Spring in my Step - and Soave in my Glass
Saturday, March 6, 2010 at 1:24PM 
If the tulips outside of Nickel & Nickel winery and the sprays of mustard between vine rows along Napa Valley's Silverado Trail weren’t telling me spring is waiting in the wings, my cravings would be.
In the winter, nothing puts color in my cheeks, warms my middle and adds spring to my step like a few sips of sparkling wine. Champagne ranks at the top, although the more budget-friendly sparkling wines of Limoux and Alsace are getting better vintage after vintage. As winter makes way for spring, however, my mouth starts to water for wines that are white and fresh, cold on the tongue and juicy-bright in body. And lately, I’ve been thinking of the whites of Veneto. No, not Prosecco. I’m thinking of the steep hills outside Verona, and more specifically, the highest estate in the Veneto, Dama del Rovere.
The Pra family makes some of the most underappreciated native white wines in Italy. Their D.O.C. and D.O.C.G. Soaves, made from 100% Garganega grapes (rather than blended with the often over-cultivated Trebbiano, which risks tasting fat and flat) planted in the highest hills of Tremenalto, have real mineral depth and gorgeous acidity.
When I can't track down great Soave, another different, spring favorite is Forlorn Hope’s “Que Saudade,” a young Verdelho with bright acidity to balance its fruit flavors.
And for you? What do you crave come spring?