Okay Silverleaf & DC Ranchers,

 

Spring in North Scottsdale is special — spring training baseball, perfect weather, people you haven’t seen in years showing up at your doorstep (I’m not sure that last part is really “special”).  Doesn’t this call for lighter, crisp, vibrant whites to enjoy on your patio?

 

Here are a few recommendations:

This is a delicate, aromatic, and energetic white. It is perfect with shellfish. The grape is Albariño and the region is Rías Baixas (pronounced Ree-ASS-by-shuss). This region basically sits on top of Portugal — there’s a certain distinct minerality and almost a salinity to this wine, one of the more popular whites from Northwest Spain.  Approx. $22

 

I love this Sauvignon Blanc, or as we like to say “SB” — and you might be asking yourself, not another ubiquitous Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand? There’s an important difference here. Most SBs from NZ come from Marlborough on the northern tip of the South Island (btw, when I visited I was surprisingly amazed by the quality of their olive oil — who would’ve thought?). Whereas Martinborough is at the

southeastern tip of the North Island — these wines are not as “grassy” as Marlborough and are a touch fuller-bodied and complex.  Approx. $22

 

This of course is another Sauvignon Blanc that has become extremely popular.  Located on the clay–limestone hills above France’s longest river — The Loire. These can be some of the most complex and polished Sauvignons in all the world.  Approx. $40