LCBO Food and Drink Spring 2016

DRINK  WINE

AFTER A WINTER OF BIG RED WINES, EASE INTO SPRING WITH AN ARRAY OF FULL-BODIED WHITES, LIGHT REDS AND REFRESHING ROSÉS In some years, spring comes slowly, a gradual transi- tion of the seasons; in others, it seems to arrive with a sudden flourish. We wake up to sunshine and green things in the garden and the idea of a salad for lunch no longer feels outlandish. Spring changes the way we eat and as our food becomes fresher and lighter, so do the wines we choose to go with it. Midway between the hearty reds of winter and the crisp, racy whites of summer—between parka weather and T-shirt time— lie months of meals that are perfectly suited to lighter reds, big, bold whites and dry, fragrant rosés.    These wines are marvellously versatile at the table; they’re also full of fruit and character, splendidly suited to drinking on their own. How best to identify them? Look for cool-climate reds made from Gamay Noir or Pinot Noir, check out complex, oaky Chardon- nays and look to Europe and Ontario for a whole bunch of food-friendly rosés. To get you started, we’ve made a handy selection of our own. Just in time for spring! P A S S A G E T O SPRING BY JAMES CHATTO PHOTOGRAPHY BY VINCE NOGUCHI

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