Wines ready for springtime’s variety

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April seems particularly aligned for foodies this year. Lent stretches through the first half of the month, sparking inventive uses of local seafood on menus and in home kitchens. Easter weekend signals family fêtes that often include backyard crawfish boils, as well as Southern holiday spreads around dining room tables. And all month long, the local yield explodes, as the final blast of cool crops converges with hot-weather produce we’ve been waiting for since last summer.

With those sorts of culinary opportunities in play, you need food-friendly wines that allow ingredients to shine. For suggestions, we turned to Gabe Daigle, newly appointed wine, beer and spirits manager at Alexander’s Highland Market and a former face in regional wine sales. In addition to helping customers pair great wines with home menus, Daigle is planning to launch regular events at Alexander’s centered around wines, craft beers and spirits. His April picks are just right for spring menus. alexandersmkt.com

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JUAN GIL
Jumilla
Spain
2013
$16

The varietal in this red wine is monastrell, a grape you might know by its French name mourvèdre. This medium-bodied red, produced by winemaker Juan Gil in the Jumilla region of Spain, packs more punch than its reasonable price suggests. Look for notes of ripe fruit and spice and a clean, playful finish. Decant it to allow it to open fully.

Pair it with: Lamb burgers with caramelized red onion and pepper jelly; smoked ham with mashed potatoes and red-eye gravy; tea-brined duck with dried cherry glaze

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KONO
Sauvignon blanc
Marlborough, New Zealand
2016
$13

Marlborough, located on the northeast coast of New Zealand’s South Island, is where this country’s well-known modern sauvignon blanc industry began. This reasonably priced bottle is like biting into a crisp burst of tropical fruit. True to its nature, there’s also yummy grassiness along with a bit of chalkiness in this bottle, giving it wide culinary range. And there’s plenty of acidity to further enhance its pairing ability.

Pair it with: Fresh oysters on the half shell; a variety of chevre; grilled shrimp with mango dipping sauce; mini-crawfish pies

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FRAGILE
Vin de Pays des Cotes Catalanes
Rosé
France
2015
$17

This luscious and drinkable rosé is one for winning over doubters. Sure, there’s plenty of juicy berry fruit, as there should be, but there’s also great acidity and heft, which enable it to meet a range of flavors on the plate. The brainchild of Napa Valley winemaker and Prisoner wine founder David Phinney, Fragile rosé is produced in the Languedoc-
Roussillon region of France on land owned by Phinney. The primary grape is grenache, with small percentages of syrah and carignan.

Pair it with: Crawfish bisque; barbecue sliders with sweet and sour pickles and vinegar slaw; glazed ham with garlic cheese grits and creamed spinach

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This article was originally published in the April 2017 issue of 225 Magazine.