Posts Written OnOctober 2004

Opening a bottle of Riesling is always fun for me, especially if it’s one I’ve never tried before. I love Riesling…and I’m always curious to see what direction a particular winemaker takes this grape in. Will it be bone floral, flinty and bone dry? Will it be fruity and off-dry? Plus, for the most part, they’re quite affordable and, I think anyway, always much more interesting than a Pinot Grigio. New York State and the Finger Lakes Region in particular are well known for making great Rieslings. In fact, many wine “experts” think that some of the Finger Lakes Rieslings…

One of the best parts of our long weekend on Cape Cod was that we did a cocktail hour each night…with wine tastings set up by yours truly. I really liked this picture…taken the first night we were all there. We compared Wolffer Estates Rose and Comtesse Therese Rose. I love them both, but Wolffer won out as the favorite for serving with food…but as an apertif, Comtesse Therese won going away.

(This column will appear in an upcoming issue of Dan’s Papers) Winning Wines for the Season Wolffer Estates Fall Releases By Lenn Thompson As a wine lover, I often say “I love it all.” California Cabernet Sauvignon, Australian Shiraz, Argentinean Malbec, Alsatian Gewürztraminer…the list is seemingly unending. I can always find something to love about most any varietal and wine region. But, as summer’s warmth fades and autumn takes hold, two wines always grab and keep my attention — Cabernet Franc and Pinot Noir. Luckily, with Wolffer Estate artfully producing world-class examples of these varietals in Sagaponack, I don’t have…

(This story recently appeard in Dan’s Papers) “Drinking the Stars” at Vineyard Weddings By Lenn Thompson The Benedictine monk Dom Perignon, when drinking the first Champagne in the late 1600s, is reputed to have exclaimed, “It’s like drinking the stars!” Sparkling wine, whether you call it Champagne, Cava, Prosecco, or just bubbly, is the perfect wine for romance…and for a wedding. It really is the most romantic of wines and it is a time-honored tradition to toast the new bride and groom with a twinkling flute of Champagne or another sparkler. But far too often, the sparkling wine served at…

(This story recently appeard in Dan’s Papers) Winemaker Profile: Theresa Dilworth of Comtesse Therese By Lenn Thompson Monday through Friday, Theresa Dilworth can be found working in Manhattan as an international tax attorney for Pfizer, Inc. But on Fridays, just hours after leaving her office, you’ll find her out on the North Fork working in the fields of Le Clos Therese Vineyards as principal owner, vineyard manager and winemaker of Comtesse Therese wines. Since 2001, Dilworth has been making award-winning wines only from grapes she’s purchased from other growers on the North Fork. That’s about to change, however. While she’ll…

This past weekend, I had three stories to write for Dan’s Papers, one on Long Island winery weddings, a profile on a local winemaker and a story on Long Island bubbly. (I’ll post final versions of the stories either today or tomorrow once they are approved). On our last stop for the bubbly story, we went to Lenz Winery…and what an amazing experience. I printed up some quick business cards Saturday morning, just so I had something to hand over to tasting room staff as I tasted the sparklers. Well, when we got at Lenz and I talked to the…