Scenes from the 2016 "Crush" at Channing Daughters in Long Island, N.Y., where a New World winery goes way old-school to make the industry's latest craze: a fizzy, funky sparkler.
—Elin McCoy
Orange Wine Has Finally Arrived. Here Are Eight Bottles to Buy
When high-end, wine-centric restaurant Rouge Tomate reopens next month in New York’s Chelsea district, there will be plenty of “orange” wines on the list.
Traditionally from Georgia in Eastern Europe, these tannic white wines—made like reds, with grape skins left in during fermentation and aging—have been trending for four or five years as vinous exotica, touted as the fourth wine color. Have they finally become more than novelties?
“They’re here to stay,” says Rouge Tomate Chelsea wine director Pascaline Lepeltier, who sent me a long list of her favorite producers.
2013 Channing Daughters Ramato ($25)
In the Hamptons, former chef Christopher Tracy makes this dry, exotic, spicy white with apricot and honey aromas from pinot grigio grapes. Ramato is an Italian term used in Friuli for skin-fermenting the varietal to create a copper-colored wine. This one spent only 14 days on the skins, so it’s a great orange wine introduction.
—Elin McCoy
The 25 Best Rosés Under $25
Brace yourself. Rosé season starts this weekend. The drink pink boom means pale and pretty wines will be poured at patio parties everywhere to jumpstart a hopefully decadent summer lifestyle. An oversize tub filled with ice and bottles of pink wine is now de rigueur for entertaining.
So what to put in it? Rosés from Provence have been in vogue for what seems like forever—a new high of nearly 6.9 million bottles were imported into the U.S. last year—and alas, the number of luxury versions is exploding. But you don’t have to pay a lot to get something you'll be happy to drink. If you’re having a party or just want to knock back a glass by the pool, the virtues of those expensive rosés—ability to age, complexity—are beside the point. Continue Reading
2015 Channing Daughters Rosato of Cabernet Franc ($15)
Always pushing boundaries, pony-tailed winemaker Christopher Tracy makes several unusual rosés, including a pét-nat, in the Hamptons. This one is pale, delicate, and mouthwatering.
—Elin McCoy
