Posts Written ByKevin Welch

5 Questions with… Alexandra Doniger, Hector Wine Company

The New York Cork Report likes to feature a great variety of interesting wine personalities throughout the state and with various roles and responsibilities in our “5 Questions With…” series. One of the younger personalities that captured our attention was Alexandra Doniger, Assistant Winemaker and Social Media & Events Marketing at Hector Wine Company. What Doniger may currently lack in experience, her passion for wine and eagerness to learn all aspects of the industry make up for in surplus. Doniger from Newton, CT made her way to Finger Lakes via a degree in Literature and Writing and a short tenure…

Continue Reading

5 Questions with… Robin Ross, Arrowhead Spring Vineyards

For those that know Robin Ross, co-owner of Arrowhead Spring Vineyards, it may be difficult to believe that when she met her husband Duncan she wasn’t even a wine drinker. Ross has come a long way since then. She now dedicates herself day and night to the 7-acre vineyard in New York’s Niagara Escarpment, with much of that time in between the vines. If asked 10 years ago if she thought she would be a winery owner working  full-time in the wine business, my guess is that she probably would not have said yes. Winemaking was her husband Duncan’s passion,…

Continue Reading

5 Questions with… Dan Mitchell, Fox Run Vineyards

This week, the New York Cork Report spoke with Dan Mitchell, Keuka Lake native and Regional Sales Manager at Fox Run Vineyards as part of our “5 Questions with…” feature series. Dan has spent the last 9 years with Fox Run Vineyards, four as tasting room manager which then evolved into his current role as regional sales manager.  He now is a wine-fueled road warrior logging over 30,000 miles on his car each year.  Although his territory is primarily New England he has recently found himself as far away as Western Canada promoting Fox Run and the Finger Lakes. What was…

Continue Reading

Pork Chops and Applesauce Re-Invented by Bellwether Cider and Belly Ithaca

Pork chops and applesauce conjures up a combination of home-cooked meals around the dinner table with my family when I was young as well as flashbacks of the Brady Brunch repeating the phrase in their best Humphrey Bogart impersonations. What doesn’t jump to the forefront for me however is the idea of culinary innovation from this age-old combination. When I started hearing that Bellwether Hard Cider on the west shore of Cayuga Lake was hosting dinners with Belly Ithaca, an indoor food truck from Ithaca, my interest sparked. After hearing of the success of a previous event from the duo…

Continue Reading

Fourth Generation Joins Dr. Frank

Meaghan Frank, daughter of current president Fred Frank, granddaughter of Willy Frank and great granddaughter of founder Dr. Konstantin Frank, joins the Dr. Frank Vinifera Wine Cellars team this week following in the footsteps of her family predecessors. Fresh off a flight from Australia and having just finished her Masters of Wine Business from the University of Adelaide, Frank is wasting no time in getting to know the family business. It might come as a surprise to some, but Meaghan has not always been on this path. As an undergrad communications major with an interest in sociology she was on…

Continue Reading

5 Questions with… Kelby Russell, Red Newt Cellars

The New York Cork Report recently had the opportunity to sit down with Newark, NY native Kelby Russell, Winemaker at Red Newt Cellars. After graduation from Harvard, Russell found himself as an intern at Fox Run Vineyards and under the tutelage of Peter Bell. While there he was able to make a few wine pilgrimages and work around the world in New Zealand (Whitehaven Winery, Marlborough), Tasmania (Pipers Brook Vineyard) and Australia (Yalumba Winery, Barossa Valley). Armed with a variety of experiences Russell joined the Red Newt team as Winemaker a little over a year ago. In addition to the…

Continue Reading

The Tasting Room by Atwater Vineyards

The Tasting Room by Atwater Vineyards

The Tasting Room by Atwater Vineyards is now open in Watkins Glen! Why is this news one might ask? What’s new about another vineyard opening a satellite tasting room? The Tasting Room will obviously showcase Atwater wines, but what makes this unique is that it will also sell and offer tastings of other New York Wines from all over the state, not just those local to the Finger Lakes. For example, The Tasting Room in September has a Featured Flight of the Month; Four New York Pinot Gris from Atwater, Hector Wine Company, Anthony Road and Channing Daughters. The Tasting…

Continue Reading

Keuka Spring Vineyards to Host Governor’s Cup Award Winner Sunset Dinner

Keuka Spring Vineyards is taking full advantage of their recent Governor’s Cup Award victory from last week’s New York Wine & Food Classic Competition and is planning a sunset dinner party next Friday, August 30 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. to celebrate the achievement. The event is intended to be a “fun, casual get together” according to Jeanne Wiltberger, co-owner of Keuka Springs and is open to anyone who wants to join them in the festivities. “We were thrilled to receive this award and looking forward to celebrating,” says Judy Wiltberger, owner of Keuka Springs Vineyard. Out of 875 entries in…

Continue Reading

My Perfect Wine Cellar, For Now

If you already own the wine cellar of your dreams, you can stop reading. I suspect that very few people will stop reading on this basis. While this subject has been blogged about and written about quite often, I think that’s because so few of us have exactly what we want in the cellar (or basement, really). Many of us are in a continual pursuit of trying to build the ultimate cellar, whether that be physical construction, its contents, or both. No matter where you are in your level of collecting maturity, most of us could easily find an area…

Continue Reading