For a great many people in the tri-state area, our Wine of the Week, Wölffer Estate 2016 Rosé ($18), is Long Island wine, not just the unofficial wine of the Hamptons. There truly may not be a better known Long Island wine.
Winemaker Roman Roth makes a lot of rosé — more than 40,000 cases covering three still wines, a sparkling wine and a dessert wine — and you’ll find it on many restaurant lists and store shelves this summer. Heck, I’ve personally seen it on a wine list as far north as Burlington, Vt.
This year’s edition is made with 49 percent merlot, 30 percent chardonnay, 9 percent cabernet sauvignon, 8 percent cabernet franc and 4 percent riesling. It’s a wine that always has that heavy dose of steel-fermented chardonnay, making it drink almost like a white wine.
The 2016 has a light copper tint with citrusy and floral aromas on a bright, effusive nose, making it bright and fresh on the palate. It’s lower alcohol (12 percent alcohol by volume) with well-integrated acidity and subtle fruity flavors — think peach and juicy pear — that are deftly balanced.
A dry, slightly saline finish begs to be enjoyed with something like fish tacos or your feet in the sand.
You can drink it icy cold out of the fridge or cooler, but it’s a lot more giving and delicious slightly warmer.
