Posts Written OnJanuary 19, 2010

Finding (and Choosing) the Hudson River Region’s Wines of the Year Finalists

By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief On Saturday, I spent the day visiting four of the Hudson River Region AVA's best wineries. My goal? To pair that tasting trip with my experience judging the Hudson Valley Wine Competition last spring to identify finalists for the New York Cork Report 2009 Wines of the Year tasting, which takes place this coming Saturday. In addition to the 4 winery visits, several other wineries were represented as we opened wines during dinner. Expect several posts in coming weeks about my time in the Hudson Valley, but for now, I'm happy to announce the finalists —…

What California Thinks About the Finger Lakes: The Good and the Worrisome

By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor Photograph shows a vineyard atop Mount Veeder, Napa Valley  I recently spent four days in various parts of northern California wine country, including Napa Valley and the Russian River Valley. During public tastings and private appointments, in wine shops and food markets, I asked people what they heard or knew about Finger Lakes wines.  I expected some out-of-date responses, perhaps including: "The Finger Lakes makes wine? Real wine?" "The Finger Lakes makes whites, I hear, but the reds suck." "The Finger Lakes, yes, I've heard of it. Bully Hill." But in all of our…

What We Drank (January 18, 2010)

By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief We have an almost even split this week — two three beers and two wines. And most fun of all, neither of the wines is younger than 14. Tom Mansell: Brooklyn Brewery Manhattan Project I've been into Manhattans lately. After enjoying a well-made perfect Manhattan at Pixel Lounge (see Super Mario Bros. 3 in the background), I decided to try out this beer, which has apparently been crafted to taste like a Manhattan.  It includes some rye in the brewing process and is aged in rye casks. It also includes herbs used in bitters and vermouth,…