Spring, Screwcaps And Sippers

Often as you sip these wines the fruit is so bright and, well, fruity that you almost forget you are drinking wine.

Today we offer up an ode to spring and fast-approaching daylight savings time with six stylish white wine sippers that completely over-deliver in the glass.

My guess is that if you give them half a chance, they are labels that will easily fill your aperitif and patio-entertaining needs throughout the spring and summer.

Keep in mind that light and fruity doesn't have to mean flavourless and flabby, nor should the wine possess a finish that lasts longer then a weekend round of golf.

What they do offer is insight into modern-day white wine winemaking that is fully capable of producing fresh wine devoid of tired, oxidative characters and/or heavy wood flavouring. Each carries sufficient acidity to makes it a brilliant food partner and most have only moderate levels of alcohol.

Let's see now, clean and fresh, balanced and tasty, affordable and you can drink all summer. What are you waiting for?

Screwcap wines will be the rage in Vancouver this spring and summer (whether or not the wineries get it), so we begin with the screw-capped Wynns Coonawarra Estate Riesling 2002 from Coonawarra, South Australia. A simple twist of its bright yellow cap reveals a lovely floral, ripe apple fruit nose with streaks of tangy apricot. Similar stylish fruit in the mouth offers mineral, lime, apple and nectarine fruit flavours. There's a touch of residual sugar to round out the finish, making this a very attractive wine in the mouth.

It's hard not to like the Marques de Riscal Rueda Blanco 2002 grown at Rueda, Spain. Passion fruit, gooseberry and floral, green melon notes mark the nose of this dry, elegant, well-balanced white. More grapefruit rind and mineral, green apple flavours mark the palate of this dry European sipper that has both intensity and finesse. Like most European wines, the double whammy of the strong Euro and the recent B.C. liquor tax hike has pushed the price of this Rueda to the limit.

Viognier -- like riesling, pinot gris (or grigio) and sauvignon blanc -- will be the go-to varietals this spring and many should head for the Serame Viognier 2002 from the Languedoc region of France.

The nose is an enticing mix of floral, honey, mineral and citrus flower aromas with an undercurrent of spice. It's bone-dry with slightly oily textures, but it is well-balanced and fresh. Mineral, spicy, honey, perfumed flavours and a touch of quince pull you into the glass for more. It's not the ripe fruity orange style that some viogniers can be, but there is fine intensity and the price is a steal. Great value.

It's been while since I've recommended a Soave wine, but the Bolla Soave Classico 2002 with its marzipan, mineral, lemon oil and ripe pear aromas is definitely worth checking out. It's fresh and lively on the palate with mineral, baked pear, quince and citrus flavours, but it's not intended to be a blockbuster white. It's well-balance Soave with fine acidity and verve in the finish -- the perfect wine for light seafood dishes.

The Goundrey Homestead Chardonnay Unwooded 2003 that hails from Western Australia (WA) is dirt cheap and delicious. Look for a cool climate green apple, floral, spicy, peach aromas, crisp textures and just a hint of sweetness. Baked apple, mineral, buttery peach flavours and a grapefruit/lime rind finish. It would appear the WA unoaked fruit is somewhat reminiscent of B.C.'s unoaked varietals.

Speaking of B.C., there's little doubt the best fruit-driven and best value wines are still made at Gehringer Brothers in the South Okanagan.

Don't miss the Gehringer Brothers Riesling Private Reserve 2002 with its ripe peach nose and citrus rind, melon, green apple and honeyed mineral flavours. The finish is crisp with plenty of fruit intensity and will be a star with spicy southeast Asian food. It almost reminds one of an Auslese-style German wine. Great value.

Wine   Wynns Coonawarra Estate Riesling 2002, Coonawarra, South Australia
Price    $14.99
UPC    012354052109
Score   16/20
Remarks         Ripe apples, tangy apricot and nectarine fruit.

Wine   Marqués de Riscal Rueda Blanco 2002, Rueda, Castilla-Leon, Spain
Price    $15.99
UPC    8410866430019
Score   15.5/20
Remarks         Passion fruit, grapefruit rind and green apple flavours.

Wine   Serame Viognier 2002, Languedoc, France
Price    $11.28
UPC    3258691182629
Score   15/20
Remarks         Honey, mineral, citrus flower.

Wine   Goundrey Homestead Chardonnay Unwooded 2002, Western Australia
Price    $13.38
UPC    9316369013157
Score   14.5/20
Remarks         Baked apple, mineral, peach and grapefruit rind.

Wine   Bolla Soave Classico 2002, Veneto, Italy
Price    $14.48
UPC    8008960116122
Score   15/20
Remarks         Mineral, baked pear, quince and citrus flavours.

Wine   Gehringer Brothers Riesling Private Reserve 2002, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Price    $13.49
UPC    623871020009
Score   15.5/20
Remarks         Citrus, peach, green apple and honeyed mineral flavours.