Explorers' Seasonal Value Pack: Spring Palette - Hues Of The World

Great Wines Don't Have to be Expensive!

While the warming temperatures this time of year are always welcome, it is, arguably, the riotous blossoms of color that Spring is most famous for. The newly emerging green foliage is stunning in its own right, but the flowers with their sheer awe-inspiring intensity usually take best in show. The masses of yellows: daffodils, buttercups, and forsythia; twinkling pastel pinks: tulips, carnations, and cherries; raucous reds: roses, crabapples, and azaleas; bodacious blues: grape hyacinth, scilla, and delphinium; and passionate purples: salvia, iris, and lilac. We often give wine’s color a short shrift. But there is something quite satisfying about the color of certain wines. The pale silvery yellow with a touch of green to a young Riesling; the deep gold of an aged Chardonnay; the beet juice intensity of Cabernet Franc; and the practically impenetrable purple of a Malbec. Try to spend a little time with this pack noticing and admiring the colors and hues before diving into the first sip.

This being an equinoctial release, the pack is divided evenly between white and red wine.

There are three white wines, all three are made from a different single variety. One is from Australia and made from the famous Riesling grape, but is far from its more famous homes of Germany and France. The second white is Assyrtico from Greece but from the mainland instead of the more touristy island of Santorini, and is a bit lighter than those found on the island. The third is Grillo, an island wine from Sicily. Used in Marsala production the grape is finding its way as a varietal wine with immediate appeal.

The three reds not only offer striking differences in color, they are also worlds apart in flavor and intensity. From Hungary we have a Zweigelt which is more commonly found in Austria; this wine is basically somewhere between a rosé and red, and will most certainly take a chill. From the Loire in France we have a blend of Cabernet Franc, Gamay, and Cabernet Sauvignon; a medium-bodied, but juicy red for those of you with a “big thirst.” Finally, from Montsant, a neighbor of the more famous Priorat wine region in Spain, is a more full-bodied blend of Garnacha, Cabernet, and Syrah.

While some folks have had these grapes or wines from these places before, others have not, or maybe these particular bottles are new to you. This is the point of the Explorers' Packs: to try something you haven't had before - whether it is a wine you are completely unfamiliar with or whether the wine is a from a familiar grape or place but perhaps from an unfamiliar wine-maker; these packs aim to offer something different.

This Explorers' Pack is discounted at over 15% off regular prices. No further discounts apply.