Posts Written ByEvan Dawson

Some nice diversity in this week's peek at our cellars. From Evan Dawson: Epicuro 2007 Aglianico Beneventano (Italy) A lot of people are going to drink this wine because you can find it at Trader Joe's for about $5. And a lot of people are going to say, "Wow, Aglianico really sucks." That's the danger in trying a new varietal if it comes from a large or bulk producer. Certainly some wines made by larger producers are outstanding. But it's easy to try one bottle and say, "Yeah, I've had Zweigelt. Didn't love it." (That has been me before).  I have deeply…

By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor Editor's Note: This is the second of three trip reports following a recent visit to Long Island. Portions of the story on Sam Argetsinger are excerpted from my upcoming book. For just a moment, amidst the hum of harvest, we're going to depart from building brix and acid trips and first crushes. We're going to focus on the vineyard. And there, underneath the science of wine, lies a kind of viticultural spirituality that manifests in two of the most impressive sites in New York. If it doesn't impress you yet, it will — when…

By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor Photos Courtesy of Sheldrake Point Vineyard Contrary to what you might have heard, not all vineyards in the Finger Lakes have been torched and shut down by hard frosts. In fact, vines located in some of the region's most historically warm vineyards have been largely protected. These photographs taken at Sheldrake Point Vineyards' Cayuga Lake vineyards on October 24 (Saturday) illustrate the value of a warm mesoclimate in the Finger Lakes. Some sites have proven to be at least five degrees warmer than the average site, and those five small degrees can make an…

By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor You've probably never had a Valvin Muscat before (based on the sheer scarcity of the variety), but Villa Bellangelo on Seneca Lake is betting you'll like it. Their Valvin Muscat has become a flagship wine, and we were there when this year's crop came in. Winemaker Darren Bowker estimated the brix to be around 18 with the fruit weighing just over 7 tons per acre. "We'd like a little higher brix and a little lower weight, but this is not a grape that needs to be down at two or three tons," Bowker said.…

Ravines Wine Cellars pinot noir being pressed By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor Photos courtesy of Ravines Wine Cellars Morten Hallgren thinks he might be close to solving one of the viticultural mysteries of the Finger Lakes. Hallgren, the owner and winemaker of Ravines Wine Cellars on Keuka Lake, purchases grapes from a handful of prized sites. One of them, Harvest Ridge Vineyards on the east side of Seneca Lake, has seen ripening happen at a very fast pace over the past several vintages. This year is no different; grower Chris Verrill's riesling was showing 20.5 brix when many other…

By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor If you get the sense that most Finger Lakes growers and winemakers would prefer never to see a vintage similar to this one again, you might also get the idea that Fox Run Vineyards winemaker Peter Bell enjoys the challenge. An answer man who is one of the most respected in the region, Bell is not trying to spin 2009 into 2007 or 2008. "This is a challenge," he said this weekend as the winery continued its typical frantic harvest pace. "Sugars are a bit low and acids are a bit high. But if…

By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor Photo, taken this morning from Heron Hill's riesling vineyard, is courtesy of Heron Hill Winery There is a vital question that will soon be answered in the Finger Lakes: Is it too late for an Indian summer? Next week, meteorologists expect temperatures to soar back into the mid-60s. But we've been mired in the mid-40s for nearly a week. Grapes still on the vine have been hanging tough, though they haven't been adding much sugar. To my surprise, I found a wide range of ideas and opinions about what the vines are capable of…