Posts Written OnAugust 24, 2011

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…