Posts Written ByBryan Calandrelli

By Bryan Calandrelli, Niagara Escarpment Editor While there were many notable wines released this year in the Niagara region, I chose mainly vinifera selections as the regional finalists based on the fact that all these wines are major accomplishments for such young vineyards and wineries. You can’t help but notice that my picks for the best whites of the year are chardonnay heavy. It’s not a coincidence; we are in a cool climate and chardonnay seems to ripen consistently on the Escarpment bench land as well as on the lake shore. The editors have been asked to write a bit…

By Bryan Calandrelli, Niagara Escarpment Editor The Niagara River is the natural border that divides Western New York and Ontario. When you stand at some points along the river and look west, you can’t help but notice how close we are to our Canadian neighbors. It’s becoming more and more evident that this border will get even closer as Niagara USA wineries look to carry on the momentum of Ontario’s successful wine industry, and in some cases, look to import what makes them so successful. Perhaps the most obvious evidence that Niagara USA wineries are capitalizing off of Ontario’s achievement…

By Bryan Calandrelli, Niagara Escarpment Editor The harvest season in Niagara has just about come to a close, and I’ve spent the last two days harvesting, crushing, and pressing grapes that hung into November. I’m exhausted and I can tell there is a sense of relief in the air that the wineries in our area don’t have to constantly fuss over weather forecasts anymore. I’ve personally seen the whole spectrum of diseased grapes this year — underripe one, fragile one and damn-near perfect ones.. So it’s become increasingly frustrating to me to read any sweeping speculation — including my own…

By  Bryan Calandrelli, Niagara Regional Editor In a month I will be participating in my third vintage here in Niagara County wine country. I’ve been lucky enough to gain access to several local winemakers and have gone from having zero experience in making wine to having made six wines in the last two years. As I start to bottle some of these wines, and no I still haven’t bottled my 2007s, I plan on sharing my adventures – and misadventures – here on the New York Cork Report. While I am by no means an expert in chemistry, viticulture, sensory…

By Bryan Calandrelli, Niagara Escarpment Editor Yeast has to be one of the most underrated, underappreciated and misunderstood elements of wine making. It has so much influence on the final outcome of any wine, that when people ask me how a grape can ultimately show such a wide spectrum of flavors, I respond, “It’s the magic of yeast fermentation.” Well I’m going to try to shed some light on why some yeasts are chosen over others and what factors are considered when inoculating grape juice. Now I haven’t been formally educated in any way regarding winemaking or viticulture, so I…