Posts Written OnAugust 2009

Finger Lakes Wineries Stomach Up-Front Costs, Add Food and Restaurants

By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes EditorPhotos by Morgan Dawson Photography Most restaurants do not have to endure the uncertainty of a zealous owner who might show up at any moment with a truckload of summer vegetables, picked only hours before. At the Blue Heron Cafe they're getting used to it. "It's pretty entertaining, actually," says Heron Hill Winery's marketing director Kitty Oliver over a plate of the mahgarita flatbread pizza. "(Owner) John Ingle is so excited this time of year. He might drive in with a load of corn and say, 'Here you go!' And the staff finds a way…

What We Drank (8/17/09)

Once again, we have a wide array of wines — German riesling, Washington State cab, Finger Lakes riesling and a Blaufrankisch from Austria. Isn't wine fun? Bryan Calandrelli: S.A. Prum Wehlener 2001 Sonnenuhr Auslese  A coworker of mine has gotten into the habit of opening up a nice bottle of wine every time I back out of working a day I was scheduled for. This time I managed to find the remnants of this bottle before someone else finished it. He's always buying premium wines that come from respected Old World producers so anytime I get to taste them it's…

Peconic Bay Winery Welcomes John Pizzarelli (September 4)

By Lenn Thompson, Founder and Editor-in-Chief You've probably noticed that more wineries than ever are offering live music and other events on weekends — doing most anything they can to get people out to their tasting rooms, hopefully to buy wine. Some would argue that these performances are used partly to distract visitors from mediocre wines. In a few cases, it's impossible to argue. Typically, I'd write this event off as "just another winery with live music" but after doing a little research, it seems that John Pizzarelli and his quartet performing at Peconic Bay Winery on Friday, September 4…

All That Food and Wine… But What Exactly Is The Finger Lakes Culinary Bounty?

By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor Video by Morgan Dawson This was one of those meals that sinks your battleship. If you were smart, you didn't eat for about five days beforehand. The Finger Lakes Culinary Bounty held its annual dinner last Thursday, August 6, but you might be wondering… What exactly is the Finger Lakes Culinary Bounty? In this video I allow two people to tell us. Deb Whiting of Red Newt Bistro is, no surprise, intimately involved. But you'll also hear from a member of the bounty who is not a board member or big name in the…

Wine Blogging Wednesday #60: I’ve Zinned — Neyer’s Vineyards 2000 Pato Vineyard Zinfandel

By Lenn Thompson, Founder and Editor-in-Chief I've taken an unintentional hiatus from Wine Blogging Wednesday the last couple of months, and for that I'm a little ashamed (but only a bit). Sometimes I get busy, okay? Anyway… For those of you who don't know what WBW is, it's a monthly virtual wine tasting project that I founded several years go. Each month, a wine blogger chooses a theme and bloggers (and non-bloggers) buy/taste a wine that fits the theme and post about it, often on the second Wednesday of the month. This month's edition, hosted by Megan of Wannabe Wino…

Finger Lakes Tweetup at Damiani Wine Cellars

By Lenn Thompson, Founder and Editor-in-Chief Ever been to a Tweetup? Do you even know what one is? I think we can all agree that the term "Tweetup" is about as lame as it gets, but basically it's just a gathering of people who follow one another on Twitter.  I imagine that any Tweetup is fun for those attending, given that that they share common interests. But I find it hard to believe that the average Tweetup is anywhere near as fun as one organized by wine-obsessed, social media freaks. Amy Cheatle, tasting room manager and social media goddess at…

Ravines Wine Cellars: Consistently Exceeding Expectations

By Lenn Thompson, Founder and Editor-in-Chief No matter how opened minded you are, you have expectations when you walk into a tasting room. Whether about the wines, the staff, the crowd, or the overall experience, you have expectations. You just do. In any wine region, it's the wineries that consistently exceed those expectations that separate themselves from the rest of the pack.Those are the standouts that get, and deserve, the attention. Ravines Wine Cellars, on the eastern side of Keuka Lake in the Finger Lakes wine region, is one such winery. Three years ago, I had only just heard about…

BREAKING NEWS: Heron Hill Cuts Ties With Winemaker Thomas Laszlo, Begins Search

By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor Just days before veraison, Heron Hill Winery on Keuka Lake has cut ties with winemaker Thomas Laszlo. The Hungarian-born winemaker had been with the operation since the summer of 2002. The winery declined to explain the decision. "We're starting the search for a new head winemaker immediately," explained marketing director Kitty Oliver. When asked about the urgency with harvest approaching, Oliver said that Heron Hill will not make any rash decisions. "We're going to be very specific," she said. "We're looking for a world-class winemaker. We're not going to do this fast; we're going…

Palmer Vineyards 2006 Proprietor’s Reserve Cabernet Franc

By Lenn Thompson, Founder and Editor-in-Chief Miguel Martin, the Spanish-born winemaker who joined Palmer Vineyards just in time for the 2006 harvest, has already impressed with what he's done with the winery's white wine program, especially sauvignon blanc and blended whites. Those wines, of course, go from field to glass much more quickly than do reds. We've had to wait a big longer for those, but one of Martin's first reds, Palmer Vineyards 2006 Proprietor's Reserve Cabernet Franc ($25), impressed in a tasting earlier this week. 2006 wasn't a great year for reds on the North Fork. It was cooler…

A Surprising Second Label at Shaw Vineyard

By Jason Feulner, Finger Lakes Correspondent (Note: this story is part one of a two-part series highlighting some unique production choices at Shaw Vineyard.) Wineries that produce a second label do so for many reasons, although the secondary nature of the label almost assuredly implies less-expensive, less-focused wine.  Some top-flight establishments offer a second label that is still a solid wine by almost any standard, although many wineries throw whatever they can into a bottle and call it a day, often not focusing on quality in the process. On a recent tasting at Shaw Vineyard I encountered this pinot grigio, a part of their second-label…