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 This is what our editors and contributors were drinking last week… Lenn Thompson: Persimmon Creek Vineyards 2008 Cabernet Franc (Georgia) Anyone who knows me — or at least my wine tastes — knows that I'll at least try cabernet franc from just about anywhere. So, when Persimmon Creek Vineyards in northeastern Georgia (the state, not the country) asked if they could send me theirs, I jumped at the opportunity. I don't know much about wine in the southeastern United States — in my mind it's often blocked off together as scuppernog country — but Persimmon Creek has riesling, merlot, seyval…

This is what our editors and contributors were drinking last week…. David Flaherty: Sorachi Ace, Brooklyn Brewery Brooklyn Brewery Brewmaster, Garrett Oliver, is a mad man. He could easily rest on his laurels with all the great beers he's produced, but he relentlessly pushes the envelope again and again. Every two months or so, he and his motley crew of brewers in Williamsburg release their Brewmaster's Reserve Series (which I'm happy to say, will always have a home on my draft list at Terroir Tribeca).   Although not his latest release, I finally got around to tasting the Sorachi Ace.  It blew my doors off.  I'm…

This is what we've been drinking… Evan Dawson: Chateau Montaud 2009 Cotes de Provence Rose For $8, this wine is an absurd value. For its regular list price of $12, it's still very, very good. I picked it up on sale at our local store when oppressive summer heat staged an encore. It turned out to be an excellent match for our food and the weather. I tend to think wine and weather is overly discussed, but I'm fully on board with rose in summer.  And for all of the wonderful rose made in NY state these days, it's nice…

Evan Dawson: Pichon Lalande 1975 Pauillac We wanted to open something special with a friend on a recent visit, and we're fortunate to have a local source for excellently stored aged Bordeaux.  The most fascinating aspect came in wondering whether a wine of this profile will ever be made again. That's because 1975 was, as I understand it, a vintage that produced hard and severe tannins, and the top wines were oppressive in their youth. These days, even the top wines around the world are carefully managed to offer an opportunity to drink young. Yes, tannins can be burly in…

Evan Dawson: Cab Franc showdown (Domaine des Ouches 2005 Bourguiel and Red Newt Cellars 2005 Cabernet Franc) It's always enlightening to compare, and this was a nice little linear comparison: Cabernet Franc from its sweet spot in France and Cabernet Franc from one of the strongest Finger Lakes producers in a very good vintage.  Unfortunately, the Bourguiel suffered from some storage issues (we assume) and was prematurely tired. But the Red Newt showed beautifully, with our guests showing genuine surprise when it was finally revealed as a Finger Lakes red. I wouldn't say it's highly indicative of place, but not…

 This is what the NYCR editors and contributors are drinking… Evan Dawson:  Domaine des Baumard 2007 Savennieres Trie Speciale Screwcap! This wine had the dual interest of being a nicely regarded Savennieres along with being closed by a screwcap. I'm told this estate made the difficult decision to change to screwcap several years ago. I say it was difficult because in the Loire Valley — in many places not named Australia or New Zealand — screwcaps are viewed with some suspicion.  This wine is too young to detect any problems or witness great success regarding the screwcap. I confess that…

Short list of beverages/contributions this week — and not a single wine in the lot. But, this is what our editors and contributors are drinking: Tom Mansell: Bandwagon Brew Pub Pirate Eye-PA Bandwagon Brew Pub in Ithaca has only been open for a little over 8 months, but in that time they've been making some quality beers. I'd call them a microbrewery, but at 15 gallons maximum per batch, I'd say they're more on the order of nano-brew. Anyway, until now, most the beers I've had from there have been very good. This one, however, was the first one I've…

This is what our editors and contributors have been drinking. Only one local this time, but that's part of the fun of WWD — the diversity: Lenn Thompson: The Alchemist Pub and Brewery "Holy Cow" IPA I spent this past weekend in upstate New York and in Shelburne, Vermont for the 2010 Vermont Cheesemakers' Festival — mostly as cheese editor Aaron Estes's photographer. We tasted some stunningly delicious cheeses that served as a reminder of how far New York still has to go in terms of overall cheese quality. We also sipped some good-not-great beers from Lawson's Finest Liquids, including…

We only have three contirbutions this week, but — as always — some interesting libations have filled the glasses of the New York Cork Report editors and contributors. Evan Dawson: Multi-year semi-dry riesling flight at Red Newt Bistro Red Newt Bistro offers a nice range of wine flights, with three wines per flight and generous pours of each. On a recent visit I chose a flight that included the Sheldrake Point 2006 Riesling, the Red Newt 2007 Semi-Dry Riesling, and the 2008 Red Newt Circle Riesling. The Sheldrake was simply explosive. Rich, long, and hugely aromatic, my one concern was…

It's been a few weeks since our editors and contributors submitted anything for WWD, but we're back this week with a vengeance. This is what we've been drinking: Tom Mansell: Movia 2006 "Lunar" Ribolla Gialla "Wine is sunlight held together by water," said Galileo, famously. This wine, however, is marketed as being made by the moon.  Movia Lunar is made with minimal human intervention (aside from the manual harvesting and destemming). Ribolla Gialla grapes from vineyards straddling the Italian-Slovenian border are put into specially-designed Slovenian oak casks and allowed to undergo whole-berry fermentation. After several months of fermentation with native…