Hudson Valley
Palaia Vineyards 2011 “Hello my name is Irene” (White Blend)
As you may remember, 2011 was a tough growing season in the Hudson River Region — mostly because of Hurricane Irene. Winemakers — like all people, really — deal with disasters differently. Jan Palaggi, owner/w...
Naked Flock: the Tinkerers of Hudson Valley
Jonathan Hull has done what many of us city dwellers only dream of: he has run off to the country to make stuff. A former insurance broker, he recently quit that job and has now immersed himself full-time in making cider and wi...
Benmarl Winery 2010 Ridge Road Estate Cabernet Franc
Toasty oak and caramel candy mask red raspberry and peppery spice aromas on the nose. Lacks fruit on the palate as well — tasting far older than it is. Medium-full body, dominated by oak and Werther’s Originals flav...
Hudson-Chatham Winery 2011 Leon Millot
As I taste more wines made from hybrid varieties — particularly red ones — I’m starting to think that the problems I’ve had in the past with these wines is not so much a grape problem, but rather a winem...
Whitecliff Vineyard NV Red Trail
People think that I hate hybrids — but that just isn’t true. There are hybrid grapes that I think are pretty awful generally — I’m looking at you seyval blanc and traminette. But at the end of the day, i...
New York Cork Report Tasting Table — November 16, 2012
It has been my goal for some time to retire the “Tasting Table” posts. I prefer to give every wine an individual post — even a short one — but unique circumstances have brought the Table back again. Thou...
New York Wines in China: Opportunities, Challenges and a Unique Education
Editor’s Note: Tomorrow, Jim Silver, general manager of Peconic Bay Winery and Empire State Cellars, will fly to China as part of a delegation set to represent and eventually sell New York wines there. While he’s th...
New York Wine, Beer, and Spirits Summit: Focus on Marketing, Not Fracking or WIGS
When two dozen invited wine industry professionals take their seats at the head table at the New York Wine, Beer and Spirits Summit later this month, they’ll have specific goals in mind. So will Governor Andrew Cuomo, and...
Pop-Up Mead Tasting in Brooklyn with Enlightenment Wines
I received this invite this afternoon and thought it was more than interesting enough to post here. I have very little experience with mead, but after reading a bit about Enlightment Wines, I’m intrigued by the wild ferme...
A Real Winery’s Tasting Room is Not a Bar… And Other Advice to Get the Most From a Visit to Wine Country
This isn’t the first time I’ve written about this topic. 99% of you know everything I’m about to write. And agree. And act this way. But I still feel compelled to write about it. Why? Maybe it’s because ...
