INSIDER'S PICK: 2018 AVINYO PETILLANT BLANC PENEDES $16.99

It looks like we have officially put the threat of near-freezing temps behind us for the season (fingers crossed), and can break into the white wine selections for the Insider's Pick with real gusto. This is also the time you start to see the fresh and fun new arrivals from the last year's harvest, which promise to become the 'next big thing' for you to enjoy over the summer. Or it's the return of an old friend that sold out in the fall or winter, so it's time to check back in and remind yourself why you enjoyed it in the first place. Many people find the famously light carbonation of a Vinho Verde from Portugal to be their go-to style this time of year, so much so that the 'Petillant' style is gaining popularity with winemakers in other parts of the world, especially with those that follow a more naturalistic style of winemaking. Avinyo is an artisan  Cava producer in Penedes, Spain (a region that already knows a thing or two about putting bubbles in a wine), making what we enthusiastically refer to as 'a Vinho Verde on steroids'. Intrigued? Let us explain.

Pouring with a bit of frothy foam and tiny bubbles that largely disappear within the first minute, the aroma is huge with sweet flowers, pears and tropical fruit thanks to the Muscat used. While most Vinho Verde have a light perfume, this absolutely leaps from the glass. As it opens up the initial perfume becomes drier with the arrival of zesty lime and white citrus fruit notes. The palate is drier still, almost completely bone dry in fact, with lots more zesty citrus and an almost dusty grapeskin character that extends long into the finish thanks to the light prickliness of the remaining carbonation on the palate. It is so dry it almost doesn't even match up with the initial floral aromas, which makes for great interplay between the senses. It also impacts differently as the temperature changes, with the aromas much more subdued right out of the fridge and more steely/zesty on the palate, and vice versa as it sits. A great picnic wine because of the lower alcohol, perfect for light snacks and back porch sipping.

---