Posts Tagged“wine”

WTN: Comtesse Therese 70% Cabernet Sauvignon 30% Cabernet Franc (North Fork)

Some of the wines that display Long Island’s true nature–terroir if you will–are actually red blends, not the varietal merlots that are often lauded as the region’s best. I know, shocking. I should be strung up for suggesting such a thing. Of course not all blends are created equal. There are more than enough wines that fall into the "meritage" catetory that seem more like a way to use up extra lots of lesser reds than anything else. Theresa Dilworth, co-owner of and head winemaker for Comtesse Therese isn’t making one of those. This blandly named but far-from-bland blend of…

WTNs: Vetter Vineyards’ Current Releases (Lake Erie)

I obviously taste–and write about–a lot of different New York wines. The vast majority come from Long Island, but there are a lot of wines from the Hudson River Valley and Finger Lakes regions that pass my lips too. But, western New York state has proven a tough nut to crack. For one, I can’t get any of their wines locally. And two, few of them seem very press savvy. I’ve emailed all of them on numerous occasions asking for press kids and for a list of places where they sell their wine in the NYC metro area. Usually my…

April: Lieb Family Cellars’ 3rd Annual Oysterfest

Throughout the month of April, Lieb Family Cellars will be toasting the arrival of spring with its third annual OysterFest. Every Sunday in April, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., tasting room visitors will be able to sample a variety of wines and oyster dishes prepared by local chefs. The winery will offer a special vertical tasting of three vintages of their signature wine pinot blanc (including their Blanc de Blanc sparkling wine, a LENNDEVOURS favorite). They will also be releasing their 2004 Cabernet Franc. April 15: Canal Cafe Presents Po’ Boy Oysters Chef’s Parker and Paul Hodges create their…

American Airlines to Serve New York Wines

If you’re flying from New York to the west coast–say to San Francisco, Los Angeles or Seattle–you’ll now be able to enjoy some New York wine during the flight. Assuming you fly American Airlines that is. I haven’t been able to dig up specific vintages yet, but they’ll be serving a merlot from Bedell Cellars here on Long Island and also a riesling from Salmon Run, which is Dr. Konstantin Frank’s second label. This is a very cool development and I’m glad to see that they chose well-regarded producers. There are a lot of wineries in NY with better PR/marketing,…

Love at First Twist

By Contributing Columnist Robin Mererdith I’d like to welcome Robin Meredith as LENNDEVOURS’ newest contributor. He is the former owner of Broadfields Wine Cellars and The Tasting Room on the North Fork of Long Island. He is now preparing to begin his Master of Wine education. If you’ve ever had a glass of wine that smelled of moldy cardboard, wet dog, or dingy basement, you’ve experienced a "corked wine." Saldy, corked wines are ruined and there’s no resuscitating them. Most of the time, corked wine is caused by 2,4,6-trichloroanisole (TCA), a hard-to-pronounce compound that taints the aromas and flavors of…

Making Wine at the Equator: Zabibu

I got an email late last week from the founding mother of Long Island wine, Louisa Hargrave. That’s not particularly noteworthy as we correspond regularly and obviously share a common affection for our local wine region. But, this email was an interesting one. Turns out that she had just returned from a trip to Kenya where she had been helping Richard Leakey and his daughter Louise de Merode make wine in Kenya of all places. Apparently they are focusing on pinot noir but have also made some chardonnay with Louisa’s help. And, Louise has a great blog, Zabibu (which means…

WTN: Osprey’s Dominion 2005 Vin Gris (North Fork of Long Island)

Today we’ll continue with a quick tasting note on Osprey’s Dominion Vineyards 2005 Vin Gris. I’ve written here numerous times about local rose wines and how diverse they can be. I guess the same can probably be said for many wine regions, but it always amazes me anyway. You’ve got your sweet, flabby versions that taste more like Koolaid than anything made with wine grapes. You’ve got fresh, clean, crisp wines that are just awesome on a hot summer day or with a picnic lunch. And of course there’s everything in between too. This rose, made with cabernet sauvignon grapes,…

For Affordability, Count on the Comtesse

I find myself defending Long Island wines way more than I should have to. First, I have to defend them against those who just don’t see what the big deal is. To them, I say that there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that there are locals making outstanding wines. Not every wine or winery—but some. And the number seems to grow with every successful vintage. And then there is price. That’s the other complaint—and honestly, it’s a bit harder to stand up for Long Island wineries in this regard. There are a lot (and I mean a lot)…

Howard Stern to Buy a Long Island Winery?

Should we be looking for H. Stern Cellars or Chateau Stern to open in Long Island wine country? I have no idea. This isn’t based on a single thread of news or even rumor. But, Howard Stern, the only person on the radio worth listening to, not only loves wine, but is a Long Island native who is building a mansion on the East End. Oh, and he also has plenty of money with that big Sirius contract. With wineries like Sherwood House Vineyards, Castello di Borghese and Galluccio Family Wineries for sale–all under $10 million–Howard can probably buy one…

WTN: Channing Daughters 2005 Brick Kiln Chardonnay (The Hamptons, Long Island)

While I enjoy some of their reds, its the white wines at Channing Daughters Winery that really stand out in my mind. Their winemaker, Christopher Tracy, can almost always be counted on for balance in his whites. In other words, if he uses a lot of oak, there’s always ample fruit and acidity. The wines also tend to be layered and nuanced, which is good because they aren’t the most affordable wines on Long Island. Tracy makes a few, distinct, chardonnays and Channing Daughters 2005 Brick Kiln Chardonnay was released a few months ago. The 100% chardonnay fruit that went…