The Cork Club June 2025 Selections
A myriad of pink wines for warm weather enjoyment (or for Thanksgiving)
I’ve partnered The Cellar d’Or, a great wine and cider shop in Ithaca, NY, to create a one-of-a-kind wine club that delivers some of the most delicious and unique wines from the Eastern United States right to your door. These aren’t bin ends or mass-produced, factory wine garbage. These are real wines made by real people. They are the wines I’m drinking myself — from producers you’re probably not going to find in any other wine club.
You’d never know it based on most of the weather we’ve had so far, but it’s spring and almost summer here on Long Island, and while we drink rosé all year long around here, we’re entering the unofficial official rosé season.
So, I’ve included four rosés in this month’s Cork Club shipment for seasonal enjoyment—although I’d at least consider holding at least a couple of them back for Thanksgiving, too. You know I love rosé on Thanksgiving.
First up is Fox Run Vineyards 2024 Rosé, a blend of blaufränkisch, cabernet franc, and pinot noir, but in different proportions than last year’s (which I put in my club a year ago). Fruity, fresh, and deftly balanced, it has all of the red berry character you’d want with a distinct wet stone minerality, and silky pinot noir-like feel on the mid-palate.
Dr. Konstantin Frank made four separate rosés from the 2024 vintage. My favorite, made from blaufränkisch, is only available to their wine club, so I couldn’t get it, but the Dr. Konstantin Frank 2024 Dry Rosé of Pinot Noir was a close second—and we could get it. It brings strawberry and cherry limeade aromas backed by floral notes and some cinnamon candy. It has a really nice mouthfeel that is both silky and fresh. The palate is driven by strawberry and red cherry fruitiness with juicy, citrusy acidity, spice, and earthiness beneath.
Third, we have one of the better sparkling wines I’ve tasted this year. I just wrote about it last week, so you can read more about Sheldrake Point 2023 “Beta Series” Blanc de Cabernet Franc here.
The last wine for this month’s shipment is another previous “Wine of the Week”— Weis Vineyards 2024 Zweigelt Dry Rosé. It starts with floral aromas before ripe red berries—tart cherry, raspberry, and a little cranberry—take over with background hints of earth, rosehip, and spice. The concentrated, flavorful palate is medium-light in body but weighty in terms of flavor. That same melange of red berries mingles with spice and light savory-herbal notes—all with fresh acidity that gives it a bright, crunchy mouthfeel. If I had to pick one that you should save for Thanksgiving, this is it. I think the intense flavor and fruity-savory balance is a good foil for the varied Thanksgiving meal.
As always, please enjoy these wines with your friends and family. The next shipment is in August, and I expect to have some pet-nat, riesling, and sauvignon blanc for you, but you never know what might inspire!
We have a few extra sets of these wines, so if you’re interested, SIGN UP TODAY!
