White Wines From Mass. For Spring

Zoll Cellars, Shrewsbury
Dry Riesling, Hard Cider, Wildflower Mead

It may be a little difficult to get your hands on, but it's worth the search. Zoll Cellars offers a few great whites that are perfect for your spring celebrations. Owner Frank Zoll says his Dry Riesling, grown in New England is probably among the finest in the world. What sets it apart? it's a blend of 75-percent Riesling, 10-percent Traminette and 15-percent Vidal Blanc. It does taste like spring. The wine is a nice balance of grapefruit and grassy notes. It's great with seafood. What's Frank Zoll serving this year? He says Massachusetts Hard Cider and Easter ham are a "match made in heaven." Finally, nothing is more spring than Wildflower Mead. This spring honey wine has supple ripe citrus aromas as fresh as the flowers that borne them, that linger like luscious sweet figs dipped in honey. A perfect dessert pairing for fresh fruit, cheesecake, or even pizza rustica. A list of stores and farmers' markets where you can find Zoll wines can be found here.

Alfalfa Farm Winery, Topsfield
Pinot Grigio

When it comes to wine, you may not think of Topsfield right away. The family-owned and operated vineyard produces a wide variety of hand-crafted wines and hosts custom wine tastings. When it comes to spring wine, we recommend picking up a bottle of their Pinot Grigio. Crisp with citrus and mineral notes,the wine will pair well with your Easter/Passover meals. This wine will carry you right through spring and into summer. The mineral notes spark visions of eating shellfish on the front porch during those first hot days of late spring and summer. This is one you'll enjoy, especially after the winter we had.

Plymouth Bay, Plymouth
Window's Walk, The Drydock

These two whites are great finds from a husband and wife team from the South Shore. All the wines are made from local grapes and berries and cut through the pomp and circumstance you sometimes get with wines. If you're a new wine drinker, these are great ones to get hooked on. The Window's Walk, a nod to the classic German Gewürztraminers will pair perfectly with you Easter Ham with its strong flavors of apple and pear. What's cool about the Plymouth Bay website, is that they offer some creative ways to mix the wines into wine-based cocktails or use them in cooking. For this one, they suggest reducing it down to create a flavorful sauce. The Drydock White is a more classic take on white wine. It's light, so it would be a good one to serve if you're hosting an Easter or Mother's Day brunch.

Truro Vineyards, North Truro
2012 Sauvignon Blanc

Truro offers several quality white wines but the 2012 Truro Vineyards Sauvingnon Blanc is the one to pick up this spring. It's everything you want as the days grow longer and the temperatures rise. Bright gold in color with a bouquet of pear, peach and melon. It's got quite a bit of citrus to it so it will go well with seafood and grill items.

Furnance Brook Winery, Richmond
Chardonnay Special Reserve

A medal winner at the Big E Northeast Wine Competition, the Chardonnay Special Reserve is a good bottle to have on hand this spring. It's aged in French oak for 18 months and has a nice balance of rich and buttery flavors. This one goes well with poultry, lamb and seafood.