Posts Written OnJuly 2007

Rachel Ray Visits Long Island Wine Country

Sorry for the short notice, but Rachel Ray, the world’s perkiest cookbook author, TV show host, food linguist, and foodie phenomenon will be featuring a recent visit to Long Island wine country on her show this morning (10 a.m. on ABC). I’ll admit that I don’t watch the show (I have a job and I’m not the target demographic anyway) but I know that Ray is a supporter of local wine country. So, I’m going to set my DVR and watch it later. Apparently she visits Lenz Winery, Macari Vineyards and Paumanok Vineyards.

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Vineyards Visuals: Chamomile at Shinn Estate Vineyards

Photo courtesy of Shinn Estate Vineyards "I have attached a nice photo of the daisies that have been in full bloom in the sauvignon blanc for a few days now. They are from a native chamomile plant. We dry the flowers, brew a tea then do soil drenches with it as part of our biodynamic program. We did the same thing with the dandelion flowers from an earlier photo I sent you. You can see the winery in the background." — David Page, Shinn Estate Vineyards

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Tasting Rooms Gone Wild? I’m Not So Sure.

You may have seen these stories in the New York Times and Syracuse Post-Standard, about tasting room behavior in Long Island and other New York tasting rooms. I don’t have any first-hand experience in Finger Lakes tasting rooms, so I can’t comment much on the latter article, but the one in the Times I definitely can. In fact, I was interviewed for it, even if none of my quotes made it in. As I read the story for a second time, I’m disappointed on several fronts. First, I’m disappointed that people act like that in tasting rooms. But, in some…

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Wine Blogging Wednesday Goes German

I got a very cool email over the weekend that Wine Blogging Wednesday is going German. Thomas from WinzerBlog tells me that it’s going to start this week under the name Weinrallye with about 10 entries expected. They also have a very fun theme in mind: "The first topic will be ‘a wine from a island.’ And, the next 8 rallyes are already given away to other German wine bloggers :-)" Pretty cool huh? Don’t forget, the original Wine Blogging Wednesday is happening this week as well. The theme is Spanish wines under $10.

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Happy Anniversary, Nena

Two years ago today, the lovely, talented and tolerant (of my "quirks") woman you all know as Mrs. LENNDEVOURS (and/or Nena) became my wife. We were married on a covered bridge in her hometown of Schoharie, NY. There were a lot of pictures taken that day, but this one remains one of my favorites. For me, it’s the non-posed pictures that capture moments best. I love you, Nena. Thanks for putting up with me this long. Sainthood is next I imagine.

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Wolffer Has a Way with Chardonnay

Chardonnay. It’s a grape that makes many wine lovers shudder. I blame the over-oaked, buttery, flabby chardonnays coming out of California. The overly tropical ones coming from Down Under aren’t doing us any favors either. I’m talking about barrel fermented chardonnay here, by the way. Gary over at Wine Library TV complains about these wines and the "Oak Monster." And he’s right. There was even a time when I turned my nose up at barrel-fermented chardonnay because so few winemakers seemed to know how to use oak judiciously–as a spice rather than main component. Local wineries fell into this trap…

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On the East End This Weekend (July 7 & 8)

There are a couple festivals tomorrow that are worth checking out: Lenz Winery’s 18th Annual Chardonnay World ClassicSaturday, July 7 from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m.Taste over 90 chardonnays from all of the major wine regions of the world including Long Island, California, France, South Africa, Australia, and many more. Enjoy a selection of artisanal cheeses and hors d’oeuvres chosen specifically with chardonnay in mind. Tickets: Lenz Subscribers:  $35; General Public:  $50 Website: www.lenzwine.com Phone: 800.974.9899 Email: office@lenzwine.com Martha Clara Vineyards Anything But Chardonnay & Merlot FestivalSaturday, July 7 from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.Sample over 50 different wines from 17 East…

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We Interrupt this Wine Blog for Some Music News

You probably know that Mrs. LENNDEVOURS is music teacher and choral director. But what you might not know is that she is also classically trained mezzo-soprano who has performed with several groups here on Long Island and in upstate New York. Not enough people get to hear her sing, so it’s fun that the group she sings with (or did pre-Jackson anyway), the Stony Brook University Camerata Singers, is releasing a new CD at the end of the month. They worked very hard and spent many hours in the studio putting it together. I’ve heard at least half of the…

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A Forgotten Winemaking Past in Central New York

By Finger Lakes Correspondent Jason Feulner Wine is found in many interesting places, and sometimes it says more than we expect. Every 4th of July, my wife’s extended family on her father’s side has a large picnic at The Farm, referred to as such because it is the origin of her family’s history in Central New York. Just after the turn-of-the-century, the Sgroi family migrated to the Canastota, New York farm and took up a living as onion farmers, owing their trade to the muck lands that abound in the area.  The family’s language was Italian, and the first generation…

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