When I tasted this wine last week, I started a discussion on Twitter amongst the wine Twitterati about "varietal correctness." Feelings were mixed and a wide range of related topics were brought up, but most agreed that if a wine tastes good, that's the most important thing. But, a few wise individuals brought up the idea that when one is pairing wine with a particular food, you should be able to predict, in a general sense, what a wine is going to taste like. If you're eating fresh Long Island shellfish and open a Sancerre, you're not looking for an…
Posts Written OnMarch 2009
Quick Q&A with Amy Cheatle, Tasting Room Manager, Damiani Wine Cellars
Today we re-start (again) the LENNDEVOURS Q&A project with Amy Cheatle, tasting room manager at Damiani Wine Cellars on the eastern shore of Seneca Lake. I first met Amy at my Atwater-Billsboro tasting a couple months ago when she came in to join the fray. But, I'll let her speak for herself as she answers our standard set of questions: What (and where) was the first bottle of wine you remember drinking? Its actually a very romantic story, really. Picture a crisp, fall, upstate New York day blasted in sunshine, and under all that warm sun is a vineyard on…
Red, With Envy: Assessing 2007 Finger Lakes Reds
Evan Dawson, our intrepid Finger Lakes wine guy, working the bottling line at Fox Run Winery By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes CorrespondentPhoto by Peter Bell Men — married men, especially — are all too familiar with the unforeseen blunder, the deleterious effects, of saying something like this: "Honey, you look really nice today!" What begins as a compliment is quickly met with, "And what do I look like most days?" This is essentially the problem facing Finger Lakes wineries regarding the 2007 reds. The palpable excitement is met with caution, especially from business owners and marketers. Many would love to…
Save the Date: Long Island Wine Event to Benefit Ben Sisson’s Family (May 8)
Back in January, I was saddened to report that Ben Sisson had died unexpectedly. There have been a lot of emails going around about how the local wine industry could celebrate his life and also raise a bit of money to help out his family. Details will be available soon, but for now just know that an event will take place on Friday, May 8 from 7-10 p.m. at Bedell Cellars. There will be food and a silent auction of local wines and other items, with all proceeds going to the Friends of the Sisson Family fund. Organizers will have…
Raphael 2008 Naturale (White Blend)
I'm not a "natural wine" disciple by any means. Just like I don't go out of my way to drink organic or biodynamic wines. First and foremost, I want the wine in my glass to be balanced and to taste good. I don't advocate over-manipulation mind you. We've all had those over-extracted, over-oaked wines. Parker likes them, but I tend not to. But, if your Gewurztraminer got a little too ripe and maybe lost a little too much acid before harvest, I don't begrudge you adding a little during the winemaking process. I'm not Parker, but I'm not Feiring either.…
No Wine in New York Grocery Stores — Now What?
According to Crain's, the proposal that would have allowed grocery stores, gas stations and anywhere else that sells beer to begin selling wine is dead in the water. I don't think that this is a shocking development when you consider the power of lobby groups in Albany. Most everyone in the New York wine world has seen how active the Last Store on Main Street group has been. I've been getting near-daily press releases from them for weeks. But as fellow blogger (and frequent LENNDEVOURS commenter) Thomas Pellechia wrote on his blog earlier today, it may have been the New…
Celebrating the Opening of Mirabelle Tavern With Eric Fry from Lenz Winery
When one of our favorite restaurants, Mirabelle, close a few months ago, Nena and I were really bummed. But, almost immediately, we heard that it was re-opening at the Three Village Inn in April. Well, Mirabell itself will be opening soon, but next week they are celebrating the opening of Mirabell Tavern. Chef Guy Reuge is teaming with Eric Fry, winemaker at Lenz Winery on the celebration, which promises to be a fun one. Both are at the top of their crafts on Long Island. And, assuming we can get our babysitter situation worked out, Nena and I will be…
Atwater Estate Vineyards 2007 Dry Riesling
I've mentioned before that Atwater Estate Vineyards is really the winery responsible for sparking my obsession with Finger Lakes wines, particularly riesling and other aromatic whites. I first discovered winemaker Vinny Aliperti's delicious, well-priced whites when they were being poured at Roanoke Vineyards here on the North Fork. Roanoke co-owner Richie Pisacano only had a 2000 merlot of his own to sell upon opening and, because he worked with Vinny at Wolffer Estate, offered a handful of Atwater wines in the tasting room as well. I picked up this bottle of Atwater Estate 2007 Dry Riesling ($18) after the tasting…
Wine Blogging Wednesday #55, North vs. South: The Roundup
I'm a bad, bad founder of Wine Blogging Wednesday. Because the LENNDEVOURS household was plagued by a stomach virus last week, we weren't able to pitch in with our contribution for WBW #55. But, I wanted to direct you over to host Remy Charest's roundup for those who did take part in one of the better themes we've had in a while: North vs. South. Remy asked participants to compare wines made from the same grape, but from different regions. I had planned to taste riesling from the Finger Lakes, Long Island and Chile and also cabernet franc from the…
Windham Vineyards 2008 Estate Select Frontenac Gris
Earlier this week, I introduced you to Windham Vineyards and the unique hybrid grape St. Pepin. Today, I've got another new-to-me grape to talk about: Frontenac Gris. Wikipedia doesn't have a specific listing for Frontenac Gris (just Frontenac), but I was able to dig up a little information about it on the University of Minnesota site (where it was developed): Frontenac gris, the white wine version of Frontenac, started as a single bud mutation yielding gray (thus named gris) fruit and amber-colored juice. The vine exhibits the same optimum growth characteristics as Frontenac, and requires the same cultural practices. Arching…