Browsing CategoryWhat We Drank

What We Drank (November 16, 2010)

Bryan Calandrelli, Niagara Editor: Cave Spring La Penna 2006 Stateside when we see Cave Spring wines they tend to be made from the riesling grape. If you're lucky you can find a pinot noir or gamay but not often. I had never seen this label before a co-worker brought it back from the tasting room. La Penna is a appassimento-style red wine that hints at what is possible when Niagara red grapes are air dried, fermented and blended. The blend is 66% cabernet franc, 34% cabernet sauvignon with 85% air-dried fruit overall. The drying process is done in their naturally…

What We Drank (November 9, 2010)

Here's what our editors and contributors were drinking last week… Evan Dawson: Ravines Wine Cellars 2007 Meritage I have now opened this wine on three separate occasions, and it has been three distinctly different wines. What a beguiling lesson for those of us who seek to power taste and ascribe a permanent score or note. In March 2009, shortly after bottling, this wine was precocious and juicy, dark and rich. Coming from the fabulous-for-reds 2007 Finger Lakes vintage, and in the hands of perhaps the most skilled red wine maker in the region, hopes were high. I found it explosive,…

What We Drank (November 2, 2010)

This is what we were drinking last week… David Flaherty: Vale d' Algare (60% Merlot, 40% Touriga Nacional), Ribetejano, Portugal, 2007 I could go on and on about the magic of Portugal; so much so you'd have to smack me across the face to get me to stop blathering. The misty look passes across my eyes as I go back to the three weeks I spent there when I was an exchange student. (It's too bad I didn't care about wine at the time because I certainly would have planned a completely different trip). Most people associate Portugal with the…

What We Drank (October 26, 2010)

This is what our contributors and editors were drinking last week… David Flaherty: Spezial Weize, Hopf, Germany Nestled in the Bavarian alps lies the Weissbierbrauerei Hopf. It's been in existence for over 100 years and I'd imagine it's something like Santa's little workshop. The beers are just so damn good that it has to be run by magical, little elves who dash about the brewery clad in tiny lederhosen, whistling ancient German folk tunes while they work. But this is serious business. The beer produced here is some of the finest representations of authentic German Weiss (wheat) beers you'll ever…

What We Drank (October 19, 2010)

This is what our editors and contributors were drinking last week… Evan Dawson: Gai'a 2009 Wild Ferment Assyrtiko  There is a slowly growing buzz about Greek wines, and I'd love to have more access to them. They're hard to find in Rochester and the Finger Lakes, and this bottle was a gift from a friend. What a fascinating and bewitching wine. Many wines shake hands and say, "I'll offer you citrus and honey, with a bit of flowers," or "Here is some lime and peach." This wine plays hard-to-get, forcing you to think. What a nice change. It's a crisp,…

What We Drank (October 5, 2010)

This is what our editors and contributors were drinking last week…. Bryan Calandrelli: Creekside Estate Winery Sauvignon Blanc 2008, Ontario When I think of Niagara — Ontario or New York — whites usually its chardonnay and riesling that come to mind. Both are obviously cool climate and are pretty consistent from winery to winery. That doesn't mean that grapes like sauvignon blanc, viognier and chenin blanc aren't common though. In fact the majority of Ontario wineries make a sauvignon blanc and many use oak aging as well. This Creekside Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2008 from Ontario is a fine example of…

What We Drank (September 21, 2010)

 This is what our editors and contributors were drinking last week….   Lenn Thompson: Wolffer Estate 2005 Reserve Chardonnay (Hamptons) If you have any of this knocking around in your cellar, chill it only lightly and open it tonight. It's nearly impossible to know if it's truly peaking (and this was my last one) but it's tasting so delicous right now, that I don't want you to miss it. I've been a vocal advocate for less (okay, usually no) oak in Long Island chardonnay, but Wolffer's winemaker, Roman Roth, has been crafting well-balanced chardonnays of varying styles for years. He…

What We Drank (September 14, 2010)

 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…

What We Drank (September 8, 2010)

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…

What We Drank (August 30, 2010)

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…