Posts Written OnMay 2012

Reminder: #TasteNY with Red Tail Ridge Winery on June 6

#TasteNY — our series of Twitter-based virtual New York wine tasting events — returns next Wednesday, June 6 at 8 p.m. ET and will feature the wines of Red Tail Ridge Winery. During the event, which can be followed using the #TasteNY hashtag on Twitter, wine lovers from across the country will be discussing four of Nancy’s wines: 2010 Dry Riesling 2010 Semi-Dry Riesling 2009 Blaufrankisch 2010 Pinot Noir Winemaker Nancy Irelan and other members of the Red Tail Ridge team will be on Twitter during the tasting to answer questions and discuss not only the wines but viticulture and winemaking…

New York Wine & Culinary Center Adds — But Now Says it Will Remove — Non-New York Wines From Wine List

[quote]The New York Wine & Culinary Center will excite, inspire and engage New Yorkers and the world in a celebration, understanding and appreciation of New York wine and food through educational programming and partnerships, making it a part of their everyday lives.[/quote] That excerpt from the New York Wine and Culinary Center’s (NYWCC) website would seem to say it all. New York deserves a place to showcase its agricultural wonders without the distraction of other regions. Unfortunately, according to a recent email newsletter from the New York Wine & Grape Foundation,  the newly renovated restaurant at the NYWCC,  now known as…

A Mostly Objective Look at Long Island Winery Websites

Jose Moreno-Lacalle, publisher of Wine, Seriously, is a blogger I’ve read for many years now. Though he doesn’t publish posts frequently, he more than makes up for the lack of quantity with quality (and length.) His pieces are well researched and take a very in-depth look at very focused topics. Over the holiday weekend, Jose published “An Assessment of Long Island Winery Websites,” an exhaustively detailed look at more than 50 local winery and vineyard websites. Though I think Jose is a bit generous in his assessment at times (particularly around content architecture, overall design and user experience/usability) and a…

Shinn Estate Vineyards NV Red

There are perilously few Long Island red wines under $20 that I find consistently palatable. Most often made from hard press fractions and leftovers, they can be incredibly inconsistent, bitter, under-ripe or just plain not very good. Shinn Estate Vineayrds NV Red ($17) isn’t always good — the blend, and even the grapes used in the blend — varies from version to version. And unless you’re buying it directly from the winery and can ask, it’s difficult to know which NV edition you’re buying. The current release, however, is a nice, carafe-style red well suited to casual meals. You can even…

Op-Ed: A Fork in the Road: Sustainability and the Politics of Pleasure (Neil B. Miller, Farmshed CNY )

As the owner of a technology start-up dedicated to promoting local foods, I suppose I should have been offended by the remarks made last week by chefs Thomas Keller and Adoni Luis Aduriz in their New York Times interview with Julia Moskin. In the interview, which is excerpted in Moskin’s article, Keller and Aduriz, the award-winning executive chefs, respectively, of The French Laundry in Yountville, California and Mugaritz in northern Spain, disclaim any responsibility for supporting local farming or sustainable agriculture. In one passage, Keller questions whether it is his responsibility, given the small number of people he feeds, “to…

Memorial Day in New York Wine Country: What Are YOU Doing?

Memorial Day is the unofficial beginning of the “busy season” throughout New York wine country. To kick things off, most wineries have special events, offers and even sales going on this weekend. The goings on are too numerous and diverse to list, frankly. So, we want to hear from you — what will YOU be doing in New York wine country this weekend? Where will you taste? Where will you go to listen to music or eat barbecue? Let us know, and you just might help someone else decide what they want to do too.

June 15: NYCR “Drink Local Dinner” with Anthony Road Wine Company and Amarelle

We have the menu and pairings for our next New York Cork Report “Drink Local Dinner” on June 15 Amarelle in Wading River, featuring five wines from Anthony Road Wine Company, located on Seneca Lake in the Finger Lakes. We’re excited that German-born winemaker Johannes Reinhardt will be with us to talk not only about the wines, but the stories and work behind them. Johannes will also be at Empire State Cellars the following evening pouring many of the same wines for customers. Seats are $75 plus tax and gratuity,  so call Amarelle at 631.886.2242 to reserve your spot today. Anthony Road Wine Company…

New York State Wine Outlet to Open in Shanghai, China

Over the last 12-18 months the United Kingdom has emerged a potentially important market for New York — and other East Coast — wines. In fact, delegations from the Finger Lakes and Long Island are there right now for the 2012 London International Wine Fair. Now, more New York wineries than ever are looking even further east for new markets — all the way to China. A handful of wineries, including Channing Daughters Winery, Lieb Family Cellars and Pindar Vineyards, already sell or have sold wine in China. But, later today, Empire State Cellars, the New York-only tasting room and shop in Riverhead,…

Silver Thread Vineyard 2011 Good Earth White

When Paul and Shannon Brock purchased Silver Thread Vineyard last summer, I immediately wondered about their first vintage and wines. 2011 was a challenge for even the most experienced growers — growers who had been taking care of their vines for the entire growing season. The Brocks came in in what amounts to the fourth quarter of the game. Having tasted a few of Paul’s first wines (he’s the winemaker), those worries seem to be unwarranted. The Silver Thread 2011s deliver the same bright, clean flavors as many of those he made at Lamoreaux Landing a few years ago. Silver Thread…

Ravines Wine Cellars 2010 Keuka Village Red

I’m not even going to ask, because I know that most of you have never heard of the Noiret grape. Developed by Cornell University, it’s one of the newer hybrids out there (it’s a cross between NY65.0467.08 and Steuben), having been released in 2006.  According to Cornell’s Bruce Reisch, wines made from Noiret “are free of the hybrid aromas typical of many other red hybrid grapes. The distinctive red wine is richly colored and has notes of green and black pepper, with raspberry and mint aromas, and a fine tannin structure.” It ripens mid-season too, which has mad it an increasingly popular…