The Right White For Spring

White Rhône is the perfect wine for the season.

by Gamliel Kronemer
Special To The Jewish Week

After a cold and rainy start, a particularly dulcet spring seems to be upon us. With sunny skies, temperate weather and flowers in bloom, it’s just a wonderful time to enjoy the great outdoors. And whether you’re at the beach, in the park, or simply sitting on a balcony, a nice glass of just the right wine can heighten the simple pleasures of springtime living.
One good place to seek that special springtime wine is France’s Rhône Valley. Although the Rhône has long been know for its red wines, in recent decades the Rhône’s white wines have also started to develop a worldwide following. White Rhône wines tend to be dry, and have light-to-medium bodies, but what makes them special are their distinctive bouquets.

Some Rhône whites smell of apricots and peaches, while others are redolent of freshly picked wild herbs. When well made, Rhône whites can be just the perfect accompaniment to a sunny spring day.
Last October, in this space, I wrote about the growing number of quality kosher red wines coming from the Rhône Valley. Unfortunately, however, at the time of this writing, I was not able to locate a single Rhône winery that is producing any kosher white wines. But the good news is that an increasing number of kosher winemakers in Israel, California, and even New Zealand, are now producing kosher Rhône-style wines from classic white Rhône grapes such as Viognier, Roussanne, and Marsanne.
So for this month’s Fruit of the Vine, I tasted five kosher Rhône-style white wines, and was quite pleased with what I found. Not only were all the wines good, or very good, but all of them were also quite affordable, with all but one selling for less than $20.
One of the best wines in the tasting was Goose Bay’s 2007 Viognier. Produced by Spencer Hill Estates from Viognier grapes grown on New Zealand’s East Coast, this medium-bodied wine has a bright-straw color with just the slightest tinge of green. Look for a bouquet of heather, apricots and quince, with notes of lime and other citrus fruits, and flavors of apricots, apples, lime, and quince, with notes of allspice, nutmeg, and pepper, and just a hint of toffee on the finish. Well crafted, with a distinctly New Zealand feel, this food-friendly wine is ready to drink now and should cellar well until at least the end of the decade.
Equally good was Hagafen’s 2006 Roussanne. Made from grapes grown in California’s Central Valley near the town of Lodi, an area best known for producing some of California’s best Zinfandels, this straw-colored, light-to-medium bodied blend of 90 percent Roussanne and 10 percent Marsanne has a delightful nose of apples, lemons, limes and roasted nuts, with an I-know-not-what herbal element. Look for flavors of baked apples, quince, tea, mace and citrus fruits, with a pleasant creamy aspect. Ready to drink now, this wine should cellar well until 2011.
Most Rhône-style whites are rather versatile and can be enjoyed well-chilled as an aperitif, with seafood or pasta dishes, or just by themselves as an after-work pick-me-up. Keep in mind that many Rhône-style whites, particularly those made from Viognier, should be drunk in their youth, and are best consumed within three or four years of vintage. So before the summer doldrums hit, think about savoring the springtime with a glass of a kosher Rhône-style white wine. You won’t regret it.

Westchester Jewish Conference

Westchester’s Jewish Community Relations Organization