The spring equinox is synonymous with increasing light, which boosts and sharpens the awakening of the senses. Both essential and related to tasting, all the senses: sight, smell, taste and even hearing – think of the sound of the bubbles in sparkling wine – are called upon. Welcome, dear March!

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Chéreau Carré Muscadet Sèvre et Maine L’orée du Chateau La Tumelière Château-Thébaud

This melon wine from Burgundy (muscadet) comes from an exceptional plot of granite.

It’s a providential vintage aged on lees for 45 months, and enough to arouse one’s curiosity.

The colour is a rather light yellow in view of its long aging. The fine nose holds scents of orange blossoms, plums and coconut. A rousing freshness associated with a velvety texture free of bitterness.

Just add a carpaccio of fresh cod.

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Domaine Billard Père et Fils Hautes-Côtes de Beaune 2021

In this final month of winter, the comfort of slow-cooked foods still pleases. The tenderness of the ingredients, from long simmering, generally call for a fairly round red wine with pleasant tannins – such as a pinot noir.

Cherry red in colour, this example of Burgundian vintner Jérôme Billard fills the bill. Delicate and fresh, it marries aromas of gooseberries with those of black currants and licorice plus subtle scents of smoke and venison in the finish. A real little treat, handmade, or in technical jargon, sustainably grown.

You’ll ask for it again!

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Castello di Bolgheri Varvàra 2020

How about a mouthful of light therapy? Invite a bottle of Bolgheri Varvàra to your table.

Completely made from French grapes which tan their skins close to the Tyrrhenian Sea, the 2020 version is particularly wine-ish and rich in alcohol, sending forth aromas of black fruits, spices and roasting, transmitted by barrel aging. Nicely full-bodied as are the wines from this prestigious Italian hamlet.

My recommendation: drink immediately for the lucky devils who find a bottle.

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