Posts Written OnDecember 2009

What We Drank (December 7, 2009)

From Tom Mansell: Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards NV Red Cat Not every wine experience has to be mind-blowing.    Sometimes you're in a hurry and you just want a good, cheap quaff.  My friends and I enjoyed this before heading to our department holiday party, where I knew the wine would be much worse.  It's grapey but not overwhelmingly so, with nondescript fruit at first and a tart cranberry finish (it's tough to nail down descriptors when you're drinking from a red plastic cup.) And when it's ice cold, it's pretty refreshing.  Red Cat is traditionally a blend of Catawba (which I…

Wine Blogging Wednesday #64 Announced: Holiday Wine Pairing — With a Twist

By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief This holiday season, Wine Blogging Wednesday will be celebrating its 64th edition with a holiday theme brought to use by Jeff Stai, owner of Twisted Oak Winery and blogger over at El Bloggo Torcido. Doing a holiday theme is a no-brainer this time of year, but anyone who knows Jeff won't be surprised to hear that he wants to do things a little differently than you might expect: "Pick any winter holiday or observance EXCEPT Hanukkah, Christmas Day, Kwanzaa, or New Years Day or Eve, and choose a wine to celebrate it! For purposes of this…

Macari Vineyards 2007 Dos Aguas (Red Blend)

By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief In the summer, wines from Macari Vineyards often fill my glass. Sometimes it's their surprisingly expressive stainless steel chardonnay. Other times, it's their beautifully crisp, varietally spot-on sauvignon blanc. And this past year, it was their rose, which varies greatly in composition and flavor from year to year. With vineyards that run from Sound Avenue in Mattituck all the way to Long Island Sound, it's not surprising that each of these summer-style wines capture a saltwater, saline minerality that is both refreshing and intriguing on the palate. With the quality of the whites, sometimes it's easy…

Under Pressure: Victorianbourg Estate Gets Ready for Opening Day

By Julia Burke, Niagara Escarpment Correspondent Photo courtesy of Victorianbourg Estate Dan Hogue is just a tad stressed out when I call asking when I can sample his wines. “Can we do it next week?” he asks breathlessly, his cordial, down-to-earth voice as friendly as ever as he reminds me that “this week is a little… crazy.” I can’t say I blame him. He has a brand-new winery to open, and he’s planning on participating in the Niagara Wine Trail Holiday event – which is tomorrow. Last week, when I stopped by his property in Wilson, NY, which overlooks Lake…

Brewery Ommegang Rare Vos

By Kevin Burns, Beer Columnist Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown, NY has established itself as one of the premier Belgian-style beer companies in America. Its ales are enjoyed across the country, and one of my favorite beers from Ommergang is their Belgian-style Amber ale, Rare Vos.    Rare Vos poured a clear honey color with a thumb-width, frothy white head. The nose is interesting with fruity esters that result in a candy-like aroma, with yeast and spices mixed in. The body is smooth with lots of malt and some sugar with more spices, orange notes, and light hops underneath. The finish is not…

Love and Wine

By Jason Feulner, Finger Lakes Correspondent I was a man on a mission. On the morning of Friday, November 13 I left my driveway in Syracuse, New York at 7:30 a.m. and headed west. My goal? To find a bottle of wine vinted before I was born. This adventure was not so much the product of a whim as procrastination. The 13th of November was my wife's and my 5-year wedding anniversary, and I had decided a few days prior that this yet-to-be-discovered bottle of wine was to be the special treat. For each anniversary, Kathleen and I do something we've never done before, albeit something…

Q&A: Matt Spaccarelli, GM and Co-Winemaker, Benmarl Winery

Matt Spaccarelli in the cellar at Benmarl Winery in Marlboro, NY By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief Photo courtesy of Benmarl Winery Matt Spaccarelli is new to the wine business, but has immersed himself in every aspect of Benmarl Winery's operations, now serving as the general manager and co-winemaker with Kristop Brown. Born just across the river in Hopewell Junction, Matt attended Fordham University where he was "completely convinced that track & field was my true major." He still holds the school record in the decathlon. He was still at Fordham when his parents bought Benmarl in 2006, but he worked there…

Wolffer Estate 2005 Christian’s Cuvee Merlot

By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief $100 for a merlot…from Long Island? Yes. Wolffer Estate Vineyards' Premier Cru (the former name for this wine) is perhaps known as much, or more, for it's price tag than it's quality. But, the wine sells — in part because of the wineries Hamptons locale, but also because it happens to be very good. And unlike some of Long Island's other high-priced "reserve" wines it is only made when winemaker Roman Roth thinks the fruit coming into the winery warrants it. I can respect that. 2005 was one of those years, even though what was a…

New York Cork Report 2009 Wines of the Year: The Finalists

By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief It's a big, fun day here at the New York Cork Report. Today we announce the finalists in our New York Cork Report 2009 Wines of the Year project.  Each of these finalists was hand-picked by our regional editors from the hundreds of wines each has tasted throughout the year. These finalists will be tasted blind by our editors, first within regional-style flights to determine regional Wines of the Year (by simple majority vote), and then against other regional winners for possible New York Wine of the Year status. "New York Wine of the Year" will…