I love Easter weekends. One reason is that it’s the longest holiday weekend, and another more significant reason is that it’s a time for reflection, a time that celebrates new life after death. It is celebrated in many different ways and I have received calls, emails and BlackBerry messages asking for wine recommendations for those who chose to head out to the beach, a hotel on the coast or some other getaway far away from home.

What to choose, how much to spend?

While everyone’s taste and budget is different, I tend to suggest light-bodied, dry or off-dry white wines for the pool/beach side setting. For red wine lovers, I often suggest rosé. If you must drink red, then a dry light- bodied will often do the trick. Last weekend I went on the town to see what was available. My first stop was the newly opened Uncorked on Hillcrest Avenue where I asked for a white, red and rosé for the long weekend and we got some great suggestions. I looked at wines that fit whether above or below $2,000 per bottle budget. Here are some suggestions:

Wolf Riesling, Germany

Some might describe it as sweet, but it is an aromatic wine, more ‘fruit sweet’ than sugar sweet. This dry, light to medium-bodied aromatic Riesling is complex in character (peach, honey, litchi nut, pineapple, passion fruit), and long on the finish. J$1,800.00.

Wither Hills Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand

A medium dry, full-bodied aromatic white wine with zesty, citrus and grapefruit flavours and a smoky finish. A great wine for sitting around with friends on the patio under the Caribbean sun. $2,300.00.

Montes Cherub, Chile

I visited this winery a few years ago and I love their wines. This elegant, dry rosé wine is fresh and well balanced both on the nose and palate. It has a bright intense pink colour and a distinct Syrah character, with some spiciness and hints of strawberries and lively floral flavours. J$1700.00.

Cantina Zaccagnini Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, Italy

While the wine maker describes this wine as “intense ruby red colour with violet nuances; intense, characteristic bouquet of the primary grape aromas; fruity component, full-bodied and robust, well-balanced with tannin and oak”, I found that it was more a medium bodied wine with soft tannins. I really liked this wine; it went very well with Café El Centro’s Salmon Burger. It might however, be out of most persons’ budget at just over J$3000.00.

Ménage à Trois California Red

My next stop was Bin 26 Wine Bar at Devon House and it seems that the new most requested wine these days is by a California wine producer with a French name and interest product name. Folie à Deux Winery in Napa makes a wine called Ménage à Trois. It comes in white, red and rosé. Ménage à Trois red is a blend of Zinfandel, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2009 Ménage à Trois exposes the fresh, ripe, jam-like fruit that is the calling card of California wine. If you are not a big red wine lover, you need to try this one. Most connoisseurs might not like this, they might not think it’s ‘serious’ enough, which is exactly why some many people love it. It comes in at around J$2300.00.

Final Stop – Supermarket

I needed something cheap and cheerful that I would drink myself and would be comfortable to recommend to friends who love wine but are not that much into the details and nuances as much as I am, so I went to the only place open late on Sunday night where I could get good wine – MegaMart. I really struggled to find wine below $1000 that I really liked, the new taxes fixed that. Here are a few wines I found that would work really well on the long weekend for easy drinking: Vendange Chardonnay J$767; Trivento Tribu Torrentes J$863; Little Penguin Chardonnay J$981.33; Trivento Tribu Pinot Noir 864. I had to nudge above 1000 to find a few of my preferred wines. These included all of the Rex Goliath line – Merlot, Shiraz and Chardonnay – J$ 1067.00. My Sparkling wines choices include Fresita J$1030, Zonin Moscato J$1067 and Freixenet Cordon Negro Brut J$1225.00.

Have a happy and holy Easter!

Chris Reckord – Entrepreneur & Wine Enthusiast. He and his wife Kerri-Anne are part-owners of Jamaica’s only Wine Bar – Bin26 Wine Bar in Devon House, Kingston. Send your questions and comments to creckord@gmail.com. Follow us on twitter.com/DeVineWines