Posts Written OnOctober 06, 2008

By Melissa Dobson, Finger Lakes News Correspondent Knives will be gleaming, pots and pans heated up to the boiling point and only one culinary warrior will remain at the end of the night at the Rochester Food Fight tonight. Representing the Finger Lakes in this fast-paced battle of four chefs is Debra Whiting, executive chef and co-owner of Red Newt Cellars Winery and Bistro on Seneca Lake. Debra is a local culinary celebrity and has garnered recognition from publications such as Food and Wine Magazine, Nation’s Restaurant News and the Wine Spectator. Of the event, Debra said, "I’m very excited…

You’ve heard before that 2005 was a great vintage for Long Island producers able to weather the up to 18 inches of rain in early October. Before the deluge, it was a hot, dry summer that led to riper-than-usual fruit that brought intensity not often seen in Long Island wine. Several 2005 reds have received critical acclaim already, despite their youth, and as more and more hit the market, I’d expect more of the same. One newly released 2005 red, Raphael’s 2005 La Fontana ($30 at the winery), shows off both the vintage’s ripeness and winemaker Richard Olsen-Harbich’s skills in…

Happy Monday and welcome to Regional Wine Week, a first-time event put together by Jeff Siegel (The Wine Curmudgeon) and Dave McIntyre (Dave McIntyre’s WineLine) to highlight America’s great wine regions — the ones you might not know about. Every week is RWW here at LENNDEVOURS, but I’m proud to be a part of this great program. Several well-regarded wine writers are taking part and I was honored to be invited to join the fray. With RWW in mind, I’ll be doing at least one New York wine review per day this week. Keep an eye out for the first…

This Saturday, Jamesport Vineyards will host it’s annual Oyster Festival to benefit the Southold Project in Aquaculture Training (SPAT) program, a program that teaches East End residents how to grow their own shellfish. Admission is free and the event runs from 1 to 5 p.m. They will be pouring Jamesport Wines and a variety of shellfish from the Peconic Bay will be available for purchase. I don’t eat oysters, but make sure that you taste Jamesport’s sauvignon blanc. The current release (2007) is a bit more tropical than past year, but it’s still one of the best around. For more…