It's Fourth of July weekend and, on what will likely be a boiling hot summer day for most of the US, picnics and barbecues with their typical summer holiday fare will rule. While I am tempted to suggest wines that pair well with picnic fare like burgers, ribs and chicken, I'm going to ignore the food and instead focus on the weather. An unusually warm San Francisco summer has put me on a rosé kick of late. -A quick aside: Rosé all too often gets a bad rap for not being a "serious" wine. Part of this is deserved as there is no shortage of crappy bulk rosé being pawned off on ignorant consumers. The reality though is that there are some fantastic rosés on the market and it's a shame that rosé is often bypassed and dismissed as some sort of inferior alternative to "real" wine (i.e red or white).- Anyway, rosé is arguably the ideal wine for a hot summer night (though Vinho Verde and Alvarinho make an incredibly strong case for the title "Best Wine for Hot Summer Night").

As an avid foodie, and pretty good home chef, one of the things I’m loath to admit is that I am frequently ambivalent towards vegetables. There are a few vegetables I hate, there are also few that I love, and then just a whole bunch somewhere in the middle. Not sure if I was attacked by killer tomatoes (movie reference there for those over 35) as a kid, or what, but I rarely get excited about cooking the vegetables. That said, there a few I do really like, and when the season hits I tend to overload on them. During spring, one of my favorites is Asparagus…which is absolutely delicious and is great to pair with food. But asparagus, also brings some serious wine pairing challenges.

Languedoc, France 2009 93 D/H 2008 89 D/H 2007 98 D/H 2006 93 D/H 2005 93 D 2004 90 D 2003 90 D 2002 85 D 2001 94 D 2000 90 D 1999 90 D 1998 95 D 1997 89 D 1996 88 D 1995 83 D Vintage Charts should be used for a generalized guide in lieu of specific knowledge about a bottle or producer. The better...

Ohio/Michigan 2010 88 D 2009 83 D 2008 85 D 2007 96 D/H 2006 87 D 2005 87 D 2004 86 D 2003 89 D 2002 88 D 2001 89 D 2000 86 D 1999 88 D 1991 92 D Vintage Charts should be used for a generalized guide in lieu of specific knowledge about a bottle or producer. The better wines from a vintage will...

Sicily, Italy 2010 90 D/H 2009 91 D/H 2008 90 D/H 2007 93 D/H 2006 92 D/H 2005 91 D/H 2004 96 D/H 2003 90 D 2002 89 D Vintage Charts should be used for a generalized guide in lieu of specific knowledge about a bottle or producer. The better wines from a vintage will generally have longer lives and...

Tokaji, Hungary 2010 85 2009 80 2008 84 2007 92 2006 90 2005 86 2004 82 2003 92 2002 86 2001 90 2000 97 1999 98 1996 91 1993 97 1988 95 1986 92 1983 94 Vintage Charts should be used for a generalized guide in lieu of specific knowledge about a bottle or producer. The better wines from a vintage...

Niagara, Canada 2010 90 D/H 2009 86 D 2008 87 D 2007 94 D/H 2006 87 D 2005 90 D 2004 86 D 2003 89 D 2002 90 D 2001 85 D 2000 86 D 1999 88 D Vintage Charts should be used for a generalized guide in lieu of specific knowledge about a bottle or producer. The better wines from a vintage will generally...

Campania, Italy 2010 90 D/H 2009 89 D/H 2008 87 D/H 2007 91 D/H 2006 93 D/H 2005 93 D/H 2004 96 D/H 2003 91 D 2002 89 D 2001 91 D/H 2000 90 D 1999 92 D/H 1998 90 1997 94 D/H 1996 90 1995 89 D Vintage Charts should be used for a generalized guide in lieu of specific knowledge about a bottle or...

New Zealand 2010 90 D 2009 88 D 2008 87 D 2007 90 D 2006 89 D 2005 88 D 2004 90 D 2003 83 D 2002 89 D 2001 89 D 2000 85 D 1999 85 D Vintage Charts should be used for a generalized guide in lieu of specific knowledge about a bottle or producer. The better wines from a vintage will generally have...

Finger Lakes, New York 2010 89 D 2009 86 D 2008 87 D 2007 96 D/H 2006 87 D 2005 89 D 2004 86 D 2003 89 D 2002 90 D 2001 89 D 2000 86 D 1999 88 D 1991 92 D Vintage Charts should be used for a generalized guide in lieu of specific knowledge about a bottle or producer. The better wines from a vintage...