July arrived with a small change to the calendar, and it gave us a better excuse to make rosé the center of the month.
The 4th of July landed right on the first Saturday of the month, which means our usual Grand Tasting is moving back one week. So no Grand Tasting this weekend, but honestly, that may have worked out just fine. Saturday, July 11th, is now officially becoming an all-rosé affair, which feels like the perfect thing to do in the middle of summer.
July is coming in with rosé, spritzes, Champagne and crepes, wine classes, Wimbledon, the World Cup, lobster rolls across the street, and one very pink aperitivo that people have been waiting to get their hands on.
So here’s what we’re drinking, watching, and waiting for this July at Community Wine & Spirits.
We’re Waiting One More Week for Rosé All Day
Because the 4th of July fell on the first Saturday of the month, we’re postponing the Grand Tasting to Saturday, July 11th.
The upside? It’s going to be all rosé.
Spending a July Saturday tasting through rosé with people who care about what’s in the glass is a pretty good place to be. Rosé gets treated like a single category sometimes, as if every bottle is just “cold and pink,” but there’s a lot more range than that.
Some bottles are crisp and citrusy. Some are fuller and more savory. Some are built for seafood, some for grilled vegetables, some for sitting outside and pretending New York is not doing New York-in-July things to your body.
This tasting is a good chance to find the bottle you want in the fridge before people come over, before dinner, or before you head somewhere with snacks and no plan.
And speaking of rosé, Project Alpine Butterfly Rosé from Oregon is exactly the kind of bottle we like having around in July: bright, easygoing, and ready for the fridge before people come over, before dinner, or before you head somewhere with snacks and no plan.
We’re Drinking the Pink Spritz Bottle Everyone’s Been Asking About
Every once in a while, a bottle arrives with a little more energy around it than usual.
This month, that bottle is Sarti Rosa.
It’s an Italian aperitivo made with Sicilian blood oranges, and it has been wildly popular in Europe. Last year, none was available in the U.S. This year, it has finally arrived in America, and we have it coming into the shop right as summer drinks are becoming a full-time concern.
Sarti Rosa makes immediate sense in a July glass. It’s bright, pink, citrusy, a little bitter, and very ready to be turned into a spritz.
For a classic Sarti Rosa spritz, use:
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3 oz. Prosecco
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2 oz. Sarti Rosa
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1 oz. club soda
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Lime slice
Build it over ice, stir gently, and there you go!
We’re pairing it with Isotta Manzoni Prosecco Cuvee Giuliana, which is exactly the kind of bottle you want for this: fresh, lively, not too serious, and happy to do its job.
We’re Also Keeping Pimm’s in the Fridge
Sarti Rosa may be the new arrival, but July is not a one-drink month.
It’s Wimbledon time, which means Pimm’s gets its annual moment. And honestly, it deserves it. The Pimm’s Cup is one of those drinks that sounds old-fashioned until you remember it is basically built for hot weather.
Our version is simple:
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2 oz. Pimm’s No. 1
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1/2 oz. lemon juice
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Ginger ale to top
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Cucumber slice, mint sprig, and strawberry
That’s it. Cold, light, a little herbal, a little fruity, and very easy to keep drinking while tennis happens in the background.
We’re Watching the World Cup on the Big Screen
The World Cup is on our big screen all day!
That means you can come by for a bottle, catch part of a match, argue about who looks dangerous this year, ask what to drink with dinner, or pretend you’re only stopping in quickly before leaving with more than you planned.
This is one of the best parts of having a neighborhood shop. The bottles matter, obviously. But so does the little bit of conversation around them.
Some days you come in knowing exactly what you want. Some days you come in because there’s a game on, someone mentioned a spritz, and dinner suddenly needs wine.
Both are acceptable.
We’re Putting Classes Back on the Calendar
July also has a proper class lineup.
On July 9th, we have Wine 101: How to Taste Wine Blind.
This is a great one if you’ve ever watched someone smell a glass and start naming fruit, rocks, flowers, and weather patterns, and wondered what exactly was going on.
Blind tasting is not about showing off. At least, it shouldn’t be. It’s about learning how to pay attention to acid, body, fruit, tannin, aroma, texture, structure. The more you notice, the more enjoyable wine starts to become.
Then on July 21st, Wine 201 goes to Galicia.
Galicia is one of those places that rewards a little extra attention. Coastal, fresh, expressive, and full of wines that can make you rethink what Spanish wine is supposed to be.
Between those two classes, you get a nice July arc: first, learn how to taste more clearly; then, use that attention on a region worth exploring.
We’re Looking Forward to Bastille Day
On July 14th, we’re celebrating Bastille Day with Laurent-Perrier Champagne and crepes.
That sentence does not need much defending.
Come for the bubbles, come for the crepes, come because mid-July deserves a little occasion. We’re not going to overcomplicate this one.
We’re Sending You Across the Street for a Lobster Roll
Our friends across the street at Essex Pearl are offering 15% off their Signature Lobster Roll when you mention Community Wine & Spirits.
We’ve said this before, and we stand by it: it might just be the best lobster roll in America. And yes, we paired wine with it, because of course we did.
A cold bottle, a lobster roll, and a summer afternoon in Chelsea are a pretty strong plan.
We’re Making July Easier Online, Too
One more reminder before the month fully runs away from everyone: you can order online, AND we deliver.
You can get points, redeem points, send liquor, review past orders, and organize your favorites. This is especially useful in July, when plans have a way of arriving very quickly.
Someone’s coming over. You need a bottle chilled. You forgot you said you’d bring something. You want to send a bottle without making a whole production of it.
That’s what the online shop is for.
Come See What July Is Turning Into
So that’s where we are.
The Grand Tasting is moving back one week and turning into Rosé All Day. Sarti Rosa has finally landed. Pimm’s is back in the fridge. Wimbledon is doing Wimbledon things. The World Cup is on the big screen. Bastille Day is coming with Champagne and crepes. Essex Pearl has the lobster roll. And somehow, July has only just started.
Stop by Community Wine & Spirits shop, order online, or come see what we’re pouring this month.
We’ll be here!
