Posts Written OnFebruary 2008

Finger Lakes Wineries Win Gold in Riesling Competition

By Finger Lakes Correspondent, Jason Feulner The Finger Lakes continues to earn recognition for its outstanding rieslings. Last week, at the 10th Annual Riesling du Monde tasting competition in Strasbourg, France, five Finger Lakes wineries placed in the gold medal category amidst a slew of riesling entries from prestigious German and French wineries. These Finger Lakes wineries include Chateau LaFayette Reneau, Dr. Konstantin Frank, Fox Run, Glenora Wine Cellars, and Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards. Each winery submitted its top 2006 riesling for review. Fred Frank of Dr. Frank’s Vinifera Wine Cellars is keen on entering competitions like the Riesling du Monde…

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Sometimes a Diner is the Finest Dining Around

Long Island has several top-notch restaurants, but when it came time to choose a lunch spot today, I shunned them and settled on the Rocky Point Townhouse Diner, just a couple miles up the street.  And, it was one of the best lunches I’ve ever eaten. The Greek salad was solid and tastily loaded with feta. The chicken souvlaki was just okay. And the cole slaw was mediocre at best. Overall, a slightly above average meal to be sure. That probably doesn’t sound like the stuff of a great lunch, and yet it was. You see, it was my first…

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WTN: Hudson-Chatham Winery 2006 Seyval Blanc (New York)

Today I’d like to introduce you to a winery that you probably aren’t familiar with, Hudson-Chatham Winery in town of Ghent New York’s Hudson River Valley. It’s one of the region’s newest producers and one that I know that I find personally inspiring . Why? Well, Nena and I talk all the time about moving to upstate New York, buying and old farm house, renovating it and making a home for our family there. Carlo and Dominique DeVito, owners of Hudson-Chatham Winery have just that…and they’ve planted a small vineyard to boot. The grapes aren’t quite ready for winemaking, but…

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WTN: Channing Daughters Winery Over & Over – Variation One (Long Island)

I think that most fans of Channing Daughters Winery (and they are an ever-growing army) would agree that it’s a white wine shop.  Sure, they make a few different red wines too, but most pale when compared to winemaker Chris Tracy’s stellar white wines. So, when saw that they had released a new red blend, for $35, I thought maybe it was just another over-priced Long Island red. And there are plenty of those to go around. But Tracy’s newest creation, Over & Over, isn’t like all of the other blended reds being made here. In fact, it’s unlike any…

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WTN: Channing Daughters Winery 2006 Brick Kiln Chardonnay (The Hamptons)

I think that those of us who take wine seriously (but never too seriously, right?) sometimes get caught up in wines needing to be "complex." I know that I find myself saying "It’s delicious, but it’s simple" and meaning it in a bad way. Why is that bad? The important thing is that it’s delicious, not that it might only have two or three flavor components instead of a half dozen or more. This wine, Channing Daughters Winery’s 2006 Brick Kiln Chardonnay ($20), is a reminder that a wine can be tasty and straightforward …and that is okay. The grapes…

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Fox Run Vineyards’ Peter Bell Heading to Serbia…

This is just a quick note about an email conversation I had with Peter Bell, winemaker at Fox Run Vineyards in the Finger Lakes. He’s been telling me for months (maybe a year) that his 2005 reds are going to change my mind about Finger Lakes red wine, which I’ve never been overly impressed with. And now, it seems that his merlot and reserve cabernet franc are ready for me to taste. Hopefully I’ll have them next week sometime. But that’s not what I’m writing to tell you guys about. Peter mentioned in passing that he’s leaving for Serbia tomorrow.…

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