Dry rose has never been more popular, but Southold Farm + Cellar co-owner and winemaker Regan Meador hasn’t made one in his label’s two vintages to date — but not because he has anything against the now-trendy style.

“I’ve never made one before, for one,” he said when I asked him why he hasn’t made one yet, adding ” But, I wanted to explore a different side of cab franc. There’s a lot of good examples of rose cabernet franc, but I would rather see where else the variety could go.”

Enter Southold Farm + Cellar “Minor Threat” Cabernet Franc ($22) a wine that sorta straddles the line between rose and rose wine.

Whole clusters hand-harvested in Peconic on October 14 were sealed in a tank for two weeks, allowing carbonic maceration to begin. From there, the clusters were dug out of the tank and pressed off into barrels to complete primary and secondary fermentation with whatever ambient yeasts were available.

Fresh, high-toned red berry and floral aromas dominate the nose — as with many wines made using carbonic maceration — but there is a distinct cabernet franc-ness here too. Some darker fruit and a gently green edge.

With crunchy fruit flavors and fresh acidity, this is the kind of lighter-bodied, food-friendly wine that I need around the house in the summer. I’ve had it with grilled sausage, with barbecue sauce-slathered chicken, with burgers and even with steak — sometimes chilled, sometimes not. It’s just a fun wine that never disappoints.

Sadly, it’s come and gone already — and is sold out. Minor threat, indeed.

Producer: Southold Farm + Cellar
AVA: North Fork of Long Island
ABV: 12.2%
Price: $22 (sold out)

2014, cabernet franc, carbonic maceration, southold farm + cellar