine Trail

The family wineries of the Madera Wine Trail will host the Spring Wine Trail Adventure on May 16-17 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wine lovers may buy a $20 Passport wineglass from any of the participating wineries. Check out www.maderavintners.com.

What's on our table

Here are some of my favorite Spring sauvignon blancs that are readily available, great value to price and all less than $15. Geyser Peak-California, Los Vascos-Chile, Chateau St. Jean Fume Blanc-Sonoma, Blackstone-Monterey, Ferrari Carano Fume Blanc-Sonoma, Veramonte-Chile, Kenwood-Sonoma, Parducci-Mendocino, Girard-Napa and Mondavi Fume-Napa.

Cheers!

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? You can reach me at rgwinton@yahoo.com.

This story was originally published May 6, 2009 at 1:11 AM with the headline "Russ Winton: Springtime brings white wines."