If you’ve read Gastronomie at all, you’ve no doubt seen references to "C" (also known as Fatemeh’s husband). I’m not going to "out" his full name, but now that I’ve met them, the mystery has been solved. We had an awesome time stopping at three of my favorite wineries yesterday — Roanoke Vineyards, Lieb Family Cellars and Waters Crest Winery. We were a little pressed for time, so I wanted to take them to places where I knew we’d get to talk to passionate winemakers and owners who really just love what they are doing. Early on in the tasting,…

First it was Kori and Beau, then Melissa and Derrick…and this Sunday, I’ll be playing tour guide for yet another one of my favorite bloggers, Fatemeh (and C). Originally they were coming to get to our place in the early afternoon, but it seems now that to maximize wine tasting time (and accomodate a reservation they have a Babbo for C’s birthday that evening) they’ll be heading out in the morning, which is excellent…it will give us more time for more stops. Sorry Fatemeh…if we don’t have any Zinfandel here, but hopefully we’ll find a few things you enjoy.

LENNDEVOURS Chardonnay Week 2006 continues with a bottle of Comtesse Therese 2004 Russian Oak Chardonnay ($18). Comtesse Therese wines are made by Long Island’s only female winemaker, Theresa Dilworth, whose "day job" is in Pfizer’s legal department. Theresa is one of only a few local producers using Russian oak for her chardonnay (or at least one of the few that promotes it so much) and she also makes a merlot that is made in 100% Hungarian oak, which is also highlighted on the front label. All of Theresa’s wines are made at Premium Wine Group, the only custom-crush facility on…

Looking for the ultimate wine country experience right here on Long Island’s bucolic East End? Look no further than Wine Camp, sponsored by the Long Island Wine Country B&B Group. For four days and three nights, you’ll live the Long Island wine life. You’ll work the fields, learn tasting technique, blend wines along side some of the best local winemakers and explore food and wine pairing. It’s not cheap at $749 per person, double occupancy but the package includes three nights at one of four B&Bs, breakfast each morning, lunch in the vineyards, dinner at The Fifth Season, and a…

Over the past couple of years, Corey Creek Vineyards has moved from being it’s own entity to serving as the white wine label for Bedell Cellars, which the noteable exceptions of a rose and cabernet franc under the Corey Creek label. Both are owned by New Line Cinema co-CEO Michael Lynne and all of the wines are made at Bedell Cellars’ state-of-the-art winery facility. Corey Creek still has it’s own tasting room, which is much more rustic than that Bedell’s, but if you pay for a tasting at one, you get a free tasting at the other. This charrdonnay, one…

Yesterday we talked about Jamesport Vineyards’ 2004 Cox Lane Chardonnay, so to continue LENNDEVOURS Chardonnay Week 2006, we’ll turn our sights on it’s simpler, crisper little brother — East End Series Chardonnay. This is a crisp, decidedly refreshing and appetite-whetting white wine. Its nose presents ripe peach with wisps of vanilla, but also hints at richer, more tropical fruits like mango and pineapple. Comparable flavors follow through onto the palate and are framed by a palate-cleansing zing of acidity and accented by a minerally finish. This isn’t an overly complex wine, but it serves its purpose. Not only does the…

To kick off "LENNDEVOURS Chardonnay Week 2006" we’ve got Jamesport Vineyards 2004 Cox Lane Chardonnay ($19). 2004 was only an average growing year on the North Fork of Long Island, but Ron Goerler, Jamesport Vineyards’ owner and vineyard manager, spoke highly last spring of his chardonnay (and cabernet sauvignon) grapes. He’s well-regarded as a grape grower and his reputation is actually part of what attracted winemaker Les Howard to Jamesport Vineyards. When I first met Les last year, he stated a desire to make well-balanced wines first and foremost because "Spikes of oak or acidity numb your taste buds, shortening…

The Tasting Room, a two-location co-op tasting room that was the exclusive location for Comtesse Thérèse, Schneider Vineyards and Broadfields Wine Cellars wines will close its doors for the final time this Thursday, March 2. As I reported back in November, Leucadia National (owner’s of Pine Ridge Winery in Napa) purchased the two tasting rooms along with two local vineyards. I’m a little surprised that they are closing them down already, but one winery that used to pour there, Sherwood House Vineyards, has opened its own tasting room, and I suspect that others were heading that direction. As soon as…

Despite ABC (Anything But Chardonnay) groups and the woody/buttery/sweet renditions many CA producers punish our palates with, chardonnay remains the king of white wine in terms of sales and acreage here on Long Island. I think name recognition at least partially drives this. The average wine drinker just doesn’t know what gewurtztraminer tastes like and probably thinks of riesling as super-sweet and "not classy." The charddonnay shift is on, however, so even chardonnay haters can find bottles with nice acid, crisp fruit and none (or little) if the 2×4 flavors of old. All I know is that I have a…

Those of us near the North Fork of Long Island are lucky to have access to some great farmer’s markets and farm stands. But, not everyone is so lucky. It’s possible that that is all going to change…obviously for the better. Adam Mahler’s of Untangled Vine reports on a move among some Representatives in Washington D.C. to help the farmer’s market movement. He has set up an interview with the Representative that introduced the bill, so keep an eye out on his blog for more information. When I first read about the proposal, part of me was worried about the…