(Some of) My favorite Wines of the Summer of 2012

2011 Channing Daughters rosés: We are sold out. Please check with the winery on availability their site is listing 4 out of 8 as available. Channing Daughters winery and vineyard is a lonely outpost of innovation on the south fork has such a diverse line up of esoteric wines that I think of Chris Tracy as the Willy Wonka of wine. They have all manner of funky cool climate varieties, all sorts of interesting blends and even styles few people attempt like the "orange wines", whites made with prolonged skin contact, and a ripasso/solera style red called "Over and Over". Anyway, they produced a rainbow of rose from just  about all their red varieties in the 2011 vitage and it was so much fun to taste through them all.

2011 Avanthia Rosé: This is a manly pink wine. It is not a simple sipper but rather a rich food wine that shows best taming the beast in hot curries and buffalo chicken wings. It may become my thanksgiving wine if it lasts long enough to serve with turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing and gravy.

2009 Alto Moncayo Veraton: is just off the summit of the Borsao mountain range of great Spanish wines. Only Alto Moncayo Alto Moncayo and Alto Moncayo Aquilon are above it in stature but the Veraton is the old vines Garnacha from this winery that I drank the most of this summer. It is the consistency of chocolate syrup thinned with some soy sauce, very rich and savory.

Rare Wine Co. Historic Series Madeiras: I'm familiar with  the New York Malmsey and the Boston Bual, named after important cities of the American revolution While not a summery wine per se, I fell in love with it over the summer and I think its a love that will last well into fall and winter. The delicious flavors of burnt sugar, spices and candied orange peel are addictive and its a pity it isn't served more often

2010 Pellegrini Vintner's Pride Encore - Barrel Sample: The 2010 vintage of Long Island's reds will be stunning and we got to taste in Pellegrini's barrel cellar twice earlier this year. The "Encore" is amazing.

These were the wines that popped into my head first so they qualify as most memorable, but I could have easily extended this list quite a bit.