The winter that never was seems to be history. It’s March, it was 70 degrees yesterday in NYC, and if you look off into the horizon there is a faint pink color filling the air. That would be the first batch of 2011 rosés coming in from every 
corner of the globe. Can there be any better sign of spring’s arrival? In a word, no.
And all signs point to yet another of year of stellar rosés. I have already received two from Long Island and one from California, but soon the floodgates will open and we’ll be awash in pink. Bravo to Shinn and Paumanok Vineyards for their new juice. 2011 was a very challenging vintage for the North Fork, but both have more than weathered the bad weather. Look for a crisper rose from Pauamanok and definitely a rounder, fuller version from Shinn. And Arnot-Roberts, those crazy guys from Forestville, somehow found some Touriga Nacional and have made a stunning 2011 rosé. It ain’t cheap, but it’s worth it.
It’s never too early to start quaffing rosé, and I’ll keep you posted as new ones come in. As a matter of fact, the dry rosé from Anthony Road in the Finger Lakes region will be in the house Monday. Wow, it’s a generous Cabernet Franc pinky, at a sweet price (just the price is sweet–not the wine.) Oh, and by popular demand, we have a brand new batch of the 2010 West Side Rosé in as well.
Here’s to warmer weather, and a long great summer.
