These fresh and fun tipples are perfect for entertaining

Welcome the summer season with some cheap and cheerful party wines for $20

Spring might be a bit bashful this year, but that shouldn’t stop us from ushering in May with fresh, fun wines primed for entertaining. Here’s a great party mix — a white, red, rosé and bubbly — that over delivers on flavour at prices at or under $20.

Good enough to impress wine nerds and neophytes alike, you might want to buy in multiples. Let spring bloom with cheer in your glass. Enjoy.

Fleur du Cap 2015 ChardonnayWestern Cape, South Africa

Fleur du Cap, based in South Africa’s beautiful Stellenbosch region, is coming into its 50th anniversary. You could say the winery is rock solid, literally, since its cellar — known as Die Bergkelder — was carved into the side of a mountain.

The mountain cellar is the hub of the winery, which has vineyards throughout the Western Cape region. You’ll find a museum, tasting room and cellar where 500,000 bottles and 20,000 barrels rest.

This Chardonnay is mediumbodied, with a touch of sweetness and a nice oaky aroma. Look for flavours of pineapple, baked pear, tarragon and other fresh cut herbs, plus lime and lemon. A persistent acid on the finish keeps everything fresh.

Price: $16. Look for it at Avenida Liquor Market, Co-op Wines Spirits Beer, Craft Cellars, Eastport Liquor Store, Mission Wine and Liquor Merchants.

Drink: Now. Enjoy it with white fish, roast chicken or pork tenderloin. Screw cap; 14 per cent alc./vol.

Segura Viudas Non-vintage Brut Rosado Cava Penedes, Spain

While I think rosé, or Rosado as it’s called in Spain, is the perfect tipple all year long, for many people, pinks are summer drinks. It’s hard to beat Segura Viudas when it comes to great sparkling wines at excellent prices, and this rosé is no exception.

Located on an 11th century estate, Segura Viudas makes both still and sparkling wines, though the bubblies are what’s most often seen in our area. Segura Cavas are made using the same method as Champagne, though in most cases with different grapes. This rosé consists primarily of Trepat, a red grape native to northeastern Spain. The blend is rounded out with 10 per cent Garnacha — in France it’s called Grenache.

A medium salmon-pink colour, the bubbles are small and persistent. The palate of this off-dry wine shows flavours of currant, cranberry, cherry, cantaloupe and strawberry. So refreshing.

Price: About $18. Hunt it out at Co-op Wines Spirits Beer, 5 Vines Wine, Craft Beer and Spirits, Highlander Wine and Spirits on 16th Ave. N.W., Sobeys and Willow Park Wines & Spirits.

Drink: Now. Enjoy it with a strawberry dessert, steelhead trout, Chinese takeout or as an aperitif. Cork; 12 per cent alc./vol.

Chateau d’Astros 2016 Cotes de Provence Provence, France

Staying on the rosé theme, it’s hard to top the beautiful still pinks from Provence in southeastern France. Chateau d’Astros is a family winery located about 120 kilometres east of the port city of Marseille. The beautiful forested estate includes a 150-year-old chateau built to look like an Italian villa.

Bernard Maurel, 85, still oversees the winery, which has employed seven generations of his family. They make a variety of still wines, though 75 per cent of their production is rosé.

This light pink-hued blend of Grenache, Cinsault, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah offers a nose of strawberries, raspberries and roses — so pretty. It’s dry on the palate, with a vibrant acidity and flavours that match the nose. One warning: This wine will evaporate quickly on a sunny day!

Price: About $20. Look for it at The Cellar or Highlander Wine and Spirits in Marda Loop. The 2016 has just arrived in market and could show up in other boutique stores in the next few weeks.

Drink: Now. Try it on its own, with a fresh salad, salmon sushi or butter chicken. Cork; 12.5 per cent alc./ vol.

Amalaya 2015 Malbec Salta, Argentina

Talk about tasting the sun — you can’t find vines much closer to the sun than these.

The grapes for this wine from Amalaya come from two vineyards that sit more than a kilometre and a half above sea level in the Calchaqui Valley in Salta, Argentina. That high elevation means the sun’s rays strike with a powerful intensity that is ideal for ripening grapes. And 2015 was an excellent vintage, with plenty of warm, dry days interspersed with cooler periods that help keep the wine’s acid levels up. Without acid to balance the fruit and tannins, a wine tastes flat and uninspiring.

This blend of 85 per cent Malbec, 10 per cent Tannat and five per cent Syrah is loaded with dark fruit flavours such as blackberry, blueberry and plum, with notes of mocha, chocolate and violet.

Price: About $20. Look for it at 5 Vines Wine, Craft Beer and Spirits, Sobeys, Willow Park Wines & Spirits and Zyn the Wine Market.

Drink: Enjoy it now, with grilled steak, lamb or ribs. Screw cap; 13.9 per cent alc./vol.