Posts Tagged“early wine”

New York Cork Club February 2016 Selections

Without writing a long essay about what it actually costs to grow grapes and eventually make a bottle of wine that can be sold – many of the things that go into wine are very expensive, and in New York, they are even more expensive on Long Island. Land and labor are the big ones. Why do I bring this up? Well, this month’s selections are both from Long Island, a rarity given the constraints (<$50 plus shipping for two bottles) of this club. It may never happen again, but considering that I live just a short drive from Long…

Continue Reading

Macari Vineyards 2014 “Early Wine” Chardonnay

The release of very few Long Island wines can match the buzz generated when Macari Vineyards releases their “Early Wine” Chardonnay each fall, right after harvest winds down. It’s always the first wine from the new vintage to hit store shelves, serving as a harbiger for Thanksgiving as well as the winter holidays. You can think of it as Long Island’s Beaujolais Nouveau — except it’s delicious. Originally inspired by the jungwein (young wine) of Macari’s consulting winemaker Helmut Gangl’s homeland, Austria — where they are often served in heuriger shortly after harvest — the grapes for this wine wine were picked on September 8.…

Continue Reading

Macari Vineyards 2013 “Early Wine” Chardonnay

With all of the chardonnay grown on Long Island, it is unthinkable to me that no one else is making wines like this one. Macari Vineyards 2013 “Early Wine” Chardonnay ($17) isn’t complex. It isn’t the best wine on the North Fork. It isn’t a world changer. What it is, is delicious. And fun. And too many wines forget to be both of those things. The grapes were picked in September 7, and not long after a short fermentation, the finished was bottled right after Halloween. The wine was released on winemaker Kelly Urbanik’s birthday, November 8. Notes of citrus —…

Continue Reading

2013 Harvest Has Begun on Long Island: Macari Vineyards Chardonnay for “Early Wine”

It’s that time of year again — grape harvest in New York. I’ve heard a handful of reports that chardonnay and pinot noir are starting to come in for sparkling wine. This morning, the crew at Macari Vineyards also picked chardonnay for their 2013 “Early Wine” — a favorite here at NYCR headquarters. Evan and I will be pulling together harvest reports and stories from now through the end of the calendar year (and possibly beyond for those ice wines out there). In the meantime, we also invite any and all New York wineries to submit their harvest photos. We’ll…

Continue Reading

Macari Vineyards 2012 “Early Wine” Chardonnay

I’m over Beaujolais nouveau — it’s mostly about the spectacle (and the marketing) and the wines often disappoint. I’d rather wait until Cru stuff is released.  But when it comes to local nouveau wines (there are a few) I always look forward to Macari Vineyards’ “Early Wine” chardonnay, even if it varies (sometimes wildly) from year to year. Inspired by the jungwein (young wine) of consulting winemaker Helmut Gangl’s homeland — they are often served in heuriger shortly after harvest — the grapes for this win were harvested on August 29 and the wine was bottled less than two months later…

Continue Reading

Macari Vineyards 2009 “Early Wine” Chardonnay

By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief As covered during our harvest updates, 2009 wasn't an easy growing season for local wineries. The season started slowly and didn't really catch up until a long, warm finish that stretched well into November. Just how 'behind' was the season early on compared to 2008? Well, chardonnay that went into this wine was harvested on September 24 — more than two weeks later than it was in 2008 when it came in on September 9. But, it appears to have been worth the wait. This is my favorite edition of "early wine" in years. Austrian Helmut…

Continue Reading

WTN: Macari Vineyards 2007 Early Wine (North Fork of Long Island)

Just about every Long Island winemaker and vineyard manager I’ve spoken to in recent weeks has told me that 2007 is going to be a tremendous, classic vintage for Long Island wines. Sure, sometimes winemakers are prone to hyperbole – they do need to sell wine after all – but I trust them this time. We’ve had months of sunny, warm-but-not-hot days with very little rain. Of course, we won’t know for at least several months just how good the white wines of 2007 will be. For the reds, it could be several years. But if you don’t want to…

Continue Reading

WTN: Macari Vineyards 2006 Early Wine (North Fork of Long Island)

Le Chardonnay Nouveau est arrivé! That’s right — Chardonnay Nouveau, not Beaujolais Nouveau. Every fall, there is an unbelievable (and unwarranted) amount of hype surrounding Beaujolais Nouveau, the ubiquitous red wine made from Gamay in the Beaujolais region of France that is sold almost as soon as it’s done fermenting. It’s marketed well — very well — as a ‘fresh’ wine and we’ll soon seen bottles in all of our wine shops. Some people even consider it the perfect Thanksgiving wine. I don’t care for the stuff and it’s been years since I made my friends and family drink it…

Continue Reading