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The New York Cork Report Tasting Table — June 21, 2011

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor These are tasting notes for some wines that have graced the NYCR tasting table recently but won't be reviewed in standalone posts. Lucas Vineyards 2009 Dry Riesling ($14): Intense fennel frond aromas are backed by grapefruit, lime and green apple notes. Dry with fresh, citrus-juicy acidity. Lime and fennel flavors dominate with just a little gunflint-smoke. Really nice value. Rating: 85 Lucas Vineyards 2009 Reserve Riesling ($22): A bit lean on the nose in terms of fruit, with fennel and slate leading the way with some lime peel in the background. Drier style with lime,…

July 11: NYCR New York Artisan Dinner With Heart & Hands Wine Company

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor To build on the success of the first of our "New York Beverage Artisan Dinners" at Luce & Hawkins, we knew we wanted to do a wine dinner — but not just any wine dinner. And, I think we're doing something pretty different — by featuring a Finger Lakes winemaker and his wines. Tom Higgins, co-owner and winemaker at Heart & Hands Wine Company on Cayuga Lake in the Finger Lakes is traveling to the North Fork on July 11 to share five of his pinot noir-based wines as we enjoy a four-course meal prepared…

A First Impression of the Hudson Valley Wine Country, Part 1

By Julia Burke, Beer Editor I had absolutely no expectations as I drove east on the thruway on my very first trip to the Hudson Valley wine country. David Jackson of Hudson-Chatham Winery and his wife Kathy were kind enough to invite me to their home and show me around, and I could think of no better way to spend one of the first beautiful weekends of summer than exploring a new wine scene. What was in store was a fascinating, vibrant and diverse region with a young-but-exciting quality wine industry, gorgeous farmland, exciting local beer and spirits, an amazing…

The Grapes of Roth 2009 Riesling

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor Another impressive 2009 riesling from New York? Yes. And this one is from Long Island. Because he mostly works with Bordeaux reds and chardonnay locally, people wondered what German-born winemaker Roman Roth (Wolffer Estate, Roanoke Vineyards) would do with local riesling. When Roth introduced his private label, The Grapes of Roth, several years ago, he started with a merlot, but introduced his first riesling not long after. And of the three rieslings he’s made under the GoR label, Grapes of Roth 2009 Riesling ($22) might be his best yet. Roth purchases the fruit for this…

What We Drank (June 13, 2011)

Here's a sampling of what our editors and contributors are drinking:   David Flaherty: Paulinshof Brauneberger Juffer Riesling Kabinett Trocken 2010 I am finally seeing the Mosel Valley firsthand. Like a kid who has looked at magazines of Disneyland for years and finally enters the gate, I have crossed the threshold from fantasy to reality.  And reality does not disappoint. I am an acid hound, and can never have too many rieslings skate across my palate. The steep vineyards abutting the Mosel River are made of slate, and tons of it. The resulting wines are high-acid, mineral-driven, time bombs of…

Grimaldi Joins NYCR Team as Marketing and Events Director

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor We've added several writers to the NYCR team over the years, but today we welcome Mark Grimaldi to the website as our director of marketing and events — with his focus set squarely on events. With our New York Beverage Artisan Dinners off to a great start — with the next one set to be announced soon — Mark will no doubt be busy coordinating with winemakers, brewers and distillers from across the the state. Mark is also a driving force in our "DRINK LONG ISLAND WINE" sticker program (more on that soon). Many in…

Chatham Brewing 8-Barrel Super IPA

By Julia Burke, Beer Editor I made my first visit to Chatham Brewing recently and based on what I tasted I know it won’t be my last. This small, neighborhood-friendly brewery has a dynamite lineup with balance and great flavor across the board. Craving hops, I brought home a growler of this baby. This double IPA pours a rusty amber-copper haze into a pint glass with a fluffy one-to-two-finger head and good lacing. The nose surprised me at first with intense citrus, as in someone-just-peeled-an-orange fresh citrus fruit. As the beer warmed up slightly it reveals an elegant malt profile;…

A Familiar Face Stops By in Ithaca

By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor That photo is me with Hermann Wiemer, who stopped by a wine tasting/Summer in a Glass book event at Red Feet Wines Market in Ithaca last night. It was the first time I've seen Hermann in quite a while, and the first time we've spoken since the book came out. Naturally, I've wondered what he thought about it, and about the chapter focusing on his legacy in particular. All I can tell you is that before the end of the night, Hermann was signing books for Red Feet customers. We chatted about a number…

Sheldrake Point Vineyards 2009 Dry Riesling

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor Finger Lakes riesling. 2009 vintage. I won't pretend to have tasted every riesling made in the Finger Lakes in 2009, but I have yet to find one that I'd turn down, with many more in my tasting queue for coming weeks. I enjoyed this Sheldrake Point 2009 Dry Riesling ($15) so much — especialy for the money — that I put it in the Times Union New York Wine Club shipment for May. Brisk and lightly floral, the nose shows lime and citrus blossom aromas with intense green apple character and hints of fennel frond…