More Fabulous North Fork Wines for Spring

While weather this spring has been unpredictable, the question remains which wines should be enjoyed this season.

One varietal that pairs beautifully with ham or lamb is cabernet franc or cab franc for short. The cab franc grape grows exceedingly well on Long Island. It thrives in Long Island’s maritime climate. Cab franc differs from cabernet sauvignon in that cab franc tends to be brighter, slightly lighter bodied than cabernet sauvignon, and herbaceous with peppery notes. It is able to complement a wide variety of food without overwhelming the dish.

NORTH FORK WINES FOR SPRING

Two delicious cab francs you should consider for dinner are the Macari 2022 Cabernet Franc and Osprey’s Dominion 2019 Cabernet Franc.

The Macari 2022 Cabernet Franc is red fruit driven with notes of raspberry, cherry, and strawberry. It is a classic cab franc, herbaceous with hints of green pepper and a woodsy finish. It retails for $38.

The Osprey’s Dominion 2019 Cabernet Franc also has notes of red fruit, raspberry, and strawberry, but also notes of brambly fruit, anise, licorice, and bittersweet chocolate. It is comprised of 91% cab franc and 9% merlot. It retails for $27. Both wines are lovely, medium bodied, and very easy drinking.

The Osprey’s Dominion Cabernet Franc also pairs well with chocolate, but if you’re looking for a somewhat sweeter wine to enjoy with your dessert course consider the non-vintaged Osprey’s Dominion Rhapsody in Red. The scrumptious Rhapsody in Red is created with 49% carmenere, 20% cabernet franc, 12% merlot, 9% cabernet sauvignon, 1% pinot noir, and 1% malbec. This wine retails for $25, but use an insider tip, call Peter in Osprey’s Dominion’s tasting room for the best prices as well as locating any wine you might have trouble locating on their website.

A non-vintaged wine means that the juice from grapes from a variety of years, or vintages, can be combined to create a wine.

If you prefer a fuller bodied wine to pair with dinner this Easter, the Macari Dos Aguas 2022 is the perfect choice. This fantastic Bordeaux style blend is created with 50% merlot, 26% cabernet sauvignon, 20% cabernet franc and 4% petit verdot. This is a sumptuous, silky, smooth red that is sure to please any Bordeaux fan. It retails for $40 and it is well worth the price.

A red Bordeaux style blend is a wine comprised of any combination of the five noble grapes, merlot, cabernet sauvignon, petit verdot, cabernet franc, and malbec.  To be an actual Bordeaux the wine must also hail from the Bordeaux region from France.

One more must add to the wine list has to be a rosé. While I will be highlighting a number of the area’s finest rosés here in this column next month, I absolutely had to include the Macari 2024 Rosé in this column.

Why? Just in case brunch is on the menu. There’s no better wine to go with brunch than a lovely rosé. This fabulous rosé is wonderfully fruit forward and, while still remaining dry and light, it is packed with flavor. This wine can be enjoyed during appetizers for dinner or simply sipped throughout the day. It retails for $28.