Posts Written OnOctober 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…

By Tom Higgins, Finger Lakes Special Correspondent As most wineries wrap up bottling before the harvest begins, waiting for the grapes to ripen on the vine can be a little stressful. There are several tasks which will keep one busy leading up to the arrival. Cleaning It is said that 80% of time spent winemaking is cleaning. Some wineries are so meticulous in cleaning, that you can literally eat an entire meal off of their floor. But cleaning happens throughout the entire winery: the floors, walls and doors. The tanks, the barrels, the hoses. The pumps, the presses the de-stemmers.…

Bedell Cellars gets a lot of press coverage, most recently for the 90-point score they received from the Wine Specator for their 2005 Musee. They have also garnered a bit of attention for how their recent pricing structure, which is seen by some as too high, too soon. But, if they can sell their wines at the prices they are asking, how can you blame them? Romantic notions of vineyards with butterflies and ponies aside, they are a business, and businesses exist to make money. Sure, the Musee is $75 now after the 90-point score (was $65 upon release) but…

Throughout the month of October, several New York City’s restaurants will be celebrating the current 2008 grape harvest by featuring New York wines by the glass. And,  several wine shops which will be showcasing New York wines during October as well. It’s all part of the New York Wines & Dines (thankfully they have a new website this year) celebration. This is a program that always has loads of potential, but because I don’t make it into the city very often, I can’t say first hand how successful it is. If anyone has any opinions, I’d love to hear them.…

Things have been a bit busy here at LENNDEVOURS headquarters… but for all the right reasons. I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about the direction in which I want to take this blog and speaking with a lot of people in New York’s various wine regions about a variety of related projects as well. One thing that you’ve no doubt noticed is the addition of more contributors. Well, I’m very excited to announce yet another contributor (two actually) from the Finger Lakes Region, Tom Higgins. Tom began his wine journey working at Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards in Hector, NY…