Posts Written OnFebruary 2008

Has Gary Vaynerchuk Gone “New World” on Us? Or Just Crazy?

I love my readers. You guys are the best. Within minutes of Gary’s latest episode of Wine Library TV going live, I had a half dozen emails in my in box about it. As you can see above, he tasted Grapes of Roth 2002 Merlot on todays show and…well…he didn’t come away impressed. He even went so far as to call it a "pedestrian effort" and he says he’s had several bottles of $25 Bordeaux that compare. Of course he also said that it’s built to age. Why would you want to age a pedestrian wine, Gary? We all have…

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Wine Blogging Wednesday #42: 7 Words — Carlo Massimiliano Gritti 2003 Il Doge

Wine Blogging Wednesday is back today with one of its old-time participants, Andy of Spittoon.biz playing host. Andy is one of the founding fathers of wine blogging, and he’s challenged WBW participants in a whole new way this time ’round. The wine itself this month is easy enough. We had only to choose something red from Italy. Where the challenge comes in is the tasting note, where we’re only allowed to use 7 words. In the spirit of the theme, I’m not going to go on and on with Carlo Massimiliano Gritti 2003 Il Doge’s background either. You can read…

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WTN: Osprey’s Dominion 2005 Pinot Noir (North Fork)

I know several pinot noir lovers, who are almost always disappointed by the local renditions they taste. Many are thin, water, terribly simple, and just not elegantly textured. This is a wine that I think will give them what they are looking for. While sipping (and spitting) my way through my weekly tasting lineup the other night, this wine stopped me in my tracks. It stood out among the other wines because of its texture, its complexity and it’s overall deliciousness. It’s the one wine that I swallowed during the tasting and it’s the only wine I reached for once…

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Arrowhead Spring Vineyards Joins the Trail

By Niagara Escarpment Correspondent Bryan Calandrelli The Niagara Escarpment AVA added another winery this weekend as Arrowhead Spring Vineyards opened it doors to hundreds of chocolate-eating, wine-drinking visitors during the "Be Mine with Wine" trail event. The Niagara Escarpment itself provides a spectacular backdrop for vineyards in this area which is quickly making Cambria, NY a wine destination thanks to the six wineries located within a few miles of one another. Temperatures in the single digits and wind chills flirting with minus twenty below didn’t stop the hordes of tasters, myself included, from checking out the view from the newest…

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Diploma Dispatches: Rhône Wines

By New York City Correspondent Sasha Smith Writing about this week’s class is hard, simply because I have no critical distance. I really, really love Rhône wines. If I were the kind of person who went in for florid wine clichés, I would deploy many of them here. My affection for them borders on the irrational, to the point where I have been known to station myself in front of the (always too small) Northern Rhône section in wine stores and stare longingly at the bottles of Guigal La Landonne, La Turque and La Mouline (inevitably protected behind glass, as…

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WTN: Channing Daughters Winery 2006 Blaufrankisch (The Hamptons)

Channing Daughters Winery, and its winemaker Chris Tracy, are known for doing things a little differently. Instead of talking Bordeaux, they talk about Northern Italy. Instead of focusing on merlot, white wines are the focus. And instead of growing (and making) mostly French varieties, they grow whatever grows best in their vineyards. Sometimes the novelty of their wines is just a gateway. It gets people interested in their wines and then the wines deliver above and beyond their novelty. But sometimes the wines don’t over-deliver. Sometimes they are just nice novelties. Nothing more. Nothing less. I’ve long been a fan…

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Don’t Forget, Today is Firkin Friday at DEKS in Rocky Point, NY

Just a quick reminder that tonight is the night for Firkin Friday at DEKS restaurant in Rocky Point, NY. Tonight, starting at 6 p.m., a firkin of Oakham Bishops Farewell will be available on cask in the tap room. Several members of the  Long Island Malt and Beer Enthusiasts group will be there and we’re hoping for a big turn out. Hope to see some of you there.  

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March 1: LENNDEVOURS/canvas Magazine Wine Event

I’ve been toying around with the idea of hosting a Long Island wine event for some time. But now, through my affiliation with canvas Magazine, it’s becoming a reality. On Saturday, March 1 at 5 p.m., join me, three North Fork wineries, and Whole Foods Market at canvas’ Footprint Art Gallery in Huntington, NY for a local wine tasting with light food pairings. The three participating wineries are Raphael, Lieb Family Cellars and Macari Vineyards, and they’ll be pouring a variety of wines along side some food from Whole Foods. In addition to great wine and food, there will be…

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Teaser: Go Read Goldberg’s Latest in the New York Times

I don’t normally write teaser posts, but this is something that I think you’ll look forward to. Yesterday, the New York Times published a piece by Howard Goldberg that serves largely as a "Long Island Wine 101" Basic info with some "helpful" links on the Web for more information. As I read through it, several things caught my eye as I’m sure you can imagine. But, because I’m on deadline for several projects over the next couple of days, I’m not sure when I’ll be able to craft a post about it. But, I think my post will be thought…

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