By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Correspondent In an innocuous Facebook status update, Finger Lakes Wine Country's Morgen McLaughlin asked this question: "Would New York wines sell better if stores merchandised by varietals instead of regions?" The question engendered a quick burst of responses. My initial thought was that the answer is yes, but I admit I haven't thought much about it. What do you think? I answered in the affirmative because I see so many wine stores that have turned New York wines into the quiet pariah of the retail world, shoved unceremoniously into the corner. Many wine store owners…
Posts Written ByEvan Dawson
How to Impress Outsiders: Open Your Cellar, Wow Them at Lunch and Stay Open Late
Chris O'Gorman of Merryvale Vineyards judging the FLIWC last weekend. By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Correspondent When you host guests, I wonder if you do what my wife and I do. We take the opportunity to clean the house and put our most sparkling foot forward. If a guest happens to believe the house is always so pristine, all the better. But shoving all the clutter in the closet is one thing; honoring your guests by using the finest dishware and opening your finest wines is quite another. And that, essentially, is what a handful of savvy Finger Lakes wineries did…
Red, With Envy: Assessing 2007 Finger Lakes Reds
Evan Dawson, our intrepid Finger Lakes wine guy, working the bottling line at Fox Run Winery By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes CorrespondentPhoto by Peter Bell Men — married men, especially — are all too familiar with the unforeseen blunder, the deleterious effects, of saying something like this: "Honey, you look really nice today!" What begins as a compliment is quickly met with, "And what do I look like most days?" This is essentially the problem facing Finger Lakes wineries regarding the 2007 reds. The palpable excitement is met with caution, especially from business owners and marketers. Many would love to…
Book Review: The Billionaire’s Vinegar
By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Correspondent The Billionaire's Vinegar by Benjamin Wallace is, quite simply, the fastest and most enjoyable wine-themed book I've ever read. It is not, to use a rather nebulous term, the "best" book about wine I've read — that distinction rests with Neal Rosenthal's Reflections of a Wine Merchant — but it reads like fabulous and fabulist fiction, and that's a real credit to the author, considering it's not fiction at all. The Billionaire's Vinegar tells the story of the most infamous bottle of wine ever sold, but it tells much more than that. In fact,…
Cautiously Raising a Glass to Single-Vineyard Finger Lakes Wines
By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Correspondent Some of the best winemakers in the Finger Lakes are now making vineyard-specific wines, providing consumers with more information about what they're drinking, and allowing consumers to compare the different qualities delivered by different sites. Sounds like exactly what the Finger Lakes needs, right? Well, to a point. First, the good news: Many of the single-vineyard wines released from the 2007 vintage are intensely distinctive, and they stand as the model for what single-vineyard wines should be. They come from a perspicacious trio, three winemakers who prioritize site selection. LENNDEVOURS readers already know about…
Book Review: The House of Mondavi
By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Correspondent The other day I had a conversation with a friend and we tried to answer this question: If a winemaker can truly say that he or she focuses on quality, and carefully tends the grapes and makes the wine, how many cases (in terms of production) is realistic? Five thousand annually? Seven thousand? Ten thousand? Twenty? We went back and forth, as there isn't a concrete answer. But I can say without hesitation that 1.2 million cases of wine was not in the ballpark of "quality." All of which is to say, reading the…
The Moment When a Finger Lakes Wine Lover Was Sold on Long Island
From left to right: Katie Feulner, Jason Feulner, Lenn Thompson, Nena Thompson, Evan Dawson, Morgan Dawson, Melissa Dobson, Rich Dobson By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Correspondent Everyone who loves wine has a memory that stands out with perfect clarity thanks to a single bottle of wine. We remember the meal, the lighting in the room, the conversations shared over the bottle. This is the power of wine. It is far more than a beverage. If we are fortunate, we have not one special wine memory, but many. I will never forget the moment I drank the first sip of Rosso del…
Wine In Grocery Stores: Coercion? Boycotts? Intimidation?
By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Correspondent The issue has become so heated, so emotional, that some wineries feel threatened. Liquor stores are predicting widespread closures and job losses if the bill passes. And while New York wineries figured this was not their war to wage, they increasingly find themselves dragged into the debate. What's going on? Is everyone playing fair? There is no doubt that wineries feel threatened by liquor stores. After speaking to 15 winemakers and winery owners in the Finger Lakes, only two agreed to speak to me on the record. All said they've felt pressure from angry…
How to Convince Consumers and Restaurants to Buy Local Wine
By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Correspondent So how DO you convince consumers and restaurants to buy local wine? I realize the first solution is to offer quality wine. Let's start with the premise that New York wine is of higher quality than many people probably assume. There's a new "Buy Local" campaign afoot in the Finger Lakes, and unlike many well-intentioned but ultimately misguided efforts, this one strikes me as simple and effective. Joanna Purdy created two posters for Fox Run Vineyards, and the posters will be made available to other wineries and organizations that would like to use them…
Oh, Snap: Cold Temps Not Low Enough for Severe Damage
By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Correspondent Last week, Dave Wiemann, the vineyard manager of Sheldrake Point Vineyard on Cayuga Lake, conducted a test to find out if the viciously cold temperatures had destroyed buds on his vines. He went to the coldest part of Sheldrake Point's 43 acres and cut ten canes of Riesling. He soaked the canes in water for 48 hours, then cut the buds. He was hoping to see green — a sign that the buds were still alive and well. He feared he could see the deadly black that signals a victory for the weather. The…