Wine Blogging Wednesday #21 will be announced tomorrow morning. But, in the mean time, enjoy this picture of our own personal David Haselhoffbeagle.

By Contributing Columnist Richard Olsen-Harbich Voluptuous, muscular, fat, brooding, sultry…for hundreds of years, descriptors of the human condition have been used to define the flavors and experience of wine. With the advent of political correctness, some of these descriptors (like “feminine” and “masculine”) have lost favor, giving way to more literal references. What has not changed however is the way that wine can be compared to people. When I speak about wine I often use sociological analogies. That’s nothing new — vineyards and wine have been used to tell stories about people since biblical times. It’s often a good way…

Today on The Gilded Fork, Chef Mark Tafoya presents a delicious and delectable dinner menu for Mother’s Day and I’ve contributed wine pairings for each course. Yes, I focused on Long Island wines, but I gave enough direction to help even those unaware of the tasty local wines I love so much. Of course, if you’re reading this post…you’re well aware. Check it out and spoil mom this year.

In the midst of our more-work-than-I-ever-expected bathroom renovation project, my parents and lovely wife presented me with my birthday present (a bit early, but I’m not complaining) — a Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker. I can barely contain my excitement as I think about all of the delicious pork I’ll be cooking on it this summer…ribs…shoulder….belly for bacon. I look forward to experimenting with this bad boy…and you’d better believe that I’ll chronicle my experiments here on LENNDEVOURS.

As of last weekend, my favorite Long Island pinot noir producer, Castello di Borghese  in Cutchogue, went on the market for $9.2 million. The entire estate is included — 85 acres (25 planted with vines), winery, tasting room, warehouse and beautiful family farmhouse. Before current owners Marco and Ann Marie Borghese bought the property in 1999, the property was known as Hargrave Vineyard — Long Island’s first commercial vineyard, founded in 1973 by Alex and Louisa Hargrave. The Borgheses bought the vineyard and winery for $4 million. When I asked Ann Marie what made her and her husband, an Italian…

You always hear that Long Island and its wines are reminiscent of Bordeaux and its wines. But when winemakers and winery owners say that, most of the time, they do so to highlight their red wines — those made from merlot, cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon. What about white wines? Chardonnay, the white grape of Burgundy rules the Long Island white wine scene, not Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon, the white grapes of Bordeaux. But, while far from ubiquitous, a small number of local producers are doing what I consider great things with white Bordeaux varieties — particularly Sauvignon Blanc. Two…

…but this week, I’ll be tackling our bathroom. I apologize in advance if I don’t post much to LENNDEVOURS this week, but I’m sure you’ll understand. We’re ripping out the tile/toilet/sink in our bathroom and replacing it all, tiling the shower walls and putting up wainscoting in there too. Did I mention that I am much more comfortable with a corkscrew or chef’s knife than I am anything you can find at the hardware store? Luckily, Len Sr. (along with Mamma LENNDEVOURS) will be visiting this week to help. You see, my dad is quite handy…but those talents didn’t make…

From my very first of their richly Burgundian 2001 Chardonnay last summer, I’ve been a Sherwood House Vineyards enthusiast. Owners Charles and Barbara Smithen, along with winemaker Gilles Martin (of Martha Clara Vineyards), share a devotion to graceful, Old World-style wines that really comes through in the bottle. Next week, Sherwood House Vineyards’ cozy little tasting room will re-open for 2006 and to celebrate, they are releasing three new wines — two from the 2002 vintage and one from 2003. The differences between the 2001 and 2002 growing seasons (2001 was hotter) are apparent, but these 2002 wines are no…