In spring, a wine lover’s fancy turns to – what else? – wine

You wouldn’t eat the same food all the time, so why drink the same wine over and over again? Our palates mature, our tastes shift and the wines themselves change with every vintage.

And so, as spring begins, I thought it was time to check in with a few wine devotees to find out what’s in their glasses these days.

While the calendar says it’s spring, recent chilly temperatures have made big reds popular.

“The cold weather we have just had made big, rich, inky, smoky reds the go-to wine,” says Fort Myers wine aficionado Marshall Hanno. “Tablas Creek is one of the Paso Robles Rhone rangers, and their flagship red is Esprit de Beaucastel. It is very highly rated, meets my cold-weather drinking criteria and can be purchased on their Web site for $40.”

Port Charlotte resident Oneal Cunanan says wine is more than a beverage to him: It’s a passion.

“I like bold red wines,” he says, “but I got hooked on zinfandel. Explozin is my favorite, but it is a little pricey. It has good fruit in front and a nice finish.”

He’s not the only zin lover these days.

“ ( M y wife) Dana and I have been drinking mostly Alexan- der Valley zinfandels,” says Todd Johnson, chef- partner at Rumrunners in Cape Coral. “One of our favorites is Seghesio Home Ranch Zinfandel. They make four others and all of them are fantastic, especially their old vines zinfandel.”

Count Fort Myers wine lover Michael McNally in the zin fan club, too.

“Barefoot Zinfandel is a reasonably robust and palatable zinfandel that is priced right,” he says. “It is never an embarrassment to offer to company. It is light in body, but definitely palatable!”

But there’s more to red wines than zin.

Top: Debbie and MaryAnn Smoak, Above left: Len and Dorrie Johnson. Above right: Mark Fanstill. “I prefer reds that are not so dry, and light to medium body,” says Punta Gorda resident Mark Fanstill, who owns Café Ruell with his wife, Jan. “I like drinking merlot because it tastes nice by itself.”

While enjoying a glass of Laudun Chusclan French merlot, he says. “I liked it so much I bought a case for myself.”

Although reds seem to dominate this time of year, wine lovers haven’t abandoned whites.

“I like a wine that is smooth, light and a little sweet,” says Deborah Smoak of Port Charlotte. “I like drinking some Moscato d’Asti during happy hour. It has no after taste.”

Sometimes tastes run in the family.

“I like German rieslings,” says Mary- Ann Smoak, who’d driven from Cape Coral to Port Charlotte to visit her sister. “My favorite right now is from Thomas Schmitt Estates, a Mosel Kabinett 2008. The taste is a little sweet and smooth. I like to drink it out by the pool, with some nice music playing.” O f course, it’s OK to love both reds and whites. “I like full bodied reds,” says Len Johnson

of Port Charlotte. “But I like unusual whites like torrontes and albarino.”

“Torrontes is refreshing, crisp and clean, with good fruit,” says Mr. Johnson, “while albarinho is a nice dry white from Spain. It’s almost like a white bordeaux in style, good fruit but on the dry side.”

So experiment a bit and move out of your wine comfort zone.

“If you don’t like new things,” Mr. Cunanan says, “then wine is not for you.” ¦

JIM MCCRACKEN/ FLORIDA WEEKLY .. in the know

Wine Picks of the Week: • Portrait of a Mutt Zinfandel 2007: Unusual name but a tasty zin blended with carignane. Aromas and flavors of ripe bing cherries and dark berries end with a touch of spice on the finish. About $17.

• 2005 Celler de Capcanes “Mas Donis” Barrica: Robert Parker rated this 91 points and said: “It offers up an expressive nose of slate, mineral, licorice, violets, black cherry and blueberry. Layered, long, and complex.” About $14.

• Louis Martini Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma County 2007: Wine Spectator gives it 87 points, saying: “Ripe and supple, offering plum and black cherry fruit that’s elegant and polished, complex and easy-drinking.” About $14.

• Seghesio Home Ranch Zinfandel 2007: Wine Spectator awards this zin 93 points and says: “Rich, powerful and ripe, yet supple and still balanced. (It) shows aromas of black cherry and licorice, with dense plum, cracked pepper and espresso flavors that finish with ripe tannins.” About $35.