Tis that time of year to take a look back on the bottles sampled and savored over the past twelve months. The local craft movement continued in the food world and was echoed in the micro brewery and spirits world too with dozens of home and hobby brewers deciding to jump into the beer making game for profit. The same with distilleries. The ancient art of fermenting grain gained prestige as the cocktail culture grew at a steady clip. Here are a few of my favorite finds from 2012 including the return of the ZORK cork, craft gin that I could actually drink, and a bubbly for all seasons.

Francois Montand Brut Rose-Made in the Jura region of France, just a cork's throw from Champagne. Tastes like champagne but priced like a cava. I'll drink to that!

Hey Mambo Kinky Pink-I love rose wines. I love pinot noir. Combine the two and you have this lip smacking fruit forward bone dry minerally clean pink wine from California.

Monte Volpe, Mendocino County, CA, Zin-What happens when a clever winemaker makes an "Italian Punch" of sorts by combining every red grape in the vineyard (sangiovese, carignane, negroamaro, nebbiolo)in a bottle? This lush, rich, spicy, and oh so easy to drink red wine.

Cartlidge & Browne / Leese-Fitch Pinot Noir-If I didn't know this was from California I would swear it was a Burgundy. Intense, earthy, red fruit, elegant.

Standing Stone Chardonnay, Finger Lakes, NY-Give me Chardonnay with NO OAK and I will give you my glass several times for a refill. This one quenches my thirst for pure ripe flavors of apple, pear and NO wood.

Lazzaroni Amaretto-Made from distilled almonds this liquor is the REAL DEAL. Sip it straight or blend with sour mix. Molto Bene!!

Journeyman Distillery Bilberry Black Hearts Gin-Made in Three Oaks, Michigan just over the Indiana border. I don't like gin. But then I tasted this one made from bilberry which is a cross between a huckleberry and a blueberry...and I changed my mind.

Uncle Vals Botanical Gin-Small craft distilled. Smells like a walk thru a botanical garden. I dont know whether to dab it behind my ears as a perfume or sip it over ice. Once again, I fell in love with GIN this year because this one isn't all about the juniper and pine.

Journeyman Distillery Roads End Rum-Love my rum especially when it's made from blackstrap molasses. Rich, luxurious, with no gunk.

Crusoe Spiced Rum-Let me be shipwrecked on an island with a bottle of this. Sip it straight or blend with some coconut milk for a super exotic getaway.

The Zork-I shared my love of this wine closure in columns past and am looking forward to enjoying more Zork corked bottles in 2013 including Plungerhead Zinfandel, Leese-Fitch Pinot Noir & Cabernet Sauvignon and the sultry Hey Mambo Red.