Most years I would be headed out of town for a spring getaway, admiring bright flowers or exploring farmers’ markets. This year, however, I’m focused on my recent purchase of a new (i.e., used) house and I’m worrying about sewer cleanouts, paint rollers, and missing shingles.
    But once all the patching, painting, and pruning are done, I’ll finally have room to garden, and to have friends and colleagues over for a leisurely Sunday brunch, perhaps bribing them with a magnum or two to help with the weeding. I’m probably not alone in needing a bit of spring-cleaning help, either. But absent an easily enticed group of friends, you might have to buckle down and do it yourself. Ah, but consider a lively glass of sparkling Petit Royal while you transplant those tender lettuces; a bright, peppy rosé before reorganizing the garage; or a lush, juicy red while painting the fence. I encourage you to mine this sampler to enhance your spring bounty, and know that when the trowel and rake need to come out, you have my sympathies. But hard work has its rewards—at least one of them should be good wine. –Jennifer Oakes

2014 Corbières Rosé “Gris de Gris” • Fontsainte  $14.95
2014 Languedoc Blanc • Château de Lascaux  17.00
2012 Pinot Blanc • Kuentz-Bas   17.95
2012 Jurançon Sec • Domaine Bru-Baché  18.00
2013 Quincy • Domaine Trotereau  19.95
Petit Royal Brut • Lambert de Seyssel   19.00
2013 Moscato d’Asti • Elvio Tintero   12.00
2013 Pays d’Oc Rouge • Château Fontanès  14.00
2013 Raisins Gaulois • Marcel Lapierre  14.95
2013 Dolcetto d’Alba “Vigna L’Pari” • G. Porro  19.95
2011 Eloro Nero d’Avola “Spaccaforno” • Riofavara  22.00
2011 Côtes du Vivarais Rouge • A. Gallety  29.00

Normally $218.75
SPECIAL SAMPLER PRICE
$164
(a 25% discount)

Jennifer Oakes’s favorite toy as a baby was an eggbeater, and after a formal culinary school education and running a Southern California restaurant for almost a decade, she’s found her happy place here at Kermit Lynch.