May at last, thank heavens, the month when it's finally safe to exchange thermal vests, beefy meals and fleshy wines for light relief all round. For years, I don't believe it ever occurred to me (consciously, at least) to change my drinking habits with the seasons. Wine was wine and I loved it all. But recently I've come to relish the idea of hunting for a cupboard full of spring and summer wines. It's rather like trying to assemble a wardrobe full of lighter, brighter clothes - only less bankrupting and much easier. Just three colours to worry about, and hundreds of easy styles. It makes a welcome change to forget the heavyweights for a while. In their place comes a batch of more refreshing bottles with crisper acidity, lower alcohol. Wines to harmonise with, and perhaps even enhance, the fresh flavours of the new season's produce. Wines to suit the sort of activities which - fingers firmly crossed - lie just around the corner. Here we go.
In Honour Of Salmon: No other food announces the arrival of the Irish summer quite as forcefully as salmon. The real thing, I mean - wild and wonderful rather than the pale, bland, farmed impostor. Toast its pure flavours with a wine that also respects nature and tastes all the better for it. Domaine de la Mollepierre Bourgogne Chardonnay, 1996 (Cheers Take-Homes, Santry, Shankill and Ballinteer, Deveneys Rathmines and Dundrum, Carvills Camden Street, Thomas's, Foxrock, DeVine Wine Shop, Castleknock, Bennetts Howth, Pielows, Enniskerry, usually about £9.99) is organically made, and like many a good wine it reveals its charms stealthily. I found it quite closed and lean at first sip but glorious when retasted a day later, so pull the cork early; maybe even decant just before serving.
Salad Days: Spring salads, summer salads . . . whatever your choice of crisp, seasonal components, you'll need a zingy young white to set them off. From a patch of northern Spain that's brimming with white excitement, try fruity but extremely fresh Marques de Riscal, Rueda, 1998 (Kellys, Artane, Sweeneys, Dorset Street and Fairview, Londis, Malahide, On the Grapevine, Dalkey, Molloys group, Superquinn, selected SuperValus, £6.99£7.49). A true star, it works with mixed salad, tomato salad, Greek salad.
First Asparagus: Young asparagus is such an amazing treat that it deserves a decent wine. Sauvignon Blanc picks up best on those grassy, sweet flavours provided it's not from such a warm region that it tastes more like a tropical fruit salad. Try something classy from Marlborough, the heartland of top New Zealand Sauvignon. Omaka Springs Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 1996 (selected Superquinns, Redmonds Ranelagh, Jus de Vine, Portmarnock, Fine Wines, Limerick, O'Tooles, SuperValu, Tuam, and other independent off-licences, £9.99£10.99) is a fine new example - from Geoff Jensen, a man who makes his Sauvignon to last a few years. It's ultrasmooth.
Veg Out! A feast of early summer vegetables, tender and succulent, give the vegetarian option new allure. Pinot Grigio, one of northern Italy 's most attractive white grapes, is a terrific choice with a wide range of vegetable dishes - not least because it has delicate herbal undertones. Pighin Pinot Grigio, Friuli Grave, 1997 (Karwig's Wine Warehouse, Carrigaline, £9.15; also available by mail order) is worth seeking out - a well made wine with ample fruit, lively acidity and a lingering finish that makes you pour more.
For Spring Lamb: There's no doubt about it: for lamb, red Bordeaux is pretty hard to beat - especially if it's one with plenty of fruity charm to match the sweetness of the young meat, rather than a hard and tannic monster. Chateau Le Grand Verdus, Bordeaux, 1996 (Tesco, £6.99) is perfect for this purpose (and plenty of others) - an easy-drinking wine that's still true to its roots. Deservedly popular in Quinnsworth, it has survived, fortunately, into the Tesco era.
The Lighter Sunday Lunch: With any luck, we'll soon be swapping the sit-down routine with the roast for something lighter and more relaxed - at least for a couple of months. The closer you get to a cold buffet with ham, charcuterie, salads, cheeses, the more you'll learn to love the light red wines of the Loire. Like Chateau du Hureau, Saumur-Champigny 1996 (McCabes, £9.99; also direct from James Nicholson) - a fragrant, delightfully juicy wine which, even indoors, will make you think you're out in the garden near the herb bed or the newlymown lawn.
Into Provence: Yummy French olive bread (as in John McKenna's recipe) is just the first step to a whole summer full of the kind of foods that bring the warmth of the south of France that bit closer. The wine to do the same? La Vieille Ferme, Cotes du Ventoux, Domaines Perrin , 1996 (very widely available, £6.49£6.99). Note the price - better value than ever. See Bottle of the Week.
First Picnic: What do you need to pop in the basket? Champagne or a perfectly chilled white sounds good . . . but the truth, in this heat-starved climate of ours, is that most picnickers would far prefer a tumblerful of gently warming red. Simonassi Lyon Barbera, Mendoza, 1998 (Pettitts group in the south-east, Lord Mayor's, Swords, Noble Rot, Navan, Fine Wines, Limerick, and other independent off-licences, usually £6.99) is just the thing - a mouthful of ripe summer berries with that typically refreshing Barbera tang. Good with foods of all kinds - or none.
Up In Smoke: You know how the first burst of May sunshine always brings the barbecue out of the shed? Be prepared this time and have the right wine ready. What you need, for the home-charred burgers and steaks, is a meaty (but not too heavy) red wine with a smoky edge. Although not one of my favourite grapes, Pinotage seems exactly right in this situation - especially when it's as well made as Clos Malverne BasketPressed Pinotage Reserve, Stellenbosch, 1997 (Dunnes Stores, £7.99)
The Gardener's Reward: You've slaved all day, digging, weeding, raking, sowing. You deserve a refreshing, thirst-quenching glass of bubbly - guilt-free, so it had better not be too dear. Try Graham Beck Brut, Robertson, NV (Oddbins, £10.49: 7 bottles for the price of 6; Grogans Ranelagh, Foleys Cabinteely, Mill Maynooth, Greenacres Wexford, Wine World Dungarvan), a Cape star with broad applepie flavours. With a champagne stopper (which costs about the same), the fizz will stay in to perk you up after a second day of slaving.