One of the wineries we were disappointed not to have to visit during our recent trip to Seneca Lake was Fulkerson Winery. They are a large producer in the region, making more than 50,000 cases annually. They are also one of the larger growers in the region and sell a significant amount of fruit and juice to home winemakers. Their portfolio is large and varied. In addition to the expected varieties (riesling, Gewurztraminer, etc.) they also grow and bottle things like Vincent, Dornfelder, Delaware, Diamond and Noiret. Some wineries struggled to make balanced, lively riesling from the hot 2007 vintage,…
Posts Tagged“finger lakes”
Video: PALATE 2009 Comparative Tasting — 2008 Rieslings
The last in the short series of videos I have from my PALATE 2009 Comparative Tasting at Atwater Estate Vineyards, co-hosted by winemaker Vinny Aliperti. In this one, Vinny and assistant winemaker Justin Boyette pour two tank samples of 2008 dry riesling, talk a bit a out the sourcing and also the growing season.
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…
PALATE 2009: Tasting Finger Lakes Wines and Cheeses with Shannon Brock
Last Tuesday, as a part of PALATE 2009, Nena and I attended a wine and cheese seminar led by Shannon Brock from the New York Wine & Culinary Center. Shannon is someone that I've known in the virtual world for some time now, so it was a great pleasure to finally meet her in person. In it's-a-small-world style, Shannon is also the niece of good friend of my in-law's. The seminar started with a little less on tasting wine — you know, all the S's etc. It was actually very similar to a class Shannon teaches at the Center, the…
Video: PALATE 2009 Comparative Tasting — 2007 Pinot Noir
In this video from my PALATE 2009 Comparative Tasting at Atwater Estate Vineyards, winemaker Vinny Aliperti talks about his 2007 pinot noirs (from Atwater and Billsboro Winery) and how the 'heartbreak grape' just didn't break that many hearts in 2007, a great vintage for reds in the Finger Lakes region.
Video: PALATE 2009 Comparative Tasting — The Intro
As I’ve already mentioned, I co-hosted a comparative tasting as a part of PALATE 2009 last week. The tasting was held at Atwater Estate Vineyards, where 12-15 people had the unique opportunity to taste wines made by Atwater’s winemaker, Vinny Aliperti, fromi both Atwater and Vinny’s own winery, Billsboro Winery. We should some video of the event and have three clips pieced together, starting with this introduction where you’ll not only see yours truly in his LENNDEVOURS video debut, but also see me almost burn myself on the wall-installed heater behind the tasting bar. I also reveal the true pronunciation…
PALATE 2009: Atwater-Billsboro-LENNDEVOURS Tasting
Today, I'd like to thank the folks at Atwater Estate, including winemaker Vinny Aliperti (left), assistant winemaker, Justin Boyette (right), and owner Ted Marks for their hospitality as we co-hosted a comparative tasting of 2007 wines. We had around 12 people join the tasting and I think it was a huge success, and even more fun. Nena shot some great video (we hope) and I'll be writing another post about the event, probably next week.
What We’ll Be Doing at PALATE This Week
Tomorrow morning, Nena and I leave from her parents' house in rural Schoharie, NY and head down to Corning to attend a couple days of PALATE, a food, wine and art showcase in Finger Lakes wine country. Organized by Finger Lakes Wine Country, Corning’s Gaffer District and The ARTS Council of the Southern Finger Lakes the week-long festival starts today and promises to be a fun event for the cold-this-time-of-year region. We're going to have a fun- and wine-filled couple of days. Before we even join the PALATE festivities, we're heading to Anthony Road Wine Company to taste with winemaker…
Fox Run Vineyards 2005 Reserve Cabernet Franc
I mentioned earlier this week that I've been impressed by some 2005 Finger Lakes cabernet francs. Well, this is the one that I liked best in that recent blind tasting. From the moment I pulled the cork, I knew this wine was going to be interesting. Once in my glass, complex aromas of camp fire, black pepper bacon, sweet vanilla, cocoa powder and intense black fruit fill the room. When I re-tasted this wine the next day, the smokiness had stepped back a bit, with fruit coming to the forefront and subtle herbal qualities emerging. Smoke and spice lead on…
Sheldrake Point 2007 Gewurztraminer
Gewurztraminer is a love-it or hate-it sort of grape. I love it. Nena — most of the time anyway — hates it. The sometimes-overwhelming rose petal perfume that the grape exhibits turns her off. But Sheldrake Point's 2007 Gewurztraminer ($20) is one wine that we both enjoyed during a recent tasting of New York whites. A brilliant medium straw yellow in the glass, the nose is only lightly floral — rather than overwhelmingly so — and is spicy and gingery with classic lychee and pineapple aromas. Make sure that you don't over-chill this wine, or the beautiful aromas will be…