Posts Tagged“atwater estate vineyards”

5 Questions with… Julia Hoyle, Sheldrake Point Vineyards

Julia Hoyle may have found her way into the wine industry innocently enough, looking for a part-time job while attending college, but she quickly found herself surrounded by great people and a curiosity for the business she couldn’t contain. Hoyle started at the Fox Run Vineyards tasting room in 2009 and worked her way into the cellar where she took every opportunity to learn from veteran winemaker Peter Bell before she left in 2012. Julia moved on to Atwater Vineyards for the fall 2012 harvest season, which provided insight into operations at another prominent Finger Lakes winery. Once harvest finished Julia’s…

The Tasting Room by Atwater Vineyards

The Tasting Room by Atwater Vineyards

The Tasting Room by Atwater Vineyards is now open in Watkins Glen! Why is this news one might ask? What’s new about another vineyard opening a satellite tasting room? The Tasting Room will obviously showcase Atwater wines, but what makes this unique is that it will also sell and offer tastings of other New York Wines from all over the state, not just those local to the Finger Lakes. For example, The Tasting Room in September has a Featured Flight of the Month; Four New York Pinot Gris from Atwater, Hector Wine Company, Anthony Road and Channing Daughters. The Tasting…

Atwater Estate Vineyards 2010 Pinot Noir

Another well-made Finger Lakes pinot noir that over-delivers for the money? Yes. Atwater Estate Vineyards 2010 Pinot Noir ($22) isn’t the most complex pinot noir — at least not at this stage in its develpoment — but it is table-ready and delicious. Aromas of black cherry, red currant are accented by gentle floral notes and lead into a silky-but-fresh palate with flavors of black cherry, red plum, red currant and cherry pit. The fresh acidity meshes with gently gripping tannins for a great mouthfeel. Again, you won’t find layers and layers of complexity here, but you’ll find a clean, well-balanced…

Atwater Estate Vineyards 2010 Moffett Block Blaufrankisch

Some think that pinot noir is the future red wine star of the Finger Lakes — and that may be true. But for right now, I’ve been most impressed by the latest crop of Blaufrankisch-based wines I’ve tasted from the region, this Atwater Estate Vineyards 2010 “Moffett Block Blaufrankisch ($38) included. The Moffett Block is ten rows (.7 acre) of blaufrankisch that was planted in 2006, and honors Bill Moffett who first planted wine grapes on the farm in the 1970s. The nose oozes with black and blue fruit — plums, blackberries, black cherries and blueberries — along with subtle…

The Strange Story of Syrah in the Finger Lakes

It’s easy to get confused about red wine in the Finger Lakes these days. Is there a ‘flagship’ red variety? Is it pinot in the hands of the right people? Is it cabernet franc, that workhorse that occasionally finds profundity? How about lemberger/blaufrankish? When did that bandwagon hit a massive pothole? And now here comes syrah. If you grew up on west coast syrah or Australian shiraz, syrah seems an unlikely choice for the Finger Lakes. But that ignores its happiest home, which happens to be the much cooler Northern Rhone. No, Cote-Rotie is not Seneca Lake, but nor is…

Why Don’t Finger Lakes Wineries Offer Riesling in Magnum?

The other day I picked up a magnum of Hermann J. Wiemer 2008 Dry Riesling in magnum. It had me thinking: Magnums are so sexy. How come almost no one in the Finger Lakes offers riesling in magnum? I was going to say that no one in the Finger Lakes bottles their wine in larger formats, but of course that’s wrong. You can find Red Cat in magnum. Fox Run’s Ruby Vixen, , Arctic Fox, Chardonnay perhaps. Some of Bully Hill’s offerings, I’m sure. But why not riesling? After all, the world’s finest riesling ages gracefully for many years, and…

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…

The 2011 New York Cork Report Wines of the Year

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor I think I can speak for my fellow editors and contributors when I say that our 2011 Wines of the Year tasting was a fun, challenging and inspiring day of 16 wine tasting flights. I always come away with myriad story ideas swirling in my head after this tasting. This year is no different. Look for pieces from the team over the next few weeks. But today, we announce the winners — including our first-ever New York Wine of the Year, Peconic Bay Winery 2007 Lowerre Family Estate. Our 2011 Regional Wines of the Year…

Atwater Estate Vineyards 2010 Riesling Bubble

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor Sparkling riesling isn’t new in the Finger Lakes. A handful of wineries have been making it for years and a couple years ago, one even won the Governor’s Cup. Last fall, Atwater Estate Vineyards became the latest winery to make sparkling riesling, adding Riesling Bubble to its portfolio. Off-dry and force-carbonated, it also features modern packaging that definitely stands out on a store shelf (my picture doesn’t do it justice) and is closed  with a crown cap rather than a cork. A fruity nose shows ripe peach, candied green apple and hints of mint syrup.…