Abberly Crest Blog

Spring parties are an excellent excuse to break out special bottles of wine.   Simple spring main dishes of glazed ham and grilled lamb chops, or garden parties of spring salads and appetizers are all wine-friendly. But even spring vegetables, brunch casseroles, and chocolaty dessert parties can go well with wine. Enjoy your gatherings with family and friends and pair up your courses with some delicious and fun wines.

To begin
Start off with a light white wine that feels and tastes like spring. New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is the perfect wine to share with apps and snacks. Try Kim Crawford, a grassy, herbal, grapefruit-scented wine that is also a great value.

Sauvignon Blanc or Grüner Veltliner from Austria are also great choices for a wine to share with vegetables or a first course spring salad. Hofer Grüner Veltliner is made from organic grapes and comes in a liter bottle, so you gain an extra two glasses.

The Main Meal
A Riesling is the classic accompaniment to glazed ham; the wine's acidity works well with the sweet glaze. The rich and fruity Australian Jacob's Creek Reserve Riesling is a perfect choice.

Grilled Lamb and red wines are a natural match.  A bold, rich California red wine like Peju's Persephone Vineyard Cabernet Franc 2005 is perfect with roasted lamb. Two other great choices are the 2005 Les Deux Rhônes Chateaufeuf-du-Pape,  which is a blend of Grenache and Syrah that tastes of cherries and has a bit of spice, or an Italian Chianti like the 2004 Il Molino de Grace Chianti Classico Reserva .

Dessert
All desserts go great with after-dinner coffee of course, but try a vibrant, tropical Chardonnay like the 2006 Miner Wild Yeast Chardonnay. But if chocolate truffles and cakes are your dessert of choice, Port with chocolate is a classic pairing. Of course, you could simply serve a sumptuous after-dinner wine that's a dessert all in itself, like Canadian ice wine from Konzelmann Estate.