Posts Written OnSeptember 15, 2008

You’ve Got Hail

By Brian Calandrelli, Niagara Correspondent This summer has tested vineyard managers throughout Niagara County, NY with rainy, humid and sometimes dangerous weather patterns. Hail fell from the sky at least three times, which made many in the industry rethink their expectations for their crops this year. I’ve read several reports on bad weather in Bordeaux, Burgundy and even on this site about Long Island, so it’s not all that surprising that our cool climate in the Niagara region wasn’t spared. I walked through Martin Schulze’s vineyard after the last hailstorm and the damage was obvious. On the east side of…

The Bottling Line at Sannino’s Bella Vita Vineyard

Last Saturday, several members of the LENNDEVOURS Vintners Group descended upon Sannino’s Bella Vita Vineyard for one of the most exciting parts of our winemaking project: bottling. It may not be glamorous work, but it means that you get to take your wine home from Long Island’s only homewinemaker’s center. This is the group, and the Sannino’s bottling either our merlot or our meritage-style blend. That’s me in the black Steelers hat of course.

Sips and Slurps (September 15, 2008)

Sorry for the relative blog silence (maybe we can call it blog quiet this time?), but I’ve been extremely busy at work, which has led to more working during the evenings. The major project we’re working on should be released soon, so expect a return to regular blogging soon. In the meantime, here are a few notes from New York wine country: The beer and wine blog, Beer and Wine Blither, has a nice little report on a recent trip to the North Fork and a few wineries Jamesport Vineyards has launched a new wine club with two options —…