Light, fruity wines—both reds and whites—are the perfect complement to spring

Cool, refreshing light wines are always delicious, but they’re especially perfect for helping celebrate the first warm days of spring.

"After a long winter, light, fruity, white wines wake up your palate like a quick dip in a cool lake," says Leslie Sbrocco, a columnist for wineanswers.com. "The trick is to experiment with the variety of white wines and not be intimidated by those funny-sounding names like Gewürztraminer or Riesling."

Sbrocco recommends experimenting with both domestic and imported Sauvignon Blancs, Rieslings and Pinot Grigios (French and American versions are called Pinot Gris). If you prefer red wine, you might try Pinot Noir or Zinfandel (perfect for grilling).

• You don’t need fine stemware to enjoy a glass of wine—any type of glass works fine. Stemmed glasses tend to keep your hands from warming your wine, but feel free to enjoy wine in any glass you want.
• Whites taste best when well chilled. You can put a bottle in the refrigerator for several hours, or fill a bucket with half ice and half cold water and immerse the bottle for around 20 minutes.
• White wines are great in the spring, but if you prefer red wine,that’s fine too. Drink what you like, with the foods that you like.

Mustard's
7399 St. Helena Highway
Yountville, CA 94558

Located just a little over 10 miles north of the town of Napa, this cozy country restaurant is named for the wild mustard flowers that bloom in the vineyards that surround it.

Mustard's is a favorite of local winemakers, townspeople and visitors. The lively atmosphere is warm and rich. And the cuisine is a mix of American and regional influences with a nod to classic European and Asian dishes. You'll find everything from ribs and chops to seared Ahi tuna and Peking duck on the menu. Much of the produce comes from the chef's own gardens, located adjacent to the restaurant.

The wine list, which is as extensive as it is eclectic, includes sought-after gems as well as hard-to-find wines that come from the Americas and as far away as Australia and India. So whether you're looking for a Chilean Chardonnay, a Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand or a bottle of Albarino from California, you'll find a wine to suit your taste. Cindy Pawlcyn is both the owner and the executive chef. She recently won the James Beard Award for Best Americana Cookbook for her Mustard's Grill Napa Valley Cookbook.

Reservations may be made in person or by phone at 707-944-2424. They can also be made online at: mustardsgrill.com.

The Pinot Blanc (pee-no blahn) grape produces high-quality dry wines in many of the world’s premium winegrowing countries. In Germany and Austria the grape is called Weissburgunder, and in Italy it is known as the Pinot Bianco.

California plants almost 1,700 acres of Pinot Blanc, much of which is used as the base for quality sparkling wine, while some is used for Chardonnay blends. In many of California’s blind tastings, Pinot Blancs have held their own against the more expensive Chardonnays. This is possibly due to the regular use of Chardonnay winemaking techniques on Pinot Blanc grapes.

At one time Pinot Blanc grapes were found in the vineyards of Burgundy, alongside Chardonnays. While Burgundy plantings are now rare, it would seem that many of the Pinot Blanc vines taken from Burgundy to be planted elsewhere are actually Chardonnay vines. This is especially true in Italy, where producers of Pinot Bianco are pleasantly surprised to find they have the better-selling Chardonnay planted in their vineyards instead, and they have rushed to change the name on their wines.

Pinot Blanc wines typically have aromas and flavors that are floral and fruity, particularly citrus, pear, apple and peach. They tend to be very crisp due to high acidity. And they should be served chilled, though not too cold, with delicate fish, shellfish, and other light-bodied foods like pork and cheese.

The Lorentz family has lived in the medieval town of Bergheim in the heart of the Alsace wine-growing region for hundreds of years. They’ve carefully cultivated their vines over the generations, passing family winemaking traditions from father to son.

Georges Lorentz is the current managing director of the company. He divides his time between his cellars in Bergheim and his travels all over the world to promote his wines. He likes to tell people that "It takes great patience and—above all—time to produce a great wine. You cannot make wine unless you put your entire heart into it."

The Lorentz family strives to make the different grape varieties they grow reflect the rich qualities of the Alsatian soil.

Their first vineyard was established on the hills of Altenberg de Bergheim. As far back as anyone can remember, the grapes from the vineyard have been vinified separately. Thus the Riesling, Tokay Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer and other Muscat varieties express their own unique qualities from one year to the next.

As a result of these efforts, the vineyard was designated Grand Cru in 1983. It’s the highest classification a vineyard can achieve. A second, smaller Kanzlerberg vineyard was developed later, and it has also been awarded Grand Cru recognition.

The winery puts great effort into planting the right grape varietals to match the soil and the climate. As a result, the distinctive character of each type of soil marks the five grape varieties used in the winery’s Cuvée Particuliere range: Riesling, Muscat, Tokay Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer and Pinot Blanc.

Thanks to their continuing dedication to quality, Gustave Lorentz wines are served in some of the world’s finest restaurants.

From his Burgundian roots to his work in California and Portugal, Vincent Bouchard has always made wine his personal and professional passion. His calling is genetic, as he is preceded by eight generations of French winemakers.

After spending his youth working at his family's 200-acre Bouchard Père et Fils winery, Vincent was introduced to Robert Mondavi in 1978. Mondavi easily convinced him to move to California to study wine marketing. While in America, Vincent met and married Kay Steffey, a specialist in Italian wine. Together they followed their winemaking dreams, purchasing the old Class "A" Quinta de Tedo vineyard in Portugal and building it up to produce a range of award-winning vintage Portos.

Vincent's grandfather, Antonin Bouchard, often compared wine to a teenager: Its character during aging can smooth out or increase, but its dominant traits will never change. Today, Vincent applies his grandfather's theories to make the most balanced wine possible, by respecting the fruit, its flavor, aroma, sweetness and delicacy.