Posts Written OnDecember 2010

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor Grape growing dates to 1677 in the Hudson River Region AVA, but that doesn't mean that its an easy endeavor. Yes, the river that gives the region its name helps moderate the climate, but it's not nearly deep enough to have the same effect that the Finger Lakes do to the west. It rains a lot in the Hudson Valley. It's also humid. And like the rest of New York, it's a cool-climate region with a relatively short growing season often with early and late frosts on either end. Growing grapes, particularly vinifera, can be…

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor What would you do if you looked in your wine cellar and realized you had a vertical of a particular wine? If you're like my friends Jared Skolnick and Tracy Ellen Kamens, owners of Grand Cru Classes on the North Fork, you throw a dinner party for 12 and open them together. And, you invite the winemaker, who graciously offers to bring a few more vintages, including the first ever made.   That's how I found myself sitting with local winemakers and wine industry folks Sunday night at Jared and Tracy's wine education center with…

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor I first "met" Andy Marshall, the assistant marketing manager and jack-of-all-trades at Hunt Country Vineyards via Twitter. Since that initial introduction, we've had numerous discussions on nearly as many topics in recent months and I thought him the perfect person to resuscitate our Q&A series with, after all, there are more than just winemakers and winery owners behind the wines you drink. A December 2005 graduate of Keuka College, Andy holds a B.S. Business Management with a minor in Computer Technologies. He's also Hunt Country’s resident vegan, and has been helpful in developing and promoting…

By Julia Burke, Beer Editor Flying Bison Brewing Company's "The Herc" pours a hazy amber/russet into a 12 oz. goblet with a delicate and thin but persistant head. Initially the nose is all caramel and banana cream pie, but with a few minutes to warm up it opens to cedar, clove, allspice and vanilla bean. The palate is a play between incredibly creamy richness and surprisingly sharp hop character. Buttery, mouth-coating layers of root-beer-flavored rock candy and caramelized brown sugar pulse on the palate between stabs of impressive bitterness. This batch must certainly have been quite hoppy to start, because…

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor Before we announced some changes to our "Wines of the Year" program, there were dozens of emails sent between the editors. Well, there were even more after we published that post and we've decided to make one additional change. Rather than do away with blind tasting entirely, we've decided that each flight will be tasted blind first, without discussion amongst the tasters and then the wines will be revealed to be discussed. Our feeling is that this will give us the benefit of blind tasting while also offering an opportunity for further context when making…

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor Photo courtesy of Viviane Bauquet Farre, Food & Style We're not announcing the finalists for the New York Cork Report 2010 Wines of the Year until later this month, but you can bet on the fact that the wine editors are tasting and re-tasting a lot of wines between now and then to pare down the contenders list. This is a strong contender to be a finalist in Long Island's sparkling wine flight. Made with 100% pinot blanc, Lieb Family Cellars 2007 Blanc de Blancs ($35) this methode champenoise bubbly offers a burst of golden…

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor Martha Clara Vineyards on the North Fork uses a wide array of label designs, but one of the more creative is a design that helps consumers pronounce the name of the wine. Sure, these labels don't have the winery name on the front, and they aren't used for their Gewurztraminer, but it's still a unique concept. Martha Clara Vineyards 2009 Sauvignon Blanc ($19) leans a bit more towards New Zealand than some local sauvignon, but still retains local character. The nose is extremely citrusy, showing white grapefruit and lemon aromas, with hints of honeydew melon…

By Evan Dawson, Managing Editor There is nothing particularly groundbreaking about this story, and yet the very fact that it happened at all is important. It is important to the Finger Lakes, and Long Island, and New York state in general. It's rather simple, really: A couple in Richmond, Virginia walked into a wine shop called The Wine Cellar and asked for a Finger Lakes riesling. In particular, owner John Witherspoon — a blogger himself, a good friend of ours and a recent participant during TasteCamp 2010 — says they wanted wine from the Anthony Road Wine Company on Seneca…