Browsing CategoryLong Island

Corey Creek Vineyards 2010 Gewurztraminer

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor Though once near-sister wineries, the Corey Creek Vineyards label has been almost entirely absorbed by the mother Bedell Cellars label over the past several years. The chardonnays, cabernet francs and roses all wear the Bedell label now, but one holdout — at least for now — is the Corey Creek Vineyards 2010 Gewurztraminer ($35), a wine that is often one of my favorite Long Island gewurztraminers. Pretty honeysuckle and rose petal aromas are backed by lemon-grapefruit citrus, gingery spice and a hint of classic lychee nut. The lychee and spice qualities are a bit more…

Sports Bars: Long Island Ale House

By Donavan Hall, Long Island Beer Correspondent A couple of weekends ago I got a text message from one of the guys in my soccer club. He and another coach had decided to head out to a bar for a couple of beers. "We're at Ugly Jacks," said the message. I texted back, "Grumpy Jacks, surely." My phone had been off while I was in the movies so my soccer buddies blamed me for their lack of knowledge about where to go for a beer on a Friday night. "You guys need to get out more," I said. "Or at…

Channing Daughters Winery 2010 Sylvanus

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor This field blend of 60% muscat ottonel, 30% pinot grigio and 10% pinot bianco shows the sweet-fruity and floral aromas you'd expect from so much muscat — apple blossoms, candied lemons and orange peel, and lemon verbena. The palate is medium-bodied and juicy in its lemon-and-orange fruitiness, with some slightly bitter grapefruit pith and a melange of flowers. As it warms a bit, notes of persimmon and brown spice peek from beneath the citrus. The finish shows nice length but a bit more acid would bring focus and clean it up a bit. Producer: Channing…

Pindar Vineyards 2010 Sauvignon Blanc

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor Photo from Pindar.net Edward Lovaas got lucky when he joined Pindar Vineyards in August of 2010. Possibly without even realizing, he walked into what many consider the greatest grape growing season ever on Long Island. I've tasted a few of Edward's first Long Island wines now, and I can say without hesitation that he's not the only one who got lucky. The Damianos family, which owns Pindar and Duck Walk Vineyards, got lucky too. It's too early to make any wide-ranging pronouncements — Edward's reds are at least a year or two away from release…

Southampton Publick House Double White

By Julia Burke, Beer Editor Long Island brewery Southampton Publick House has arrived in western New York and I can't think of a nicer way to ring in the holidays than with this consistently impressive brewery's lineup of interesting and varied styles. Double White pours a glowing sunrise-haze gold color and shows a brief one-finger head and beautiful bubbles. A clean, crisp nose with only a subtle whiff of cardamom and lemon and just a little bit of clementine give way as it opens to bready wheat character and citrusy Belgian yeast esters. The mouthfeel is excellent –smooth, bready, just a…

Paumanok Vineyards 2007 Merlot

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor Paumanok Vineyards' "regular" merlot bottling, informally known as the "white label merlot" is one of Long Island's most values — particularly from warmer, dryer years (think 2005 and 2007 recently). No, at $24, it won't satisfy those who lament the region's lack of $15 standouts, but know this: it over-delivers for that $24. The nose is ripe and complex, showing fruit aromas of black cherry, plum and cassis as well as notes of dried autumn leaves and dried thyme. Medium-bodied and at once ripe and lithe, the palate delivers fruit flavors that closely match the…

Makinajian Poultry Farms: Three Generations of Organic Farming in Huntington, NY

By Dave Seel, Long Island Food Correspondent “We’ve always been organic and never use pesticides. My grandfather was talking about it back in the 50s even before it was popular,” said Michael Makinajian as he gestured towards an article written about his grandfather, Joseph, in 1964 for the Suffolk Farming Times. “We’ve just always been committed to doing things naturally.” Situated just south of Huntington, NY, Makinajian Poultry Farm is the definition of family farming and is one of few farms remaining this far west on Long Island. “When I was younger my grandfather would drive around and point out different…

Comtesse Therese 2006 Hungarian Oak Merlot

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor 2006 was anything but a banner year on the North Fork. What was a mediocre growing season to begin with was worsened by two early frost events in early fall. The reds from the vintage generally — remember, there are always exceptions — reflect that as a lack of ripeness and fruit intensity. This Comtesse Therese 2006 Hungarian Oak Merlot ($21) largely lacks under-ripe or green flavors but does lack some concentration. On the nose, scents of cigar box, black pepper and brown spice are a bit too much for the understated red cherry aromas.…

One Woman Wines 2008 Merlot

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor Because of the diminutive size of its tasting room and location at the far eastern end of the unofficial Route 48 wine trail, One Woman Wines is still under the radar for many visitors to North Fork wine country. The one woman behind One Woman Wines is Claudia Purita, who grew up on her family's farm in Calabria, Italy, where she learned farming and viticulture. After moving to Long Island as an adult and working in the restaurant industry, she decided it was time to "return to her roots" in 2004 planting much of the…

NYCR Q&A: George Romero, Roanoke Vineyards

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor If you've visited Roanoke Vineyards over the past several years, you've probably met George Romero. He's hard to avoid. He's a fixture behind the tasting bar and outside on the patio, often seen pouring wines for and chatting up customers. More often than not, I get to Roanoke when they first open on Saturday morning and — almost without fail — George is there cleaning the floors and preparing the tasting room for the throngs of red wine lovers to follow. Yes, he's a man of many talents. He's also an interesting and gregarious guy…