After a late April budbreak, Mother Nature pumped the brakes with somewhat cool and rainy weather in May and June. July saw heat, humidity and some rain. The sun and heat continued in August and primed September for thorough ripening. By the end of August the humidity cleared and a spectacular period of sunny, dry weather and blue skies began and stretched through the entire month of September. Both August and September came in under 2 inches of rain for the month. September’s gorgeous dry, sunny weather and cool nights made 2019 into a vintage to remember.

Try Paumanok Cabernet Franc with roast chicken, duck, game birds, hamburgers, meatloaf, pizza, sausage, hearty fish dishes and goat or cheddar cheese. For vegetarian options try grilled vegetables such as cabbage, bell peppers, and eggplant (try it with baba ghannouj) or zucchini. In general, it pairs particularly well with herbs like rosemary, sage, thyme or saffron.