Posts Tagged“cabernet franc”

Cabernet Franc: What We Learned From 656 Glasses of Wine

By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor Photos by Morgan Dawson When the demonstration room at the New York Wine & Culinary Center filled up at 10 a.m. on Tuesday morning, 328 glasses of cabernet franc lit up the amphitheater like strands of single-color Christmas lights. It was a bit daunting for the 42 winemakers, winegrowers, industry professionals, newspaper writers, retailers and bloggers. And that was just the first flight. When the event (get some back story) finally ended three hours later we had tasted through 13 Finger Lakes 2007 cabernet francs, 3 Loire Valley cabernet francs, one Long Island cabernet franc,…

Q&A: Josh Wig, General Manager, Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars

Today's Q&A subject (standing), harvesting cabernet franc This is a Q&A that I've been looking forward to doing for several months now. Why? Well, it's kind of a funny story really. I've been writing about Finger Lakes wines for a few years now, but until maybe a year or so ago, I didn't really know very many of the players. A few winemakers here. A few winery owners there. Maybe some marketing folks. But one day, I was looking on Lamoreaux Landing's website for some information about them and I noticed "Josh Wig – General Manager" and thought to myself…

Local with Local (FLX): Damiani Wine Cellars 2007 Cabernet Franc with Grilled, Coffee-Rubbed, Bacon-Wrapped Beef Tenderloin with Cherry-Wine Sauce

For this, the first installment of Local with Local (Finger Lakes Edition), I've asked Chef Deb Whiting of Red Newt Bistro on Seneca Lake to create a dish specifically for enjoying with Damiani Wine Cellars 2007 Cabernet Franc (my review), a fine example of Finger Lakes cabernet franc from a producer that is only now starting to get some attention. She came up with Grilled, Coffee-Rubbed, Bacon-Wrapped Beef Tenderloin with Cherry-Cabernet Franc Sauce. Here's here thinking behind it and the recipe:I recently tasted a bottle of Damiani Wine Cellars 2007 Cabernet Franc and of course immediately started thinking of what…

Rockin’ with Reds at Damiani

By Jason Feulner, Finger Lakes Correspondent There are a few Finger Lakes wineries that have made the production of red vinifera the cornerstone of their business plan. What makes Damiani Wine Cellars, located on the eastern shore of Seneca, unique is the winery's original emphasis on red to the exclusion of whites. When the winery opened in 2004 after several years of experimentation, it offered a variety of reds and only a limited number of whites. "Well, we are red wine drinkers," shrugs Phil Davis, a second-generation grower who oversees the grape growing and production. Lou Damiani serves as the winemaker of the operation. Both Davis and…

Sneaking NY Wines Into the Lineup

By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Correspondent Few things put a hop in my step like a tasting of cabernet franc from around the world. Before heading out to Wine Sense, an excellent wine shop on Rochester's Park Avenue, I noticed that the tentative tasting list did not include any New York cab franc. The shop's owner, Kristin Vanden Brul, is a strong supporter of New York wines, and I called to ask if I could bring a bottle to taste blind. She happily agreed; it's rather common at Kristin's tastings for enthuastic guests to bring a bagged bottle from their…

Roanoke Vineyards 2006 Cabernet Franc

Lenn Thompson, Editor and Publisher There's been a lot of TasteCamp content this week (for obvious reasons) so let's get back to some of the actual wines being made in New York. Not that this wine doesn't have a TasteCamp connection — we tasted this Roanoke Vineyards 2006 Cabernet Franc ($32) on our visit to Roanoke Vineyards Saturday morning. As you've probably read elsewhere, 2006 wasn't a great vintage for reds on Long Island. It was cooler growing season and was marked by a lot of overcast days and higher-than-average rainfall. Still, even in down years, the best producers put…

Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars 2007 T23 Cabernet Franc

By Lenn Thompson, Editor and Publisher Cabernet franc is a wine that comes in many styles across New York state. One one end of the spectrum, you have winemakers who eschew oak completely. On the other end, you have the winemakers who treat cabernet franc like it's cabernet sauvignon blanc, extending maceration and bludgeoning it with new oak. I guess what I'm saying is that there isn't a clearly defined New York style cabernet franc yet. Nor is there a distinct style for Long Island, the Finger Lakes, etc. either. This unoaked rendition, Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars' 2007 T23 Cabernet…

Damiani Wine Cellars 2007 Cabernet Franc

I'm not sure when I first stumbled upon my now-friend Dave Honig's blog, 2 Days per Bottle, but I do know that it changed the way that I taste and review wines. I've always frowned upon the "power tasting" that some publications employ — tasting wines in rapid succession, in a near-clinical environment, spending no more than a few minutes with each wine. Instead, I have always preferred to taste wines over the course of an evening, with and without dinner or other food, to evaluate them in a way more similar to how people actually drink wine. But Dave's…

PALATE 2009: A Multi-Vintage Finger Lakes Cabernet Franc Tasting

By Jason Feulner, Finger Lakes Correspondent The eternal debate among those who follow Finger Lakes wines, and even among those who don't, is whether the red wines can hold their own. Critics point to numerous examples of flat, unripe wines and castigate the entire category, virtually ignoring any promise shown by a handful of outliers. Proponents of Finger Lakes reds cite improving quality and, in their promotion of cool-climate potential, take advantage of the growing sentiment among wine enthusiasts that many California and Australian reds are too ripe, too alcoholic, and just plain overpowering. Whether or not Finger Lakes reds have yet to…