Wölffer 'Summer in a Bottle' Rosé Debuts Today

Sagaponack’s Wölffer Estate Vineyard uncorks today a new addition to its rosé portfolio, Summer in a Bottle.

Summer in a Bottle has been a marketing campaign for Wölffer, and now the name is being given to a new line of wine that celebrates and reflects the Hamptons season. Summer in a Bottle rosé has a floral bottle design that is eye catching and evocative of fun summer outdoors parties.

“All my friends say, ‘Wölffer reminds me of summer in the Hamptons'” co-owner Joey Wölffer explains. “So how do we translate that? And that’s where Summer in a Bottle came about.”

The new rosé joins Wölffer’s beloved rosé table wine and the vineyard’s white-label Grandioso Rosé 2013.

The Wölffer rosé that has became a Hamptons staple is a blend of 58% Merlot, 24% Chardonnay, 11% Cabernet Franc, 6% Pinot Noir and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon. Summer in a Bottle is 71% Merlot, 20% Gewürztraminer, 8% Chardonnay and 1% Petit Verdot.

It was 1992 when Wölffer first brought its original rosé to market. There were just 82 cases produced. Now, the winery produces 17,000 cases annually, and the Hamptons still can’t get enough of it.

It is more than just the blend that sets Summer in a Bottle apart from the original. Wölffer winemaker and partner Roman Roth explains that the grapes used to make Summer in a Bottle were harvested 10 days later. The result is a more lush and creamier flavor and a higher pH, Roth says. Plus, because the more-ripe grapes had a higher sugar content, the alcohol content, in turn, is slightly higher. The difference is 11.5% to 12.5%.

Roth says Summer in a Bottle is more in line with the style of rosés from Provence, the rosé capitol in France, though it is still true to the Hamptons wine region.

This new rosé debuts during a banner year for Long Island wine. Roth says the 2013 growing season was “a dream come true.” It was exceptionally dry and hot—perfect for grapes.

Wölffer’s traditional rosé table wine is available for $17 online, while Summer in a Bottle is just a few dollars more, at $24 per bottle. Both are discounted when ordered by the case. Visit wolffer.com.

Wölffer expects to bottle its dry white and rosé sparkling ciders—which made their debut last year—in the next week or so.