Whites for red lovers

Whites for red lovers

Look for structural similarity when exploring the best wine for spring and switching over from reds to white wines. Chardonnay can be your cabernet sauvignon connection. If you love smoother merlot or grenache styles, then try a broad sauvignon blanc or Italian white varietals like fiano or a French pinot gris.

Try these:

An oatmeal nuttiness and buttery notes makes Saint & Scholar Pinot Gris a winning glass of wine with charred shellfish and a soft fig salad. The richness of melon, kiwifruit and nashi pear means this one is warm weather ready, along with a subtle burst of green apple.

Experiment with chicken roasts and Wynns Coonawarra Estate Reframed Fiano x Pinot Grigio x Arneis – a trio of Italian white varietals that results in a savoury glass of spices, with notes of pear and citrus. It’ll become a favourite in the chiller by the barbecue.

Swap tannic grip for the crisp and dry palate of 4 Faces Sauvignon Blanc, an Adelaide Hills drop with a soft finish that you’ll love with cold summer prawns or barely cooked barbecue-grilled scallops.

The chew of nougat gives the James Busby Yarra Valley Chardonnay the kind of texture and fuller volume that cabernet fans love. Mineral saline and flint qualities shout fresh shucked oysters, or lean into the stone fruit and creme fraiche characters with cod-style fish in a rich shellfish sauce.

Rosés for red lovers

For rich and robust red wine fans, crossover from dark ruby tones to rosé for a spring wine swap. Shiraz lovers should look for peppery or berry-led rosés, while a rosé with minerality is a good substitute for tempranillo drinkers.

Try these:

A springtime tipple to pair with brie, crackers and muscatels, Penfolds Max’s Rosé delicately balances spicy and sweet with its white pepper and wild white strawberry flavours. The nose is savoury fruit – think quince and watermelon granita – while a little bit of slate minerality lends elegance.

For low and no alcohol drinkers, Tempus Two Zero Moscato is a cool temperature fermented, full-bodied wine, with none of the alcohol. The fact this drop begins life as a full-strength moscato ensures structure and a textured mouthfeel. Serve it with a summer duck salad or feta tarts.

Sparkling for red lovers

For red wine loyalists contemplating venturing to the bubbly side, keep your sparkling a little on the dry side and call to mind the lightly dusty quality of Italian table wines to find your perfect wines.

Try these:

Strawberries and cream are the calling cards of Banksia Prosecco Rosé. It’s a lovely match for by-the-pool canapes, with its soft citrus aroma and vivacious bubbles. A glass of this sparkling would also complement a light seafood lunch or a celebratory risotto.

It’s the musky aroma of Wildly Cuvee Rosé that’ll attract tempranillo lovers. Lifted by aromas of strawberry, and kept in line by a little green mango, it’s the bottle lovers of mushroom arancini have been waiting for.

On-trend ‘Wild Ferment’ wines often go by a number of names, including natural fermentation and spontaneous fermentation. The winemakers of the vegan and minimal preservative Petaluma Second Blooming Wild Ferment Chardonnay have allowed the naturally occurring yeast in the grapes to do their thing, without interfering, resulting in a finish that retains good, bright fruit.

A King Valley wine from Victoria, Brown Brothers Prosecco Premium takes its cues from the Italian immigrant community responsible for so much of the initial vine planting of Australian wines – bright, vibrant and a little zesty. Match the fine bubbles with a rich duck paté, or nectarine and jamón salad.