Confession: We always intend to expand our wine knowledge, but when tasked with picking up a bottle, we often find ourselves reaching for varieties from California or France (or, you know, the prettiest label). That’s almost criminal when a few miles away from our summer cottage are acres upon acres of vineyards producing fabulous, award-winning wines. We scoured Long Island’s vineyards (it was a hard job) to find the wines you’ll be sipping all summer.
5 Great (and Locally Made) Wines You’ll Be Drinking All Summer
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Published May 17, 2018
Bridge Lane Wine/ Facebook
Bridge Lane Wine In A Can
Not that you’d ever sneak wine onto the beach (*wink*), but if you were going to, these cans from Mattituck’s Bridge Lane Wine would make it a snap. Sold in four-packs and available in five varietals (rosé, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, white Merlot and a red blend), each can contains about two glasses of wine.
Bridge Lane Wine ($34)
Croteaux
Croteaux’s 2017 'sauvage' Merlot 181 Rosé
Tucked into Southold, Croteaux is an utterly charming little vineyard that only produces rosé. You can’t go wrong with any of its wines, but for summer we’re getting our hands on as many bottles of the 2017 “Sauvage” Merlot 181 rosé as we can. Made with natural yeast, this is a bright, fruity wine with a clean finish that makes it perfect with basically anything and everything you’ll be eating this summer.
Croteaux ($24)
Montauk Wine Company
Montauk Great White
Long Island wine scene newbie Montauk Wine Company is debuting the drinkable, lively Montauk Great White this year. Made from North Fork grapes, the blend of Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Riesling is basically summer in a bottle. And with a label created by Hamptons artist Peter Spacek, it’s a bottle you’ll want to show off.
Montauk Wine Company ($19)
Sparkling Pointe
Sparkling Pointe’s 2015 Brut
Like wearing white before Memorial Day, reserving bubbly for special occasions is one of those rules that were made to be broken. We love popping open a bottle on a leisurely Sunday afternoon while sitting in our backyard garden. On the North Fork, Sparkling Pointe winery specializes in wines made in the Champagne method. Its 2015 Brut is crisp with notes of lemon, apple and pear that will have you “cheers”-ing all summer long.
Sparkling Pointe ($29)
Wölffer Estate Vineyard/ Facebook
Wölffer No. 139 Dry Rosé Cider
Wölffer is pretty much synonymous with summer on the East End. The Sagaponack winery is a destination for everything from yoga in the vineyards to afternoons of sipping wine and listening to music. Pick up a bottle (or four) of its No. 139 Dry Rosé Cider. Not too sweet and made with New York state apples, this is one of our favorite summer beverages. You’ll be drinking it from now through Thanksgiving. And how adorable are those bottles?
Wölffer ($16 for a 4-pack)