Browsing CategoryLong Island

Southold Farm + Cellar: One Family’s Unique Field of Dreams

When I first met Regan Meador, assistant winemaker at Osprey’s Dominion Vineyards, many months ago via Twitter he didn’t want to know who was making my favorite local merlot or chardonnay. Instead, he wanted to know who is making my favorite syrah, who is making interesting non-chardonnay whites and who is planting different grapes. Not that he doesn’t like merlot and chardonnay, mind you.  He just isn’t a fan of ubiquity. “The stuff is over-planted, not just here but globally,” he says, adding “Nothing against the wine itself — well maybe against chardonnay — but I would rather have some other…

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Martha Clara Vineyards 2009 Cabernet Franc

With a nose that shows black cherry, dried cranberry, savory herbs and a subtle hint of grilled mushrooms, the Martha Clara Vineyards 2009 Cabernet Franc ($23) shows both nice varietal character and Long Island-ness. On the palate, there is a slightly underripe note, but nice cherry and plum fruit flavors with a woodsy, earthy-herbal edge. Medium-intensity tannins are pretty well integrated, providing a bit of drying grip, while understated acidity brings freshness. A solid effort from one of the region’s weirder vintages. If you’re a true lover of cabernet franc, you’ll appreciate this wine. Producer: Martha Clara Vineyards AVA: North Fork of…

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Fork Finds: Aldo’s (Greenport, NY)

I have a very severe caffeine addiction. While I’m sure illegal substances have their allure, I’ll always stick with my favorite: a steaming hot cup of speed. In the city, I have a rotation of coffeehouses I can hit when I start to droop. I also have a well-documented love affair with that green and white java chain threatening to take over America’s souls. But when on the North Fork, it feels dirty and unsupportive of our small business owners to throw money at a corporation. But I need to feed my habit. And God forbid, I should make my own coffee EVERY morning! So through…

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This Friday: “Drink Local Dinner” with Anthony Road Wine Company at Amarelle

There are still some seats left for our next New York Cork Report “Drink Local Dinner,” this Friday, June 15 at Amarelle in Wading River, featuring five wines from Anthony Road Wine Company, located on Seneca Lake in the Finger Lakes. It’s rare that a Finger Lakes winemaker comes down to Long Island for a dinner like this one, so we’re excited that German-born winemaker Johannes Reinhardt will be with us to talk not only about the wines, but the stories and work behind them. Johannes will also be at Empire State Cellars the following evening pouring many of the same wines for customers.…

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Fork Finds: Suki Zuki, Water Mill, NY

Editor’s Note: This is the first piece in our new “Fork Finds” series by roving correspondent Tracy Weiss. In her weekly columns, she’ll share her latest finds on the North Fork or South Fork, including food, farmers, wine, beer and pretty much anything else interesting.   June on the North and South Forks are for fatties. It’s almost mandatory to exchange your business casual attire for elastic pants, flip-flops and a thermos of sugar-laden margaritas worn around your neck on a nylon strap. Those lucky enough to spend summers “Out East” will tell you it’s traditional to gorge yourself on…

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Martha Clara Vineyards Introduces “Into the Bunghole” a New Educational Video Series

You may remember Juan Micieli-Martinez, winemaker at Martha Clara Vineyards, as the JuanMaker — a somewhat silly, penguin-loving winemaker who starred in a series of videos the winery produced a few years ago.  While those videos were meant to educate viewers about some basic and sometimes not-so-basic parts of the wine production process, they were awfully goofy at times. With “Into the Bunghole” Juan is back, but with a bit more serious — though still approachable — tone.  Sure, the name of the series itself keeps it from being too serious, but this first video offers great 101-type information on…

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Roanoke Vineyards 2009 Marco Tulio

I’ve said it before, but it is worthy of a reminder — in your excitement to taste Long Island’s 2010 reds, don’t skip over or dismiss the 2009s.  A dry, warm autumn rewarded those growers patient enough to let their fruit hang and soak up those last bits of sun. Roanoke Vineyards 2009 Marco Tulio ($24) is a blend of 66% cabernet franc and 34% cabernet sauvignon. Anyone who knows Long Island wine knows that Roanoke Vineyards makes some of the best cabernet franc in these parts, and that this wine is two-thirds franc is obvious from the first sniff.…

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Spider Bite Brewing wins Tap NYs ‘Best New Brewery 2012’

On the way to his next-door neighbor’s house, Larry Goldstein felt a pinch . On his arm he saw a raised welt with two red marks characteristic of a spider’s fangs. Unfortunately, the bite didn’t endow him with super powers, but it did give him a name for his brewery, which is getting a lot of attention from across New York State. That’s what winning “Best New Brewery” at the annual TapNY beer festival will do. “I thought some of our beers had a chance to win an award in a style category,” says the former chiropractor turned brewer, “But I never…

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A Mostly Objective Look at Long Island Winery Websites

Jose Moreno-Lacalle, publisher of Wine, Seriously, is a blogger I’ve read for many years now. Though he doesn’t publish posts frequently, he more than makes up for the lack of quantity with quality (and length.) His pieces are well researched and take a very in-depth look at very focused topics. Over the holiday weekend, Jose published “An Assessment of Long Island Winery Websites,” an exhaustively detailed look at more than 50 local winery and vineyard websites. Though I think Jose is a bit generous in his assessment at times (particularly around content architecture, overall design and user experience/usability) and a…

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Shinn Estate Vineyards NV Red

There are perilously few Long Island red wines under $20 that I find consistently palatable. Most often made from hard press fractions and leftovers, they can be incredibly inconsistent, bitter, under-ripe or just plain not very good. Shinn Estate Vineayrds NV Red ($17) isn’t always good — the blend, and even the grapes used in the blend — varies from version to version. And unless you’re buying it directly from the winery and can ask, it’s difficult to know which NV edition you’re buying. The current release, however, is a nice, carafe-style red well suited to casual meals. You can even…

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