By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief The first time I tasted this wine was at TasteCamp EAST 2009 and it was poured into my empty glass by our Niagara Escarpment editor, Bryan at some point during the wine-soaked weekend. I came away impressed with the effort and enjoyed a bottle that he gave me a few days later with some friends. Again, I liked it, enough to make this the first Niagara Escarpment wine to be a the New York Cork Club selection. Bryan reminded me a few weeks ago that I still hadn't given it a formal review, so I pulled…
Posts Tagged“riesling”
2009 Harvest Update: Handling High Acids at McGregor Vineyard
By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor Photo courtesy McGregor Vineyard Before harvest has even ended, McGregor Vineyard owner John McGregor has a sense for what the 2009 vintage will offer. "There are some people who really love these kinds of years," he says. "They love racy wines. They love acid. Well, we're going to have that." The challenge will be making sure the wines don't show so much acid that they're off balance. "I would guess that we're dealing with the same issues other people are dealing with in the Finger Lakes right now," McGregor explains. "You can only do…
2009 Harvest Update: Peconic Bay Winery 2009 Riesling
Vineyard workers picking riesling at Peconic Bay Winery yesterday By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief Photos Courtesy of Peconic Bay Winery In an effort to bring as many harvest pictures and as much harvest information to the site as we can, we'd like to invite any and all New York wineries to send us pictures and data from their 2009 harvest. Jim Silver, General Manager at Peconic Bay Winery sent me a few pictures from their 2009 riesling harvest, which took place yesterday under sunny skies in Peconic. They picked around 8 tons, which means about one ton per acre, half of…
Dr. Konstantin Frank 2007 Cabernet Franc
By Lenn Thompson, Long Island Editor and Editor-in-Chief To most wine lovers outside of New York (and even many in New York) Dr. Konstantin Frank Viniifera Wine Cellars is synonymous with Finger Lakes wine. Dr. Frank's is one of the region's largest, best and most widely distributed producers. Of course, the winery is best known for its riesling bottlings, followed closely by Gewurztraminer and, partly because it's unique and partly because it's unique — Rkatsiteli. Today's review isn't of any of those well-regarded wines. Instead, we'll focus on a ripe, polished Dr. Konstantin Frank 2007 Cabernet Franc ($20) that still…
Local With Local with Deb Whiting, Red New Bistro: Pear-Fennel Flatbread with Lamoreaux Landing 2008 Red Oak Riesling
By Chef Deb Whiting, Red Newt Bistro My assignment this time around for "Local with Local" was a pairing with Lamoreaux Landing 2008 Red Oak Riesling. This is a beautiful Finger Lakes dry riesling that has overtones of pear and lemon pith. Nice structure, mineral and lean, but Lenn will tell you more about that in an upcoming review. On with the food pairing. As I was tasting this I thought it would be lovely with an appetizer utilizing local pears — a great way to start off a great meal! So how about a flatbread with roasted fennel, sauteed…
The Wine of His Life: Anthony Road Set to Release Riesling TBA
By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor Photos by Morgan Dawson Photography If you're the type of wine drinker who tunes out when people start talking about "dessert wine," I'm going to ask you to abandon your prejudice. This is the story of a wine that is way beyond a simple after-dinner drink. With apologies to the many nicely made ice and dessert wines in New York state, the TBA is so much more than that. And in this case, it's a wine that a German-born winemaker Johannes Reinhardt dreamt about for years, wondering if he'd even get the chance to…
SURU 2008 Riesling
By Lenn Thompson, Founder and Editor-in-Chief It makes perfect sense that Russell Hearn, winemaker at Pellegrini Vineyards and co-founder (with his wife Susan) of the new SURU label would buy riesling grapes from the Finger Lakes to make his first SURU riesling. It is where the best rieslings in America are grown and made, after all. And, if the wines I've already tasted from the 2008 vintage are any indication, it could be a banner year for Finger Lakes riesling. SURU 2008 Riesling ($15) stays true to its Finger Lakes beginnings. It is a delicate, focused wine with light floral…
Ravines Wine Cellars: Consistently Exceeding Expectations
By Lenn Thompson, Founder and Editor-in-Chief No matter how opened minded you are, you have expectations when you walk into a tasting room. Whether about the wines, the staff, the crowd, or the overall experience, you have expectations. You just do. In any wine region, it's the wineries that consistently exceed those expectations that separate themselves from the rest of the pack.Those are the standouts that get, and deserve, the attention. Ravines Wine Cellars, on the eastern side of Keuka Lake in the Finger Lakes wine region, is one such winery. Three years ago, I had only just heard about…
Video: Anthony Road Wine Co: Noble Rot, High Brix Levels Present in 2008 Dessert Wines
By Melissa Dobson, Finger Lakes News Correspondent Last Saturday, Rich and I attended the 7th Annual Martini-Reinhardt Selection Grazing Gala at Anthony Road Wine Company. From our first trip to visit the winery last fall, the crisp, clean lineup of wines and the welcoming personalities behind them pushed them to our list of favorites here in the Finger Lakes. That’s no small feat considering that we have encountered a good amount of nice wines and friendly people along the way. What continues to impress me is the laser-sharp focus and vision of winemaker Johannes Reinhardt. Johannes is soft-spoken with an…
Video: Riesling Month Winds Down. Interview With Dave Breeden, Winemaker, Sheldrake Point Vineyard
My Flip cam makes its video debut, but there are still some kinks; I have yet to figure out how to lay in b-roll. Bummer. We shot some extra video during the tasting and intended to lay some in. Next time. With the growing focus on aged Finger Lakes rieslings, and with so many wineries hosting riesling verticals this year, I thought it would be instructive to hear from Sheldrake Point Vineyard's winemaker about several topics, including: His thoughts on this tasting, and how the oldest riesling showed His thoughts on trying to find the perfect time to open a…