White wines for your spring table

As sure as there are flowers in April, a new crop of white wines from every corner of the world makes it to your dining room table each spring. This year, more than ever, they'll arrive with an almost palpable pulsing energy, limpid and clean, having been aged in steel tanks rather than oak barrels. And many of them -- New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs, white wines from Greece, crisp northern Italian whites -- will lead with aromas and flavors borrowed from herb gardens and greenhouses, from produce stands and window boxes. These "green" wines infatuate the senses with aromas reminiscent of scallion, celery leaf, snap peas or young parsley sprigs. It's hard to imagine a better accompaniment to a spring meal.

By Patrick Comiskey

March 19, 2008