Because of its focus on food, friends and family (not to mention its post-harvest timing) Thanksgiving is often cited as a favorite holiday by local winery owners and winemakers. Each and every year, readers of magazines and newspapers are inundated with wine pairing advice and suggestions for Thanksgiving dinner. This year, instead of offering advice, I decided to ask people in our own local wine industry what foods they were eating and what wines they’d be drinking this year on Thanksgiving. Here are the results.

‘m a little behind in my participation with Beau’s latest meme: The Gift of Wine. Why? First I was insanely busy with my day job. Then was on deadline for a couple freelance pieces. To make matters even worse, we were without Internet access two days last week before heading home to Pittsburgh for Turkey Day. But, I’m back and it’s time to catch up. Beau’s question is: If you were to give a wine out of your own cellar/collection/shelf/fridge as a gift this year, which wine would it be, who would receive it and why? This one is easy…I’d…

Despite my love of New York wines, I rarely find myself eagerly anticipating a new wine’s release — partially because I don’t always know the release schedules and partially because many wineries only release new wines once the previous vintage sells out. I’m not up on their invetory, so I just don’t know. Every fall, right around this time, I do find myself clamoring for the new "Early Wine" from Macari Vineyards. I really enjoyed last year’s vintage and it’s a favorite wine in the LENNDEVOURS household within the first few months of its release. The racy acidity seems to…

By Contributing Columnist Richard Olsen-Harbich Read it again. We’re talking about terroir — you know, that French term? Believe it or not there is actually a debate going on today that asks if terroir really exists. I used to find this astonishing since after all, isn’t wine all about where it’s grown? Isn’t that why we have thousands of different wines to choose from in the stores and restaurants? If terroir didn’t exist, what would any region have over any other? Wouldn’t it be better just to consolidate all the winemaking in one part of the world, cut expenses and…

In my never-ending quest to bring you, my readers, the best and most comprehensive information on the New York wine world, I’ve decided to invite some of the industry’s best and brightest to join me as regular contributors here at LENNDEVOURS. This Thanksgiving, I have a little something extra to be thankful for as Richard Olsen-Harbich, managing director and winemaker at Raphael has agreed to sign on as LENNDEVOURS’ first contributing columnist. Richard has been a part of the Long Island wine industry since 1981 and has been a leader in establishing regional identity and vinification techniques for the region.…

On Wednesday, December 14 at 7:00 p.m. Shinn Estate Vineyards will host a winemakers’ dinner at the James Beard Foundation. They will be pouring old and new releases, as well as barrel samples that aren’t available anywhere else. The dinner will feature the James Beard House debut of chef Ian Boden, who has been retooling the menu Home for the last six months and is excited about this unique opportunity to cook at the Beard House. His "All North Fork" feast menu looks absolutely amazing. Tickets are $100 for members and $125 for non-members. Call 212-627-2308 for reservations. Visit the…

The Seneca Lake Wine Trail has named Paul Thomas, a graduate of Cornell University and a long time Finger Lakes resident, as its new executive director. He has been working in the position on an interim basis since the summer when the previous director, Barbara Adams, passed away. Thomas brings a background in marketing and communications to the wine trail and in the past has served as director of communications for both the Goleta Valley Chamber of Commerce in California and the Corning Area Chamber of Commerce in New York. He was also the former Assistant Vice President of Product…

Ben is a world-reknowned alfalfa field explorer…I bet you didn’t know that.

Raphael, established in 1996 in lovely Peconic Bay on Long Island’s North Fork is best known for it’s red wine — particularly merlot. (In fact, they are a charter member of the Long Island Merlot Alliance.) Winemaker Richard Olsen-Harbich also crafts one of the better sauvignon blancs around, but he’s told me before that only having the one white (and it’s not chardonnay!) wine has turned some tasting room visitors off. There is no doubt in my mind that their latest white release, a 2004 Grand Cru White Table Wine ($15) was conceptualized to cater to those white wine wanters.…