By Julia Burke, Beer Editor Little Horseheads Brewing, located an hour from Ithaca in beautiful Horseheads, New York, might be the state's hottest brewery — literally. I made a visit for the first time last week after drooling for months over tales from my festival-going beer friends about an enigmatic “chili pepper beer” that was so balanced, so smooth, and yet so spicy it could please both session drinkers and spice fiends like myself. A sample at the charming brewery showed off Horseheads's brewing prowess, especially since it was just one of several oustanding beers on tap. The brewery’s low-key…
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In Geneva, Opus Wine & Espresso Bar Gives Small-Town Dining New Meaning
By Rochelle Bilow, Finger Lakes Food Correspondent Photos by Stu Gallagher Passing through Geneva, one might be inclined to write off Opus Espresso and Wine Bar as just another eatery in a college town already saturated with pizza shops and fast-food spots. Local foodies know better. Nestled between buildings on the long stretch of downtown Geneva, just an espresso bean's throw from Main Moon Chinese Restaurant and a Philly cheesesteak takeout joint, Opus doesn’t seem like the type of place to be serving up fresh, inspired food with good coffee and great wine. It doesn’t seem like the type of…
Video: Riesling Bubble from Atwater Estate Vineyards
Video courtesy of Atwater Estate Vineyards
Bloomer Creek Vineyards 2009 Auten Vineyard First Harvest Riesling
By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor When my colleague Evan Dawson first introduced us to Bloomer Creek, I only knew Bloomer Creek Vineyard as the winery that shared a parking lot with one of my favorite places to eat in the Finger Lakes, Stonecat Cafe. But, after speaking with Evan further about them, I knew that I had to get my hands on some of Kim Engle's wines. Evan and I have similar-but-different palates and tastes when it comes to wine, but I think we agree on Bloomer Creek's rieslings — these are some of the most uniquely expressive, genuine rieslings…
Views from a Southern Finger Lakes Beer Adventure
By Julia Burke, Beer Editor Over the weekend I headed to the southern Finger Lakes area to visit friends; as always, the trip was essentially a beer pilgrimage. Though I came seeking the enigmatic Ithaca Beer Company Brute (it was back on the tasting room shelves for a short time only; stay tuned for a formal review), I also got a chance to visit with brewer Jeff O'Neil and check out the beginnings of Ithaca's expansion to a larger facility. Naturally, I also stocked up on Flower Power, and my friend's sister, a breastfeeding mom, appreciated Ithaca's scrumptious root beer.…
2011 Harvest: Late-Season Thinning to Encourage Ripening at Clovis Point
By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor There is some rain in the forecast later this week, but we're in the midst of a week-long string of sunny, dry days — conditions that were and are direly needed to keep disease pressure at bay in local vineyards and help grapes mature and ripen. Before the sun came out late last week, many local vineyards — including Clovis Point — were working to thin red wine crops, hoping that the reduced crop load will ripen more fully. According to Hal Ginsburg, managing partner at Clovis Point, the vineyard crew there dropped more than…
Saranac Wet Hop IPA
By Mark Tichenor, Rochester Beer Correspondent It might not yet be a gold mine, but farmer Rick Pedersen of Seneca Castle, New York is definitely sitting on something. Pedersen Farms is one of the few in Western New York to fully embrace the craft beer revolution by cultivating hops. In doing so, they spur the resurgence of this once-ubiquitous New York State crop. This makes it possible for breweries like Saranac to brag that their new Wet Hop IPA is made with all-New York hops, a claim that, until recently, would have been untenable. Wet-hopping is basically adding fresh hop…
Reserve Your Seats for “The Wurst Beer Dinner” on October 24 at Luce & Hawkins With Greenport Harbor Brewing
If you'd like to join us, please call the restaurant at (631) 722-2900. Your payment information will be taken when you call and we will have a 48-hour cancellation policy.
Harvest Update: At Hudson-Chatham Winery, Tough 2011 Slows Growth
By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor 2011 was supposed to be a big harvest at Hudson-Chatham Winery where, according to owner Carlo DeVito, the plan was to harvest 20% more fruit than last year. Mother Nature — largely in the form of Hurricane Irene — had other plans. "We probably just held serve, so we may experience some small growth because we still have some older wines, but we'll see a hiccup no doubt about it," Carlo told me. The winery grows more four acres of vines itself, but depends on other growers — in the Hudson River Region and elsewhere…
Harvest 2011: Wild Ride for Niagara So Far
Pinot Noir grapes still hanging at Freedom Run Winery in Lockport, NY By Bryan Calandrelli, Niagara Region Editor For Jonathan Oakes, winemaker at Leonard Oakes Estate Winery and Schulze Vineyards and Winery, the 2011 growing season can be summed up in one word: wild. “It’s been one of the wildest rides I’ve seen in a long time,” he said. Thanks to Mother Nature, of course. It started with a cool and excessively wet late spring followed by an intensely hot and dry July. The good news for Oakes is that all that heat enabled the vines to catch up to…