Posts Written OnAugust 2011

Red Tail Ridge Unveils New Lineup of “Obscure Red Varietals”

By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes and Managing Editor Visitors to Red Tail Ridge Winery on Seneca Lake have to weave through the vineyards to reach the tasting room, and lately they might have noticed something unusual. The signs at the end of the rows have taken on a rather offbeat edge, marking the home of grape varieties that many customers have never encountered. Few can even pronounce Teroldego. "We didn't start this winery to be a mainstream producer," Nancy Irelan, owner and winemaker, explained during a recent visit. "There's a part of Red Tail Ridge that will always experiment. We'll always…

A Mini-Tornado at Paumanok Vineyards?

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor As you probably saw earlier this morning, most of the post-Irene reports coming out of wine country are positive. I have yet to hear if any of the rain that fell on the vineyards had high levels of saltwater or not, which could cause further damage. But, probably the most fascinating pictures come from Paumanok Vineyards, where it seems a small tornado damaged 100 sauvignon blanc vines. As you can see in the picture at the top, the damage is very isolated within the vineyard and when you get closer (at right), the damage obviously…

More Post-Hurricane Irene Updates from Wine Country

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor Many in and around Long Island wine country are still without power (including me and my family) but reports are trickling in on the damage Hurricane Irene did as she passed over the area. Roman Roth, of Wolffer Estate, Roanoke Vineyards and Grape of Roth sent an email this morning saying "The storm is gone but the Grapes of Roth is still standing. Never mind that we are sitting in the dark! Grapes look fine. Little bruising on some unlucky berries  but no disaster…..the generator is keeping the beer cold! Let's hope we have 2…

From Lieb Family Cellars: A Special Statement Regarding the 9/11 Memorial Wine Project

From Lieb Family Cellars Having lost friends and colleagues in the tragic events of September 11, 2001, we at Lieb Cellars feel strongly that it is everyone’s responsibility to support the 9/11 memorial. In 2004, we were approached by Monica Iken, a widow of September 11th, about the opportunity to get involved with the September’s Mission Foundation (and, later, the 9/11 Memorial Foundation), and we have been appreciative of the opportunity to serve these fine causes. Over the course of the past seven years, that involvement resulted in a special series of wines created for these two organizations. In that…

Ithaca Beer Company Announces “Groundbreak” for New Facility

By Julia Burke, Beer Editor Ithaca Beer Company will break ground today on the construction of a new brewery directly behind the current location on Route 13 in Ithaca, New York. The new brewery will triple Ithaca Beer's current capacity; the brewery announces that it will have the capacity to brew and bottle half a million cases of beer, up from 180,000 this year. Most exciting for visitors, the new facility will feature an expanded tasting room and a brewpub specializing in wood-fire pizzas — an ideal pairing for Ithaca's dynamic, often-hoppy lineup. An outdoor beer garden will allow visitors…

Long Island Wineries Announce Closings, Prepare for Hurricane Irene

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor With Hurricane Irene expected to approach and move across Long Island late Saturday night into Sunday, local wineries are preparing as best they can, and some are announcing closings ahead of the storm. Peconic Bay Winery is open today, but has already decided to close for the weekend. According to General Manager Jim Silver "We may have had stragglers and customers with the bravado to ignore a huge storm to taste wine, the potential business wasn't worth the time we needed to batten down the hatches and prepare the whole of the property for the…

Hurricane Irene Threatens the East Coast — and Long Island Wine Country

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor Local growers and winemakers are watching the weather closely this week to keep an eye on Hurricane Irene, which has a projected path up the eastern seaboard and over the East End of Long Island on Sunday into Monday. 2011 has been a good growing season on Long Island. It started slowly with a rainy, grey June, but has improved since with plenty of hot, sunny days and enough mixed in to combat any drought-related stress on the vines. Computer models aren't always reliable, but Hurricane Irene hitting wine country could have a serious impact…

Lieb Family Cellars 9/11 Commemorative Wines: It’s the Thought That Counts

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor Over the past week or so, Lieb Family Cellars has come under fire — from all directions — over two recently released wines meant to commemorate 9/11 and the opening of the National September 11 Memorial and Museum. I'm not going to link to any of the coverage in this post. It's easy to find and most of it is simply repeats the somewhat sensationalized discourse on the part of journalists, politicians and citizens swollen with words like "exploitative" and "offensive," despite the fact that the wines, which cost $19.11 a bottle, have been approved…