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Across the Border: The Quest For the Holy Grail — Ontario Pinot Noir

Perhaps it’s fitting that the first all-pinot-noir flight at this year’s Expert’s Tasting at Brock University’s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI) was named after Monty Python’s classic film. If transcendent pinot noir is indeed the life-giving juice that flows from a cup then there are many out there spending their lives and fortunes looking for it, even though most everyone else already thinks it lies in Burgundy. Luckily my own quest to attend this year’s tasting was fulfilled, and I sat down with winemakers, wine writers, sommeliers and industry supporters to take a journey through several flights of…

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Gerry Hayden Named “Best Chef, Northeast” Finalist in James Beard Awards

For the second year in row, Chef Gerry Hayden of The North Fork Table & Inn in Southold on the North Fork of Long Island is a finalist in the James Beard Foundation Awards as “Best Chef, Northeast.” He’s one of five finalists for the award, up against Jamie Bissonnette of Coppa in Boston, Tim Cushman of O Ya in Boston, Matthew and Kate Jennings of La Laiterie in Providence, and Eric Warnstedt of Hen of the Wood in Waterbury, Conn. Almost upon opening, NFT has been where Nena and I dine on our splurge nights.We’ve never had anything but…

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Red Newt Cellars 2008 Glaciers Ridge Vineyards Merlot

Living on Long Island, I drink a fair amount of merlot. It’s every where you look in wine country — literally and figuratively. I don’t need to look north to the Finger Lakes for merlot. And honestly, I don’t. Merlot is well down the list of what I’m looking for in the Finger Lakes. In fact, it’s probably not on the list at all. That brings us to Red Newt Cellars 2008 Glaciers Ridge Vineyards Merlot ($45), a wine that I decided to write up for Wine Blogging Wednesday #75, hosted by Joe Roberts of 1WineDude. The theme? “Singles Night” — focusing…

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NYCR Artisan Dinner with Anthony Nappa Wines April 5 at Orto

After taking a bit of a winter break, we’re happy to announce the next in our series of New York Cork Report Artisan Dinners — this one with Anthony Nappa Wines at Orto, Chef Eric Lomando’s new restaurant in Miller Place. Nappa, who many of you know as the former winemaker for Shinn Estate, has been making wine under his own label for a few vintages now. He brings a diverse winemaking background — having made wine in New Zealand, Southern Italy, California and Massachusetts — and has a bit of a cult following for his white pinot noir, named Anomaly. Join us…

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Saranac White IPA

You never know what’s going to shine in a blind tasting. That’s why it’s so important. Big-name beers from lauded breweries may actually be lackluster in a lineup, without the pomp and circumstance their fame would normally require, while lesser-known or less respected breweries may surprise and force the drinker to reconsider relegating it to “party beer” status. The latter is exactly what happened the first time I tried Saranac’s new white IPA. I was blind-tasting Belgian styles with a group of experienced tasters, and after several samples that turned out to be from Ommegang, Dupont, and Lindeman’s we were…

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Long Island Vineyards Could See Early Bud Break in 2012

The earliest anyone can remember seeing bud break in Long Island vineyards was mid-April in 2010 — a vintage that ended up being one of the longest and warmest on record. Bud break in 2010 was about two weeks earlier than average. But, after a mild winter and with temperatures currently in the upper-50s and 60s this week — Long Island vineyards coudl see bud break even earlier in 2012. “The potential for an early budbreak this year appears higher than normal. If the weather continues to trend the way it has over the winter season it is increasingly likely that an early…

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The Finger Lakes Come to Astoria, Queens — Winegasm Brunch

Sunday, in my fair neighborhood of Astoria, Queens—on a day more reminiscent of a sunny Spring afternoon in May—a wee gathering of Finger Lakes winemakers met at Winegasm, a local wine bar I’ve only hit up once in its 4-year tenure. After seeing their support for New York wines, however, and despite its rather unfortunate name, I’ll be headed back to support them. The space is charming and rustic, with a massive skylight flooding the wooden tables and a winelist that gives a few nods to our New York brethren. Popping bottles at the long, wooden communal table were principals…

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The Piggery Deli and Butcher Shop: Making Meat Cool Once More in Ithaca

Piggery-Ithaca

“Do you want to meet the butchers?” Heather asked me as we rounded the corner of the kitchen. In the middle of next room two men intricately worked knives into the ribs of a pig, severed in half and propped on a table. Its skin was carnation-pink, and its bones were clean as a whistle and creamy white. Yes. I wanted to meet the butchers. Heather Sanford and Brad Marshall never intended to run a full-scale butcher shop and deli in one of the Finger Lakes’ most vegetarian-friendly towns. They started their organic pig farm seven years ago with the…

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The Most Important Store in the State: Buzz Growing for Empire State Cellars

It is unusual for a single wine store to become such a focus for an entire state. More unusual still when the store is not located in New York City. Since returning home from the Wines of the Year weekend on Long Island, no fewer than three wine industry professionals from the Finger Lakes have asked me, “Did you go to Empire State Cellars?” Or, “What was it like?” Or, “Was it as cool a place as I’m hoping it is?” They are intrigued by the idea of the only wine store in the state that offers exclusively New York…

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An Introduction to Wine in New York’s North Country

New York State, like most fine wine regions in the northern hemisphere, lies between the hallowed latitudes of 30 and 50 degrees, where macroclimates that are potentially conducive to the cultivation of wine grapes exist. Though local topological and meteorological factors have traditionally limited the places where fine wine is grown in New York, those boundaries are pushed and re-written by a new revolution in the vineyard. Most consumers of wine made in New York, are familiar with the Finger Lakes, Long Island and the Hudson River Valley areas. Those more in tune with the industry may also know about…

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