Alie Shaper, proprietor of Brooklyn Oenology one of a couple wineries popping up in Brooklyn, sent me an email over the weekend letting me know that she's joined the wine blogosphere and is even posting some video to her blog. The one above is from the New York Wine Expo a few weeks ago. By the way, Alie makes her wines out here in Mattituck at Premium Wine Group with fruit she buys from the North Fork. One of the coolest things about BOE is their wine labels, which feature artwork from Brooklyn artists and are printed as stickers that…
Posts Tagged“wine”
Book Review: The House of Mondavi
By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Correspondent The other day I had a conversation with a friend and we tried to answer this question: If a winemaker can truly say that he or she focuses on quality, and carefully tends the grapes and makes the wine, how many cases (in terms of production) is realistic? Five thousand annually? Seven thousand? Ten thousand? Twenty? We went back and forth, as there isn't a concrete answer. But I can say without hesitation that 1.2 million cases of wine was not in the ballpark of "quality." All of which is to say, reading the…
Castello di Borghese 2007 Sauvignon Blanc Estate
It seems that just about everyone interested in Long Island wine knows Castello di Borghese, located on Route 48 in Cutchogue. You see, before the property was bought by Marco Borghese (an Italian prince) it was Hargrave Vineyard, where Alex and Louisa Hargrave founded the Long Island wine world back in 1973. If you're visiting Long Island wine country, you really should stop by Borghese to get a taste of that history. Focus on the pinot noir and cabernet franc when you're there. This Castello di Borghese 2007 Sauvignon Blanc Estate ($20) is a pale straw-yellow in the glass and…
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.
Freedom Run Winery 2005 Chardonnay
Freedom Run Winery is a winery in Lockport, NY that you have no-doubt heard of if you're a long-time reader of this blog. Our man on the ground in the Niagara Escarpment has written about them a few times and has even helped out at harvest, in the winery and in the tasting room there. I, on the other hand, know much less about them. But, as we expand our reach to encompass all of the wines being made in New York, it's important that we include a region that shows such great promise. Maybe we'll even be able to…
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…
Donnell Brown is the New Director of the Long Island Merlot Alliance
The Long Island Merlot Alliance(LIMA) has announced that Donnell Brown will be taking over as the group's Executive Director, taking over for Len Dest whose other commitments led him to step down. Brown has worked in marketing and public relations for more than 15 years, and has been a serious student of wine for a decade. She holds Intermediate and Advanced (pending) Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust and is an active member of the James Beard Foundation, the Slow Food East End Convivium, and a member of the Board-led Outreach Committee for the Peconic Land Trust, a…
Wolffer Estate 2006 Pinot Noir
Roman Roth, winemaker at Wolffer Estate is perhaps best known for the wines he crafts from merlot, including the $125 Wolffer Estate Premier Cru and the wines he makes under his own label, Grapes of Roth. I've also lauded Roman fort he great things he does with the chardonnay grape. But, as much as I enjoy those wines, I think some of the other wines he makes are under-appreciated, including this Wolffer Estate 2006 Pinot Noir ($35). As we all know, pinot noir can be difficult both in the vineyard and in the cellar. They don't call it the ‘heartbreak…
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.