Amy Zavatto is the daughter of an old school Italian butcher who used to sell bay scallops alongside steaks, and is also the former Deputy Editor of Edible Brooklyn and Edible Manhattan. She holds her Level III Certification in Wine and Spirits from the WSET, and contributes to Imbibe, Whisky Advocate, SOMMJournal, Liquor.com, and others. She is the author of Forager's Cocktails: Botanical Mixology with Fresh, Natural Ingredients and The Architecture of the Cocktail. She's stomped around vineyards from the Finger Lakes to the Loire Valley and toured distilleries everywhere from Kentucky to Jalisco to the Highlands of Scotland. When not doing all those other things, Amy is the Director of the Long Island Merlot Alliance.

The Old Field Cabernet Franc 2009, $28

Rosamond Baiz wasn’t particularly sure what she wanted to do with her life as a young bride in 1984, the year she and her husband, Chris, moved to his family’s old farm on the North Fork. She certainly didn’t know that she wanted to be a thoughtful, talented winemaker and land steward.

2008 Campania Rosso, Waters Crest Winery, $49.99

If you asked Jim Waters, he’d never agree that he can spin a silk purse from a sow’s ear; what he might say is that the collective efforts of good, hardworking vineyard managers and winemakers make for many happy surprises in the sometimes nail-biter vintages of eastern Long Island.

I, Basil Hoarder

Every single summer of my adult life thus far I plant as many pots of basil as I can possibly support on my patch of NYC land. And then… I don’t pick it. Or much of it.

Good Beer, Here!

Good Beer, now in its fifth incarnation of summer sipping, is back at 82 Mercer on July 31 pouring dozens of tappy treats.

The Good Stuff at Brooklyn Uncorked!

It’s time for one of my all-time favorite wine events of the year, Brooklyn Uncorked – a sipping and swirling smorgasbord of Long Island’s fab vinified offerings. But this year in particular is pretty special because it marks a moment in Long Island wine country history – the 40th Anniversary. A glass raised to that.