Posts Written OnNovember 19, 2012

Thanksgiving: What the New York Wine Community is Drinking

If you’re new to this site, you may not know this, but we don’t really believe in “Thanksgiving Columns” around these parts — at least not in the traditional drink-this-because-it’s-perfect-with-Thanksgiving-dinner sense. I won’t bore you with my full argument against these popular (with writers, anyway) wine-writing crutches, but I’ll offer a brief, two-pronged reason why I personally dislike them and find them useless: Read 10 of these columns and you’ll get 10 sets of advice This fact kinda, sorta means that there is no such thing as a ‘perfect’ anything when it comes to Thanksgiving wines So, instead of telling…

Macari Vineyards 2012 “Early Wine” Chardonnay

I’m over Beaujolais nouveau — it’s mostly about the spectacle (and the marketing) and the wines often disappoint. I’d rather wait until Cru stuff is released.  But when it comes to local nouveau wines (there are a few) I always look forward to Macari Vineyards’ “Early Wine” chardonnay, even if it varies (sometimes wildly) from year to year. Inspired by the jungwein (young wine) of consulting winemaker Helmut Gangl’s homeland — they are often served in heuriger shortly after harvest — the grapes for this win were harvested on August 29 and the wine was bottled less than two months later…

New York Wines in China: Final Thoughts… and Our First Orders

When a California winery opens its doors for business, they can sweep their arms over the map of the entire United States and know that they are welcome in any of the fifty states.  They aren’t the “local” wine, it’s a given that the wine will be competently made and meet the consumer’s expectations.  Indeed, the majority of consumer’s expectations are actually defined by the profile of California wines — and it’s when East Coast wineries try too hard to be like their California rivals is when they fail themselves and their customers. When a New York winery opens its doors for…