Posts Tagged“long island wine”

How Will Global Warming and Climate Change Impact the Wine World?

By Special Wine Columnist, Richard Olsen-Harbich Will it be a brave new wine world? During the past year, discussions about the potential impact of “global warming” have dominated the mass media. Although the exact outcomes and causes are in dispute, few now doubt the existence of the phenomenon. What does it mean for the wine industry? As wine is all about long-term agriculture and entirely dependant on the weather, I’d say a great deal. The eventual consequences of climate change on the wine industry are unclear, as are the possible effects on the rest of the planet. The real question…

Continue Reading

1995 Long Island Reds Tasting: 12 Wines at 12 Years of Age

Last nights tasting of 1995 Long Island reds was definitely a success. After a couple winemaker cancellations (damn harvest season!) we ended up with six on our panel and we all had a great time seeing how these 12 wines at 12-years old have stood up over time (surprisingly well). It’s probably going to take me a little while to write it up. I was taking my own notes and also writing down things the other tasters were saying (I was the only journalist in the room after all). A big thanks goes out to Jared and Tracy from Grand…

Continue Reading

Tasting Reds from Long Island’s 1995 Vintage This Sunday

I mentioned it earlier in the week, but I thought you might be interested in hearing a bit more about the tasting I’m co-hosting this Sunday evening. Basically, I’ve gathered samples of 1995 reds wines from several Long Island wineries (I think we’ll have 11 wines total). It’s a well-regarded vintage and because these wines are over a decade old, I think they will offer a peek into the potential longevity of local wines. Originally, I was going to do this tasting on my own at home, but for such special wines, I wanted to do something more formal (but…

Continue Reading

New York Cork Club: September Selections

I have to tell you, I really love my job. Well, I like my day job too, but picking the wines for the New York Cork Club is a lot of fun. Wineries from all over New York are very excited about it and have been asking me to taste all sorts of wines–some good, some bad, some awful, some awesome. For September’s shipment, we’ve put together a duo that is perfect for this time of year. As we head into fall, we’ll still have the occasional hot, summer-like day. For those days, I’ve included Atwater Estate Vineyards Estate White…

Continue Reading

WTN: Raphael 2006 Sauvignon Blanc (North Fork of Long Island)

As you know, lots of Long Island winemakers still focus on the parallels between their own region and Bordeaux. Merlot and the cabernets–sauvignon and franc–are clearly the dominant red grapes here and they do well (except maybe sauvignon, which only thrives in the best years in the best locations). But, market conditions being what they are, most white wine made in these parts is made with chardonnay, the white grape of Burgundy. Those wines can be simple and gulpable or rich, complex and truly Burgundian, but they are nothing like white Bordeaux, which are made with sauvignon blanc and semillon.…

Continue Reading

Exciting News: Screwcaps Coming to Long Island Wine

A little birdy has informed me that a well-known and well-regarded Long Island winery is preparing to make the leap into screwcap closures for some of it’s 2007 white wines. Care to guess which winery? Okay, I’ll just come out and tell you. It’s Paumanok Vineyards and I think it’s great that they are pioneering the use of screwcap closures here on Long Island. Kareem Massoud, who makes the wines with his father Charles, told me in an email today that: "…we are currently planning to start bottling wine under screw cap with our 2007 whites, that does not necessarily…

Continue Reading

WTN: Ackerly Pond Vineyards 2004 Merlot (North Fork of Long Island)

Over the past decade-plus, there has been an interesting phenomenon in Long Island wine, though it’s probably mere coincidence. It seems that even-numbered years tend to be cooler than the riper odd-number years, which include the well-regarded 1995, 2001 and 2005 years. Of course this isn’t a hard and fast rule. And it certainly doesn’t mean that there aren’t terrific wines in the cooler years. In fact, some of the most underrated wines–both red and white–that I’ve tasted lately have come out of the 2004 vintage, a slightly cooler, but still typical local year. Founded just less than a decade…

Continue Reading

Virginia Winery Owner Bashes Long Island Wine While Promoting His Own

A friend and reader sent this to me this morning. He’s a Virginia resident and is on many winery email lists down in that neck of the woods: Dear Friends, Last week/weekend (July 19-23), I took the Acela train up to New York to visit my daughter. On Saturday evening, my friends all drove up to join us for a trip out onto Long Island. I’m embarrassed to say that after all these years I had never visited this other notable East Coast wine region, and we were all excited about visiting and tasting their wines. I envisioned tasting high-quality…

Continue Reading

WTNs: Vineyard 48 Current Red Releases (North Fork of Long Island)

Vineyard 48 (formerly Bidwell Vineyards) might be a winery on the rise. In general, I’ve found their white wines to be their best, particularly the sauvignon blanc and riesling, which are actually better than some local bottlings priced much higher. But, the reds have been somewhat more inconsistent. A nice cabernet franc here. A soft, but integrated meritage there. And some others with somewhat coarse tannins. 2005, a soon-to-be-class vintage, provided an opportunity for complete grape ripeness and winemaker Matthew Berenz, formerly of Pindar, took full advantage. He’s made the neophyte winery’s best reds yet. The Vineyard 48 2005 Vignetta…

Continue Reading

The World of Fine Wine Focuses on Long Island

In the latest issue of The World of Fine Wine, one of my favorite wine writers, David Schildknecht writes about the Long Island wine region in his story "Wind, Water and Long Island’s Wealth of Wines." It’s a great piece that sets the stage for Long Island’s future by discussing not only the history of the region, but the present, the people who are driving the industry and hints at what trends to watch for in the future. I don’t know how long the PDF will be available, so read "Wind, Water and Long Island’s Wealth of Wines" today.

Continue Reading