Stratton Lummis Cabernet Sauvignon Artist Series Napa 2005

Sourced from some of the better vineyards in Oakville and Rutherford, displaying beautiful aromas of ripe bing cherries, deep cassis flavors with licorice skillfully balanced and showing smooth fruit, dark chocolate and a perfect finish.

Stratton Lummis selected as one of the most popular restaurant wines among sommeliers and wine directors by Wine and Spirits Magazine's 20th Annual Restaurant Poll!

14.5% alcohol and retails for $28.

Carta Vieja Merlot 2009 Loncomilla Valley Chile

Deep opaque purple color this good everyday Chilean Merlot with broad strokes of dusty blackberry and blueberry. Peppered with licorice, and, well ... peppers, it has a jammy texture painted with a brush of red berries and a finishing glaze of strawberry and vanilla ice cream.

Macari Riesling 2009 finger lakes

Macari vineyards uses Riesling grapes sourced from New York's finger lakes region to produce this wonderful wine.

Displaying a clean straw coloring with fresh aromas of green apple skins, and melon merged with spicy undertones, a floral hint and citrus to combine and create a lively, rich white wine. $30.

Monteviejo Blend 2006 Valle de Uco, Mendoza, Argentina

Made with a blend of 80% Malbec, 17% Syrah, 2% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 1% Merlot, very dark, and lush opaque blackberry colors, and plumy syrupy textures.

Aromas of cassis and blueberries with flavors of ripe black cherries, hints of spices including cinnamon powder and cloves, finishing with dark cocoa powder, and chocolate, with a suggestion of smoke and oak.

Tannins, which are strong at first, allow for good aging but do settle down nicely to reveal a fruity and lush Malbec blend.

New Amsterdam Market's "City of Water"

This Saturday, July 24th from 11am until 4pm New Amsterdam Market will feature "City of Water" to commemorate New York's waterfront market tradition.

Over 50 vendors will be repesented to show off their locally produced wares, while ferries will be on hand to shuttle you to Governor's Island to picnic and enjoy all the snacks you bought at the market.

A special treat this Saturday will be Wild Food Gatherers Guild, they'll be bringing a wide variety of wild mushrooms such as Chanterelles, Lobster Mushrooms, Chicken of the Woods, and Scabers. Also look for vendors with cycling affiliations, like Cycles (a bicycle delivery service) and Third Rail Cafe (a coffee bar for cyclists).

For another article about New Amsterdam Market on this blog click here.

Cantele Rosato Negroamaro 2007 IGT Puglia

The grapes are macerated from 12-18 hours to infuse the colors and aromas of 100% Negroamaro, then fermented in steel tanks before bottling.

Pinkish rose with hints of copper paints this Rosato from Puglia, while sour cherry gummy bears and strawberries express the aromas. The crisp palate shows a tart freshness that sings with the essence of rose water and cherries.

Con la mia moglie, ieri sera: prosciutto con melone e fichi... insalata cesare.... buratta e pomodori con aceto balsamico... petto di pollo in crosta di parmigiano... con una bottiglia di vino rosè, ad un ristorante chiamato Il Poeta. Delizioso!

Babich Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough NZ

Beautiful floral aromas, with melon, grapefruit, cherries, lychee, citrus.

Rosaenovae Irpinia Terradora DiPaolo DOC 2009

Paolo Mastroberardino owns this winery formerly shared by brothers. Actually labeled as a red wine (because it's made from red Aglianico grapes), but looking like a rose and showing salmon coloring in the glass, see photo. Aromas of ripe summer fruits mingling with fresh flowers and slight minerality, then enhanced by flavors of sour cherries bringing a nice acidity to the table. Found this at The Wine Room of Forest Hills, recommended by Carolina. Approx. $16/bottle.

Paired so beautifully with a focaccia with mozzarella and fresh tomatoes and basil from Rocco's on Bleeker Street.

Cline Viognier 2007 California

Summer fruits, like ripe peaches, juicy pineapple and honeysuckle all contribute to the nose on this white wine made with the delicate Viognier grape.

Floral notes dominate the palate and finish with a refreshing kind of ginger ale sparkle.

I can recommend pairing this with a spicy Thai dish, shrimp or even lobster, and a bottle retails for about $16.

Massican Sauvignon Blanc 2009

This bottle was a perfectly timed summertime gift from my friend, and fellow food/wine blogger, Eric Guido from The VIP Table. I was on a two week staycation at the beach and invited Eric and his family, and he brought this gem of a Sauvignon Blanc. Talk about a limited production wine?! There were only 50 cases produced by winemaker Dan Petrosky at the Massican Winery in California's Napa Valley.

Aromas of ginger woven into a slate/mineral texture, and fragrant acacia along with flavors of honeydew, ripe apricot, with hints of wood and sawdust and grapefruit rind. High acidity, a ripe freshness and solid, rich textures combine to make this a luscious summertime white.

For another perspective see Eric Guido's blog at The VIP Table