Posts Tagged“new york times”

WTN: Shinn Estate Vineyards 2004 Estate Merlot

Shinn Estate Vineyards, still a relative newcomer to the Long Island wine scene, gets a ton of press for its "green" vineyard practices and its owners’ pedigree as Manhattan restaurateurs. I’ve written about them several times here on LENNDEVOURS and elsewhere. And yes, it’s true that David Page and Barbara Shinn employ several progressive sustainable and near-organic farming techniques in their North Fork vineyard. Their Greenwich Village restaurant, Home, is also a successful exhibition of local, seasonal food and wine. But it’s important not to forget about the fermented grape juice they bottle and stop with a cork. Their wines…

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Take THAT California?

"Yes, California does produce some good merlot, though I could make a case that better merlot is coming from Long Island than from California, albeit in very small amounts." So says New York Times wine writer and wine blogger Eric Asimov in this week’s column "Panned on Screen, Merlot Shrugs and Moves On" Of course, the rest of the column goes on to sing the praises of Washington State as America’s best source for merlot. I’m not as familiar with Washington merlots as I am Long Island ones (obviously) so I’m not going to comment on that. But, that doesn’t…

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Shinn Estate 2003 Merlot Best With Thanksgiving Dinner According to NYT

Like I said the other day, every wine writer has to do a "what wine works best with Thanksgiving dinner" story or column and Eric Asimov of the New York Times is no different. What I love seeing, however, is the wine Eric and his tasting panel chose as the best pairing wine of their tasting — Shinn Estate Vineyards 2003 Merlot (See my review). Both that merlot and their "Red" (a merlot-heavy blend) are terrific food wines. Of course, co-owner David Page is a well-known chef (he and Barbara Shinn also own Home restaurant in Manhattan), so that the…

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Ice Wine vs. Late Harvest

Howard Goldberg’s New York Times column focuses on a LENNDEVOURS favorite, Waters Crest Winery this week. It’s a nice little write up and he highlights the wines I’d probably highlight from Jim’s current releases. But one thing he wrote has me questioning my own definitions of ice wine and late harvest wine. My understanding is that ice wine, true ice wine that is, is made from grapes that are left on the vine to freeze naturally. That is why most local dessert wines, which are made with commercially frozen grapes, tend to use "late harvest" instead. Of course, in the…

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The Wine Ratings Game

By Contributing Columnist Richard Olsen-Harbich When it comes to things like music, cars, sports, food or even clothes, Americans are adamant about their likes and dislikes. Why is it when it comes to the subject of wine, so many Americans act like a deer in the headlights? How often have you heard someone say, as you them pour a glass of wine –  “I’m not a wine connoisseur…I really don’t know much about it.” Of course we know it’s partly due to the fact that most of us didn’t grow up with wine like kids in European countries. The “foreign…

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