[Dan Ellis on Wine] Spring wines just around the corner

Despite the overcoats and scarves, Monday`s snowfall and this writer`s frozen digits, there is something in the air. The winter may persist in its temperatures, but spring is on its way.

This may all be a little premature, but there is something about the change from winter to spring that is especially pleasant. Knowing it is the end of dark evenings; knowing you won`t have to layer up every time you leave the house; knowing you can enjoy a glass of something crisp and cool with the sun on your face.

What does this mean for wine drinkers? Well, white wines of course -- those much under-valued, on this peninsula at least, bottles of sunny day supping. Take the challenges of buying wine in Korea and double them if you are a fan of the whites.

Red wine is serious, complex and gentlemanly and has the added benefit of "well-being." We need to throw these assumptions out of the window and start afresh. There are some very serious bottles of white wine out there, and drinkers who turn their noses up at such a diverse variety of wines are missing out on some serious pleasure.

What grapes should we look for then? Chardonnay has developed something of a bad image, largely thanks to its popularity and a fashion for over ripe, over-oaked New World wines. However, it is responsible for some of the greatest white wines out there -- with Burgundy being its natural home.

These come at a price though, as is always the case with the great French wines, and so we have to look elsewhere. New Zealand doesn`t just do Sauvignon Blanc, and is starting to produce some very serious Chardonnays.

And at a better price, Argentina has some great wines. Alta Vista is a name to look out for.

Sauvignon Blanc is very much in vogue at the moment -- with its characteristic green grass, gooseberry and cat pee flavors contrasting starkly with Chardonnay`s much fatter, riper flavors. Certainly, with its mouthwatering acidity, this is a drink for those warmer days when you really need something refreshing.

New Zealand makes Sauvignon Blancs that really show off the grape`s fruit characteristics -- it is a fairly safe bet to pick up a bottle from the Marlborough region.

Even the big names produce wines that will please here. For something with a little bit more character, there is a Touraine Sauvignon from the Loire valley in France -- available at Shindong wines.

The Loire is home to the expensive Sancerre and Pouilly Fume, Sauv Blancs that display great mineral characteristics. Touraine Sauv Blanc is the poor man`s version and has displayed some good grassy fruit with a taste of wet pebbles.

Riesling is available everywhere and is very much a future column in itself. Many will be sweet and a little knowledge is helpful.

The Majuang Mosel-Saar-Ruwer Kabinett is light, refreshing and surprisingly good. The remaining white grape varietals are left jockeying for positions on the shelves: Laroche Viognier (Les Vins Maeils) is superb value, and the Tormenta Viognier (Shindong wines) is an aromatic kick in the face. Gewurztraminer from Alsace is expensive but heady, Pinot Grigio is here but overpriced and under-flavored and I have my first bottle of New Zealand Semillon sitting in the fridge. Let`s just wait for the mercury to rise a little further.



Dan can be reached through his website at http://wine-inkorea.blogspot.com. -- Ed.