Famille Lafage Miraflors Blend 2017

I don't think "transportative" is an actual word, but it should be. There's no better expression for a wine that transports us to another site, usually its place of origin. Smelling and sipping the French white blend Famille Lafage Miraflors Blend 2017 ($18) is just such a soaring experience, sending me to the sunny shores of the Mediterranean with an array of notes: lemon, stone fruit and florals (like what bougainvillea would smell like if it actually had a scent). The liquid more than lives up to the aromas, with juicy, perfectly ripe fruit-cocktail layers and touches of sweetness and effervescence. The finish is rich and uplifting. Shrimp (cocktail, on the barbie, whatever), ceviche, spring salads and grilled chicken are among the ideal accompaniments for this blend of rolle, viognier, muscat, grenache gris and three other grapes.

Available at Vinifera, Westside (Waite Park), Thomas, Wine Republic, Excelsior Vintage and others.

Bill Ward