K&L Buyers select their favorite wines and spirits for the summer season.

K&L Summer 2026: 50 Years, 50 Tastings, and the Best Bottles of the Season

K&L Wine Merchants turns 50 this year. To mark the occasion, our buyers are sharing what they're actually drinking this summer — and our NYC team is opening bottles you'd normally only see at auction. Whether you're coming to 270 Madison or shopping from anywhere in the country, this is the summer roundup worth bookmarking.

What’s In This Issue

· K&L NYC Opens Its Cellar: 50 Days, 50 Tastings, Free
· Six Domestic Rosés for Summer 2026
— Aaron Hughes, K&L Redwood City
· The Best Sauvignon Blanc for Summer 2026
— Ryan Woodhouse, K&L Domestic Wine Buyer
· Best Summer Spirits 2026
— Jonathan Goldstein, K&L NYC Spirits Buyer

K&L NYC POURS ITS CELLAR FOR THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY:
50 Days. 50 Tastings.

Our New York City store is bustling with customers trying the exquisite bottles we’re opening for 50 Days. 50 Tastings.

To mark K&L's 50th anniversary, our New York store is launching 50 Days. 50 Tastings. at 270 Madison (corner of 39th). Rare pours, staff favorites, no sign-up. Over 50 days, our NYC team is opening hundreds of standout bottles worth the trip: Krug, Cristal, Sassicaia, Lafite, Mouton-Rothschild, Dominus, Pingus, Guigal La Landonne, BV Georges de Latour, Dal Forno, Bollinger La Grande Année, Mayacamas, Peter Michael, with more still to come. Each pour is a window into the curation that has defined K&L for five decades. Longtime customer or first-time visitor, come raise a glass fifty years in the making. Check back for the full lineup. Don't miss a drop. Read more On The Trail.

K&L Wine Merchants, celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2026, is hosting free daily wine tastings at its NYC location at 270 Madison Avenue from May 26 through July 23, 2026.

HIP HIP ROSÉ!
It's the Pinkest Season

It's the most magical time of the year, no I'm not talking about Christmas, but the season of all of the new rosé wines coming out! Christmas is fine and all, but that's about giving and getting and some other stuff, and kind of interferes with my birthday, but rosé season is about the most perfect time of year and some of the most fun wines! This year we've already introduced you to some of the wonderful French rosés, but you know what really doesn't get enough attention? The amazing rosés we have from our Domestic wine aisles. Read more On The Trail.

— Aaron Hughes, K&L Redwood City Tasting Bar Manager

Aaron Hughes shares his favorite domestic rosés for summer 2025

2025 Red Car Sonoma Coast Rosé of Pinot Noir $19.95 View
2025 Stoller Willamette Valley Rosé of Pinot Noir $14.95 View
2025 Anonymous Wine Collective Contra Costa County Rosé of Mourvedre (Elsewhere $25) $14.95 View
2025 Flowers Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir Rosé $34.95 View
2025 Marine Layer "Carina" Sonoma Coast Rose $32.95 View
2025 Big Salt "PNK Salt" Oregon Rosé $17.95 View

SAUV BLANC SEASON IS HERE
These Six Bottles Deliver

Nothing says summer sipper to me like Sauvignon Blanc (well, maybe rosé—but my colleague Aaron has that covered in this newsletter!). For me, few varietals can even come close to delivering that punchy, aromatic burst of refreshment. The best SBs can be tropical and citrusy, herbaceous and mineral all at the same time. I love Sauv Blanc and would probably make it my desert island grape variety if forced. It's a grape that is just so versatile and downright quaffable, but also, when made in a particular way, can also age gracefully and take on a whole extra dimension. We have a broad selection of domestic Sauvignon Blanc at the moment (111 at last check), so I'm going to list off a handful of bottles that will surely be passing through my refrigerator this summer season. Read more On The Trail.

— Ryan Woodhouse, K&L Domestic Wine Buyer

Our Domestic Wine Buyer's top California Sauvignon Blanc picks for summer

2023 Quivira Sonoma County Sauvignon Blanc $14.95 View
2024 Ghost Block "Estate - Morgaen Lee Vineyard" Yountville Sauvignon Blanc $24.95 View
2025 Massican California Sauvignon Blanc $24.95 View
2025 Farella "Estate" Coombsville Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc $29.95 View
2023 DIRT "Mariah Estate Vineyard" Mendocino Ridge Sauvignon Blanc $24.95 View
2023 Krutz Family Cellars "Beckstoffer Melrose Vineyard" Rutherford Sauvignon Blanc (Elsewhere $60) $29.95 View

BEST SUMMER SPIRITS 2026:
What K&L's NYC Spirits Buyer Is Drinking This Season

Summer spirits are a different animal than winter spirits. You want something that works in a glass with ice on a hot day, something that plays well with citrus, something you can make in a pitcher without embarrassing yourself. Here are the five bottles I keep coming back to this season—and a few more worth knowing about. Read more On The Trail.

— Jonathan Goldstein, K&L NYC Spirits Buyer

Keep your bar stocked with summer staples curated by our NYC Spirits Buyer

Lost Explorer Blanco Tequila (750ml) $44.99 View
Granja Nomada Ensamble Mezcal (750ml) $49.99 View
Madre Ensamble Mezcal (700ml) $49.99 View
Sihhenge (Mhoba) Natal Queen Pineapple Infused South African Rum (750ml) $36.99 View
Hamilton Demerara Rum (750ml) $24.99 View
Neisson Rhum Agricole Blanc Martinique (1L) $39.99 View
Green River Wheated Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (750ml) $34.99 View
Mars Shinshu "Iwai 45" Japanese Whisky (750ml) $32.99 View
Le Mone Meyer Lemon Aperitif (750ml) $27.99 View
St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur (750ml) $34.99 View
Combier Liqueur D'Orange Triple Sec (750ml) $34.99 View
Rockey's Botanical Liqueur (750ml) $24.99 View
Chinola Pineapple Liqueur (750ml) $29.99 View
Doladira Rhubarb Aperitivo Alpino (700ml) $34.99 View

K&L DELIVERS TO THE HAMPTONS:
And Beyond

Did you know we offer six thoughtfully curated wine clubs? Click here to discover how you can access a wide variety of truly exceptional wines at value prices.