Posts Written OnOctober 2008

This Sunday: LENNDEVOURS Wine Bar @ Roanoke Vineyards to Support Peconic Land Trust

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…

Hand Harvesting. Machine Harvesting. MOG. And More.

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…

“Mommy, where do 89 wines go when they die?”

By Jason Feulner, Finger Lakes Correspondent The question in the title is not flippant: the ever-frustrating 89-point score is a non-starter in terms of soliciting national interest in a given wine. If Wine Spectator graciously grants a 90-point rating, the wine flies off the shelf. An 89, despite its proximity to 90, results in mediocre interest at best. The problem is even more vexing for wines from lesser-known regions. An 89 for a well-known California producer will not deter loyal consumers en masse, but the same score for a New York, Michigan or Virginia winery means that the millions of…

Finger Lakes Riesling. Long Island Chaos.

This morning, a quick observation that I’ll likely explore further in the future: As I mentioned yesterday, Melissa Dobson and I are gathering wines from Long Island and Finger Lakes wineries to pour at next week’s Wine Bloggers Conference our in Sonoma County. The samples are still flowing in, but one thing has caught my attention, and I’m wondering what it means. Of the 20 or so Finger Lakes wineries that are taking part, I’d estimate (because I don’t have the list in front of me) that 15 are sending riesling, the grape the region is best known for. The…

Heading to the Wine Bloggers Conference 2008 Soon

Many of you already know about this (and I’ve mentioned it in passing before now) but I’ll be heading to the left coast in a little over a week to attend the first annual Wine Bloggers Conference in Sonoma County from October 24-26. It promises to be a great opportunity to meet bloggers, in person, that I’ve built friendships with over the years and also interact with members of the wine industry who are interested in what the blogging world can and does mean for them. In addition to enjoying the meals, tastings and discussions, I’ll be pouring (along with…

Sips and Slurps (October 14, 2008)

I’m back in the game after a long weekend upstate visiting my in-law’s, eating delicious food and enjoying the gorgeous weather and fall foliage. Of course, New York wine country doesn’t wait around for me, so here are some things that happened while I was mostly offline: Dr. Konstantin Frank Vinifera Wine Cellars has announced the release of a new riesling clone N90. The winery has been working closely with Cornell University, the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and the NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets on the project.  The clone is from the Neustadt Research Station in…

WBW #50: Wine in the Wilderness

Welcome to Wine Blogging Wednesday #50, hosted by Russ Beebe, known to many as the Winehiker. Given this alter ego, it is surely no surprise that Russ chose a "wine worthy of a hike" as his theme. Unfortunately, there isn’t a ton of hiking to be had on Long Island. You see, it’s really just an overgrown sand bar jutting out into the Atlantic. But, there is a hike that I love that is still somewhat local… to my in-laws. The name of the mountain is Vroman’s Nose in Middleburgh, NY. Nena and I hiked to the summit on my…

Jamesport Vineyards NV East End Series Cinq (North Fork of Long Island)

I love when I taste a Long Island red with complexity and substance… especially when I find out later that it’s only $16 at the winery (and no-doubt available for under $15 at shops). One such wine his Jamesport Vineyards’ East End Series Cinq. It’s a kitchen sink blend of merlot, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, syrah and pinot noir that surprisingly doesn’t taste like a bunch of leftovers thrown together. Medium crimson red in the glass, there are nice, fairly effusive aromas of black cherry preserves, blackberries, black pepper spice and even a subtle smoked meat component that is interesting.…

Wolffer Estate’s Roman Roth on NPR Today

Roman Roth, winemaker at Wolffer Estate in Sagaponack, NY will be a guest on The Faith Middleton Show on the Connecticut Public Brodcasting Network today at 3 p.m. Roman is also the winemaker at Roanoke Vineyards and has his own garagiste label, Grapes of Roth. He’ll be on for 40 minutes and as anyone who knows Roman will tell you, he’s an extremely charming, down-to-earth man who is a pleasure to speak with. If you’re on Long Island, tune your dial to WNPR Radio 91.3 FM in Southampton. If not, visit www.cpbn.org/program/faith-middleton-show The show will be repeated on Wednesday at…

Macari Vineyards 2007 Estate Chardonnay (North Fork of Long Island)

On its own, sans oak, chardonnay doesn’t typically offer much in the way of aromatics. A little apple. Maybe some lemon, but that’s it. Why do you think winemakers the world over use (and over-use) oak barrels in chardonnay production? There are techniques that winemakers can use to enhance the aromatics of course — different yeast strains, different fermentation temperatures and varying levels of oxygen during fermentation. Some still end being rather neutral. This wine, Macari Vineyards 2007 Estate Chardonnay ($19 at the winery) isn’t one of those wines. Pale straw colored with a faint greenish tinge, the nose brings…