Posts Written OnOctober 16, 2008

Just a quick reminder about the the first LENNDEVOURS Wine Bar event at Roanoke Vineyards this coming Sunday, October 19 from 2-5 p.m. We’ll be tasting two not-yet-released wines: Roanoke Vineyards 2006 Gabby’s Cabernet Franc and Lieb Family Cellars 2007 Pinot Blanc, enjoying Roanoke Vineyards wines by the glass, nibbling on some light snacks and just enjoying a great afternoon filled with great wines and great people. Best of all we’ll be donating all of the net proceeds from the event to Peconic Land Trust, an important local organization that strives to protect Long Island’s working farms, natural lands and…

By Tom Higgins, Finger Lakes Special Correspondent As we begin to sort through our pinot noir with some new volunteers, I am continually asked, "So, does every winery sort through each cluster of grapes?"  The quick answer is "No", but there is a much more complicated answer as to why. There are essentially two ways to harvest the grapes — by hand or by machine.  Hand harvesting is a labor-intensive process, raising the cost of each ton of grapes. The other alternative is a machine harvester — which costs a pretty penny initially, but those costs spread across several years…