Pearmund Cellars 2015 Petit Manseng

Petit Manseng isn’t a grape that I know a whole lot about. I know it’s mostly grown in southern France and that it can get very ripe while retaining a lot of acidity — and thus is often made in a sweeter, even dessert, style to balance that acidity. I also know that it’s gaining some traction in the Virginia wine industry. Retaining acidity is always a plus in a region where summers can get very warm. But its thick skins and loose clusters also help in a region that deals with humidity, heavy rain and hurricanes. With high brix levels (and…

Virginia #Tastemaker: Jim Law | Linden Vineyards

“Tastemaker” is a term typically used to describe a person — either a sommelier or writer in the wine world — who decides what is good, cool or otherwise interesting. With our new #Tastemaker profiles, I’ve decided to usurp the term to mean someone who actually makes the wines, ciders, spirits, etc. that we love. A “tastemaker” should make something, after all. I’m always wary of labeling any single person or thing the “best” or “most” anything — but Jim Law, winegrower and owner of Linden Vineyards, is at least among the most influential figures in Virginia wine. Winemakers and grape…

Weekly New York Wine News — May 16, 2016

Whitecliff Vineyards’ new gamay planting in their new Olana Vineyard NEWS Thrillist – 4/29/2016 The Finger Lakes top this wine pros list of “Best US Wine Regions” to visit. TimeOut – 4/29/2016 Hudson Valley wineries are suggested as great out-of-town destinations for NY City dwellers. Your Niskayuna – 5/4/2016 Copoccia Winery has already outgrown its first home and seeks new space in the Capital District. Wine Enthusiast – 5/5/2016 Profiles of wine makers who dream big, on the east end of Long Island. New York Upstate – 5/12/2016 Two new wines on the market: a Billsboro sparkling Riesling appears and…

Corks of the Forks: Long Island Wineries Should Act, Not Talk

The internet is a place of quick judgments and irrational over-reaction. So it shouldn’t surprise anyone that when the Long Island Wine Council, led by executive director Steve Bate and marketing director Ali Tuthill, met with the Southold Town Board to discuss some recommended changes to how local wineries operate, people lost their minds. Lost. Their. Minds. Many supposed-longtime wine club members vowed in Facebook posts to never buy another drop of local wine. Others called the plans — which include things like eliminating live music on weekends, one-ounce tasting pours and requiring reservations for groups larger than six —…

Keuka Spring Vineyards 2014 Cabernet Franc

On my last visit to the Finger Lakes, I got to spend some time with the Keuka Spring Vineyards winemaking team. As I tasted with head winemaker August Deimel and assistant winemaker Rachel Hadley, I realized something pretty unique: though they are using oak barrels of various age and in varying percentages in their rose and Gewurztraminer programs, oak barrels have been completely eliminated from the red wine program for the 2015 vintage — and for the foreseeable future. Now, this is primarily a white wine house anyway, but it’s a bold shift to remove oak from the reds program…

New York Cork Club: May 2016 Selections

With summer just around the corner — despite the cool, grey weather blanketing most of the northeast right now — I wanted to pick some wines this month that are well suited to warmer weather occasions and foods. I think I’ve done that with these wines even if they don’t offer the same sense of discovery as some other picks have. These aren’t obscure producers or grapes or wines that you haven’t seen before. Instead, I’ve chosen two delicious wines from two of my favorite producers — one in the Finger Lakes and one on Long Island. My first pick is…

New York #Tastemaker: Ian Barry | Barry Family Cellars

“Tastemaker” is a term typically used to describe a person — either a sommelier or writer in the wine world — who decides what is good, cool or otherwise interesting. With our new #NYTastemaker profiles, I’ve decided to usurp the term to mean someone who actually makes the wines, ciders, spirits, etc. that we love. A “tastemaker” should make something, after all. I first met Ian Barry, winemaker and general manager of Barry Family Cellars several years ago when he was working at a far-larger winery on Cayuga Lake. He was making at least two dozen different wines every year…

Weekly New York Wine News — May 2, 2016

Bud break at Sparkling Pointe  NEWS Finger Lakes Times – 4/26/2016 Local wine production plays a part in growing career opportunities in agriculture. Chronicle-Express – 4/27/2016 Major rodeo in Alberta, Canada selects a Fox Run Vineyards unoaked chardonnay as it’s official white wine. Opelika-Auburn News – 4/28/2016 Word is spreading wide about New York wine, as evidenced by this discovery in a local Alabama publication. Urban Phoenix – 4/28/2o16 Visiting photographer assembles a compelling pictorial profile of Geneva, New York’s unique cultural and community assets. Burlington Free Press – 4/29/2016 Savvy beer connoisseurs in Vermont are looking across the lake…

Uncork the Forks: Local Wines Should Be on Local Menus

(Photo Credit: David Benthal for northforker) Local wine people — both inside and out of the industry proper — have long lamented how few local restaurants support and offer local wine. Short of visiting every restaurant and asking to see their wine lists, it is hard to know precisely who is listing local wine and how much of it. Visiting restaurant websites — many of which aren’t updated very often, rendering them largely useless — does offer some insight, though. The results are still ugly, though there are some exceptions — restaurants doing good things with local wine. Some restaurants,…

New York #Tastemaker: Anthony Nappa | Raphael & Anthony Nappa Wines

“Tastemaker” is a term typically used to describe a person — either a sommelier or writer in the wine world — who decides what is good, cool or otherwise interesting. With our new #NYTastemaker profiles, I’ve decided to usurp the term to mean someone who actually makes the wines, ciders, spirits, etc. that we love. A “tastemaker” should make something, after all. As a wine lover and a wine writer, I know that I can trust Anthony Nappa, winemaker at Raphael, owner of Anthony Nappa Wines and co-owner of The Winemaker Studio with his chef-wife Sarah. It’s not just that his wines almost always…