Posts Written OnApril 2013

Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars 2011 Red Oak Vineyard Riesling

With aromas of green-herbal tea, white peaches and lemon-lime — and a subtle talcum powder note — the nose on Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars 2011 Red Oak Vineyard Riesling ($20). Similarly fruity up front on a juicy, just off-dry palate, it shows grapefruit, lime and Golden Delicious apple flavors on a lighter frame. Focused by not too angular, it straddles the line between mass appeal and riesling-lover appeal. It finishes dry with a lingering, apple-y ending. Producer: Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars AVA: Finger Lakes ABV: 12.1% Price: $20*

Palaia Vineyards 2011 “Hello my name is Irene” (White Blend)

As you may remember, 2011 was a tough growing season in the Hudson River Region — mostly because of Hurricane Irene. Winemakers — like all people, really — deal with disasters differently. Jan Palaggi, owner/winemaker at Palaia Vineyards took what lemons she could find and made a bit of lemonade. When nearby Woodbury Creek flooded most of her vineyards, she most of her grape crop “Any grapes that were on the vine, rotted, or had to be cut off because the trellis either fell over or washed away,” she told me in a recent email. “People kept asking me if…

Replacing Unwanted Vines with Better Varieties: Field Grafting Offers Solution for New York Producers

Spend time with grape growers, and you’ll eventually hear them lament, “I’d love to rip X variety out of the ground and replace it with Y variety, but it would cost a fortune in time and money.” It’s true; the process of plowing up acres of vine, then planting new rows, can be cost prohibitive. I’ve heard from many winemakers over the years who tell me they’d love to get rid of their hybrid varieties. They’d love more riesling, for example. But it’s not like pulling up a Rose of Sharon and replacing it with a bed of Impatiens. Vineyard…

Announcing NYCR Tasting Reports: Starting with 2012 Rosé

One of my top goals for this website in 2013 is the addition of vintage and tasting reports that span regions for a variety of grapes or styles of wine. The idea of a comprehensive tasting (or tastings) for — say 2010 merlots or 2012 rieslings — isn’t a new one, but I don’t know of anyone else doing it for New York wine. The logistics and mechanics of doing these tastings are a bit daunting for a website published by part-time-but-passionate lovers of local wine — not to mention the writing of the reports — but I feel strongly…

What We Drank (April 2, 2013)

Here is just a sampling of what our editors and contributors have been drinking… Gibson Campbell: The Red Hook Winery 2010 Die Welt Des Mondes Reserve “Macari Vineyards” Four months after being crippled by Hurricane Sandy, The Red Hook Winery reopened its tasting room to the public on March 1. I visited the newly reopened tasting bar this weekend and picked up the 2010 Macari “Die Welt Des Mondes” Reserve which translated means A Walk on the Moon. This wine was crafted by Abe Schoener using fruit from Macari Vineyards, on the North Fork of Long Island. It is a blend of…

Why Does Long Island Produce So Much Chardonnay and Merlot?

Regan Meador in his Kickstarter pitch for Southold Farm & Cellar indicated that he wants to plant some “weird grapes” on the North Fork of Long Island rather than more chardonnay and merlot. The April edition of Wine & Spirits Magazine presents the results of a survey of the most popular wines served in U.S. restaurants. The trends are that the preference for chardonnay continues to decline from 27% to 12% over the past decade, while sauvignon blanc continues to increase and is now in the 8% range, while the preference for sparkling wines at restaurants is in the same…