We get back to regular programming post-holidays with one of the wines I enjoyed most during our brief hiatus — Anthony Nappa Wines 2010 Spezia ($18) a gewurztraminer for gewurztraminer lovers. Spezia is Italian for “spice” — and this is a wine that delivers a heaping pile of varietal character. Bursting with complex aromas of tropical fruit, peach, gingery spice, and rose petal the nose also features a grapefruit-spice-herb note that is reminiscent of some heavily-hopped India Pale Ales I’ve enjoyed. Though hefty at 14.6% abv, the dry, mouth-filling palate wears that alcohol well, offering a melange of tropical fruits…
Browsing CategoryRegions
Niagara Gets a Little Hoppier
By Julia Burke, Beer Editor There are some exciting new vines in Niagara County –– well, make that bines. Rich and Bree Woodbridge, a charming and passionate young couple well-equipped for Niagara with a sense of adventure and a lot of heart, took a leap of faith when they moved to Lockport from California (after working in economic development in India) in March of this year to revitalize Rich's family's sixth-generation farmhouse. McCollum Orchards is a hundred-acre farm dating back to the 1820s, and while it's wonderful land for apples and other produce, the Woodbridges have something special in mind…
Robibero Family Vineyards 2010 Dry Riesling
By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor Robibero Family Vineyards, which took over the old Rivendell Winery building in New Paltz, NY in 2007, is a Hudson Valley winery to keep an eye on. The Robibero family has planted an estate vineyard and is working hard to breathe new life into the winery and tasting room and has hired Kristop Brown, formerly of Benmarl Winery, to help make the wines. For now the wines are made with fruit and juice purchased in other areas of the state — a common scenario in the Hudson River Valley. This Robibero Family Vineyards 2010 Dry…
A NYCR Photo Essay: On Butchering A Local Pig & Making Head Cheese
By Dave Seel, Long Island Food Correspondent. Recently, I had the opportunity to get a pig-butchering lesson at Benner's Farm in Setauket, NY, an educational farm for kids and adults. Benner's Farm is a working farm and the slaughtering of a pig around November is an annual occurence. They don't sell meat to the public, so it is solely used by the family. Because I'm is a self-proclaimed food dork and was intrigued with the whole process, I was lucky enough to come home with the pig's head and two pork chops after my lesson was complete. From there, I…
Comtesse Therese 2010 Sauvignon Blanc
By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor For years, Comtesse Therese and its owner-winemaker Theresa Dilworth produced mostly red wines, with a chardonnay made in Russian oak the lone white. In 2009 that changed when Dilworth added sauvignon blanc to the portfolio. That first wine was a bit underwhelming, but the Comtesse Therese 2010 Sauvignon Blanc ($28) is a completely different story and wine. Two-thirds of the fruit that went into this wine was grown at Palmer Vineyards, with the remaining third coming from Dilworth's own vineyard. Only 95 cases were made. Melon rind and citrus — white grapefruit and lemon —…
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…
Inspire Moore Winery 2010 “Change” Blaufrankisch
By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor Here is yet another delicious Blaufrankisch from the Finger Lakes, with ripe, juicy aromas of blackberry and black raspberry with hints of cassis and a black pepper edge. Showing off the warmth of the 2010 growing season, the medium-to-full bodied palate displays intense red and fruit flavors that remain bright and crunchy because of the fresh acidity. Add a sprinkling of black pepper and you have a wine well suited to the dinner table or your picnic table next to burgers and barbeque. The finish is long shows a certain floral-herbal quality that brings complexity.…
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…