Once it was a closely guarded military secret. Anti-scurvy powers lent an indelible nickname to the British, whose superstitious Limeys probably snatched the idea from Tantra, which prescribed the fruit to ward off evil spirits. Perfected in the heart of Persia, limes in great variety have become essential to everything from cooking to cocktails. Tart and grassy, floral and sour — whether in the perfume of fine curry or the rowdy flavors of Margaritaville, lime blinks neon green all the way down. Wines with lime flavors generally abound in refreshing crispness, whether they burst with citric juiciness, or vibrate with the tart and sour dryness of freshly-grated zest. It may prove an ultimately delusional confusion of grammar that so many white wines tasting of lime come from vines whose roots sink deep into limestone, but experience suggests an affinity that is more than coincidental.

Glen Eldon Riesling, Eden Valley, South Australia
Domaine Faively “Clos Rochette” Mercurey Blanc, Burgundy, France
Six Sigma Sauvignon Blanc, Lake County, California, USA
Craggy Range “Fletcher Family Vineyard” Riesling, Marlborough, New Zealand
Joseph Drouhin “Reserve de Vaudon” Chablis, Burgundy, France
Selbach-Oster “Selbach” Riesling Kabinett, Mosel, Germany
Biblia Chora “Estate White,” Paggaiou, Macedonia, Greece
Domaine Henri Pelle Morogues Blanc, Menetou-Salon, Loire Valley, France

This is part of an ongoing series of original images and prose called The Essence of Wine