By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor Tomorrow is an exciting and important day for cabernet franc and the Finger Lakes. I've helped to organize a cabernet franc tasting at the New York Wine & Culinary Center (NYWCC). 16 wines will be tasted — some from the Finger Lakes and some from other cabernet franc-producing regions. The wines will be divided into two flights of 40 minutes each. We will then reveal the wines and their scores from the participants. Following the tasting, the NYWCC will serve a sure-to-be excellent lunch, where we'll pour a non-blind flight of reserve cab francs…
Posts Written ByEvan Dawson
Rough Restaurant Experience With Wine Offers Reminder: Vintage Matters
By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor Editor's Note: The photograph, taken in the low restaurant lighting, shows the offending disclaimer mentioned in the text below. I had a horrible wine experience at a popular restaurant this week, and yet I don't want to unfairly malign the restaurant involved. My friends know that I'm constantly talking about service in all industries — in a competitive and hurting economy I find the easiest way to differentiate yourself is through stellar service — and yet I don't want to be unfair. This was one server on one night, hardly a large enough sample…
Heart & Hands Wine Company: Unique Focus (Pinot!) and a Unique Tasting Experience
By Jason Feulner, Finger Lakes Correspondent Editor's Note: Jason and I both visited this wine company in recent days and we both left with the impression that, at $10, the cellar tasting at Heart & Hands is the most unique tasting experience in the Finger Lakes, just made for wine enthusiasts. Jason details it below. Higgins is the winemaker who organized last week's industry tasting of Finger Lakes Pinot, which was detailed here. -Evan I recently paid a visit to Heart & Hands Wine Company, a new winery on the northeastern shore of Cayuga Lake, to scoop a story for…
Video: Why Limestone Helps Make Great Pinot
By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes EditorPhoto by Morgan Dawson Photography Those are literally chunks of limestone sticking out of the earth. That’s unique because when we hear winemakers talk about the composition of the soil we have to use our imagination. In the case of Heart & Hands Wine Company on Cayuga Lake, the vines have not yet been planted. It’s all about the site, which prominently features limestone, and we have the rare chance to see the composition up close before vines begin to grow (until his site can produce wine-worthy fruit, Higgins is sourcing his grapes from several…
“With water comes life. All kinds of life.”
By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor The photo and the quote come courtesy of Amy Cheatle, tasting room manager at Damiani Wine Cellars on Seneca Lake. Like so many other vineyards, Damiani is battling mildew and trying to tamp down the water-inspired swell of disease pressure. "We need the sun," she says. Across the lake at Hermann J. Wiemer, Fred Merwarth goes further: "We need it to be dry and hot, and we need those conditions soon. We're looking at a serious challenge for this year already, and it's time for the weather to cooperate." If the Finger Lakes has…
The Four Stages of Riesling
By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor It occurs to me that, as the Finger Lakes produces an increasing amount of world-class riesling, there is a cycle of riesling appreciation that we all seem to go through. I admit to having gone through each stage. I am now a stage-four junky. This is expanded a bit from its nascent Twitter form, so I ask you to take a fresh look and answer: Where stage are you in? STAGE ONE: Riesling As Training Wheels It's true that most people who are new to the world of wine prefer sweeter wines, and that…
What We Drank (July 7, 2009)
From beer to old Bordeaux, ice wine to disappointing wine, here's what we've been drinking. Lenn Thompson: Shock Top Belgian White beer I'm in Orlando right now with Nena and Jackson for a week (yes, a week) visiting all of the usual kid-friendly haunts — Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Sea World, etc. The wine selection in the nearest grocery store isn't much better than the "lists" at the restaurants we've been checking out. I know you don't want to hear about Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay or Blackstone Merlot anymore than I want to drink them, so instead I'll mention a beer that…
Blind Tasting of Finger Lakes Pinot Noir Reveals Progress, Challenges
By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor Photos by Morgan Dawson Photography On Wednesday night, on a rain-soaked evening on the southeast side of Seneca Lake, a group of grape growers and winemakers met to taste through a line of 2007 pinot noirs. Many of the wines were made in the Finger Lakes; a few came from the American West Coast, and some from Burgundy. Tom Higgins, winemaker and owner of Heart & Hands Wine Company, organized the event because he wanted to know: Where does pinot noir stand in the Finger Lakes? Is it truly a recalcitrant mystery, yielding near-constant…
Coming Later Today: Finger Lakes Pinot Tasting
By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor Last night a group of Finger Lakes winemakers brought their own 2007 pinots together to find out how the vintage is showing. Organized by Tom Higgins of Heart & Hands Wine Company and hosted by the Stonecat Cafe on Seneca Lake, the Finger Lakes wines were tasted blind with other Pinots from Burgundy, California and Oregon. It was an enlightening experience and a full story is coming later today.
What’s In a Name? If It’s Blaufrankisch, More Than You Think
By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Correspondent When you meet Heron Hill's winemaker, do not make the mistake of calling him "Tom." That is not his name, and he'll correct you. Before I spoke recently with Thomas Laszlo, I was warned by a writer friend not to call him by the wrong name. "He's pretty serious about it," I was warned. To Thomas' credit, he acknowledges being a little edgy about his name. "My mother was very particular with names. She always pushed for Thomas, so it's Thomas!" he says with a subtle laugh. He's just as particular with names as…