Garden Party Flight

Every season Lesa and I put together a wine flight that captures exactly how we want to drink right now. This spring, we didn't have to think very hard.

The Garden Party Flight is four wines chosen for one mood: the feeling of being outside on a warm evening with no agenda and something cold and interesting in your glass. Light, bright, and full of life — each one chosen to match the season rather than fight it. The flight is available for $38 or try each selection by the glass or bottle.

Here's what we are pouring.

Sancerre's Savvier Sister

Steve Millet Menetou-Salon — Loire Valley, France 2023

If you love Sancerre — and I do — you are going to love what Menetou-Salon does for your wallet. Same Kimmeridgian limestone soils. Same elegant Sauvignon Blanc character. But where Sancerre can feel sharp and chiseled, Menetou-Salon is softer and more generous — lemon citrus, delicate floral notes, a mineral finish that lingers just long enough to make you want another sip. This is the bottle I pour for guests who think they already know what they want and then discover something better.

Our Official Wine for Spring

Vinos Finos de California 'Sabroso' Grenache-Blend — California 2023

I have been talking about this wine to anyone who will listen since the moment I tasted it. Ted Glennon — the winemaker behind Vinos Finos de California — has a rare gift for making wines that feel effortless without being simple. The Sabroso is a Grenache-based blend from the cool coastal mountains of Monterey, and it drinks like spring should feel: fresh, a little wild, impossible to put down. Bright red cherries, wild strawberries, a burst of acidity on the finish that brings you right back to the glass. It is our official wine of the season and it pairs beautifully with our Strawberry Crunch Salad. The label features a strawberry wearing sunglasses and holding a boom box. Honestly, same.

The Roots of the Rhône

Enrique Mendoza 'La Tremenda' Monastrell — Alicante, Spain 2023

This is the wine that surprises everyone. Monastrell is the Spanish name for Mourvèdre — the grape that gives the Southern Rhône its backbone — but Enrique Mendoza's version from high-altitude Alicante tastes like nothing you would expect. No rustic weight, no heaviness. Just precision and freshness and something that keeps you genuinely curious from the first sip to the last. I love putting this on a flight because it changes people's minds. That is the best thing a wine can do.

The Velvet Hammer

Chateau Paveil de Luze Margaux — Bordeaux, France 2018

Margaux has the silkiest tannins in Bordeaux — it is just a fact. The gravel-rich soils produce wines that are more supple and ethereal than anywhere else in the region, and Château Paveil de Luze captures that elegance without the eye-watering price tag of its classified neighbors. Violets and rose petals on the nose, a finish that goes on and on. We call it the Velvet Hammer because it is gentle right up until it isn't. This is the bottle that turns a Tuesday into an occasion.

Sabroso in Bloom

Chicago spring comes and goes — a tease of warmth, then a quick reminder that winter isn't done yet. As we ride the wave, something begins to shift. It's not just in the air — it's what we're craving. Research in sensory science shows that our perception of flavor is influenced by temperature and environment. In colder months, richness and weight hit the spot. In spring, those same qualities can feel like a bit much. We start leaning into lighter, more vibrant expressions. And that shift doesn't stop at the plate — it carries into the glass.

My usual spring go-to is a glass of Frappato, a juicy chillable red from the Italian island of Sicily. This year, the warmer weather has me reaching for something closer to home — the Vinos Finos de California Sabroso Red, from the cool coastal mountains of Monterey.

The Winery

Vinos Finos de California is a boutique winery on the Central Coast, founded by winemaker Ted Glennon. His focus is on bringing old vines to life, reviving overlooked vineyards, and creating wine from forgotten varieties. Glennon's style exudes balance, freshness, and drinkability over heaviness — just what we crave as spring begins to present itself.

The Wine

Sabroso is a light-bodied red blend predominantly made up of Grenache, with small percentages of both Cabernet Pfeffer and Zinfandel. The Grenache brings a basket of red fruit aromas — bright red cherries, freshly picked wild strawberries, and perfectly ripe raspberries. Cabernet Pfeffer, a rare red grape grown exclusively in California, adds a gentle herbaceous lift. The Zinfandel rounds it out with a soft, silky texture.

My favorite part is the finish. The Grenache comes back to the party with a much-welcomed burst of refined acidity. It's fitting that on the bottle's label is a playful drawing of a strawberry wearing sunglasses and holding a boom box. The Sabroso is just that — a fun wine. Versatile too: you can enjoy it chilled or at cellar temp, by itself or with food.

Our Strawberry Crunch Salad

The Pairing

I love pairing a glass of Sabroso with Alpana Restaurant's Strawberry Crunch Salad — fresh greens with shaved fennel, cucumbers, candied pistachios, fresh goat cheese, a strawberry vinaigrette, all topped with almond granola. The Sabroso's fresh red fruit aromas complement the strawberry dressing, and the shaved fennel enhances the wine's herbaceous quality. Add a piece of grilled chicken and dinner is complete. The only thing that could make this scene better would be enjoying them on the patio in 70 degree sunshine.

Spring brings us a quiet shift in how we experience flavor. The wines we reach for begin to reflect that change, drawing us toward those that feel more vibrant and alive. In that sense, a wine like Sabroso isn't simply suited to the change — it captures it.

Vinos Finos de California Sabroso Red is currently available at Alpana by the glass, by the bottle, or as part of our Garden Party Wine Flight.

Come in and tell me what you've been drinking. That's the best part of this job. — Lesa