Warm Weather Wines

Al Roker is a vision of estival joy.

 

Here in New York, we've been gifted an exceptionally beautiful Spring.  America's most sartorially literate weatherman is predicting sunny temperatures in the high 60s and 70s for this weekend and the weather shows no signs of changing.  Hopes are high for a long and pleasant season, fair-weather revolutionaries notwithstanding.  When temperatures are this mild for this long, my thoughts invariably turn towards leisurely afternoons spent in the company of good people and good wine.  Below is a list of ten of my favorite wines, in no particular order, to serve with a slight chill and enjoy outdoors.  My apologies in advance for all the bullshit wine jargon I'm about to subject you to.

Name:     Croteaux "Jolie"
Style:       Rosé
Varietal:  Cabernet Franc
Region:   North Fork of Long Island, New York, USA
Vintage:  2011
Price:      $25

This is currently my favorite rosé on the market; it has a complexity of fruit that is quite rare for a rosé, but where a tannic jolt on the finish might be expected from such fruit, there is instead crisp minerality.  Really unique and interesting.  I have not seen this in stores, but a trip out to Croteaux's tasting barn and beautiful garden on the North Fork is most certainly worthwhile.  My understanding from the owner is that there are already less than 100 cases available, so jump on it while you still can.
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A Conspiracy Against Franciacorta!

I think I beat Jesse Ventura to this one.

About a year and a half ago, I was wandering through the sparkling wines section of Astor Wines, like you do, when I stumbled upon a wine I'd never seen. Looking down at the bottle, I mouthed the words "Ferghettina Franciacorta." Unfamiliar with either of these words, I wondered which was the producer and which was the name of the wine itself. I looked to the neck of the bottle and took note of the very familiar ribbon indicating Italy's highest wine designation, DOCG. This shocked me; as the son of Italian immigrants, and someone who has been helping his father make wine (including champagne-method sparklers) since age 7, I could not believe I was at that moment discovering an Italian sparkler I'd never so much as read about! I immediately brought the bottle to the register, projecting a poorly-feigned air of confidence as I made my purchase.