Posts Tagged“tocai friulano”

Corks of the Forks: A Look at the “Other” Local Grapes

A couple months ago, I devoted my column space to what has become the de facto “signature variety” for Long Island wine country: merlot. There are approximately 700 acres of merlot planted on Long Island — roughly 30 percent of the total vineyard acreage — and there are reasons for that. It grows and ripens dependably and consistently, even in all but the most horrid of vintages. That’s important here and why it’s the backbone of the industry.  But the East End isn’t like many parts of Europe where regulations dictate what grapes can be grown where. Long Island growers…

Channing Daughters Winery 2011 “Sylvanus Vineyard” Tocai Friulano

You don’t see a lot of tocai friulano on the east coast — or even in the U.S. — but it seems well suited to Channing Daughters Winery’s home vineyard in Bridgehampton, NY. They make a second version from fruit grown on the North Fork, but I preferred the Sylvanus Vineyard bottling in a tasting last week. As with many of New York’s top white wines, texture and mouthfeel are what set Channing Daughters Winery 2011 “Sylvanus Vineyard” Tocai Friulano ($24) apart. Whole cluster pressed and fermented in both stainless steel (68%) and old oak (32%), the nose is pretty and…