This week I did a story that included some of Long Island’s "high-end" wines (in terms of price)…and it required quite a bit of tasting in a short period of time. But…there were some great wines in the lot (and some that were quite overpriced). I’ll post the story once it’s published (tomorrow morning), but here’s a few of the pictures I took for it. Left: Macari Vineyards Alexandra ($75) Center: Alexandra, Martha Clara Vineyards 6025 ($35), Lieb Family Cellars Meritage ($50) Right: 6025, which is named for the street address of the vineyard

One of the things that can be tough about living in one place (Long Island) when your parents live somewhere else (Pittsburgh) and your fiancee’s parents live in yet another place (Near Albany) is making sure that you see everyone for the holidays, not to mention the transportation of gifts to and from various locales! Despite the extra effort…there are some pay offs. I’ve already posted about my wine fridge, an early gift from my parents that was easier to have shipped directly to me (instead of wedging it into the backseat of our car on the way back to…

(This column appeared in the 12/24 issue of Dan’s Papers) Picture this: it’s the 1970s and IBM sends you to Kuwait, a country where you couldn’t buy alcohol, to live and work for seven years. What do you do for fun? If you’re Charles Massoud, co-founder of Paumanok Vineyards, you learn to make your own wine – and then later decide to make winemaking a second career, along with the help of your wife Ursula, who comes from a German winemaking family.

Recently I discovered a cool website PoppingCorks.com that compiles wine reviews from all over the place into one site. You’ll find reviews from major newspapers, small newspapers and even some of your favorite wine blogs. Of course by promoting it I’m being a tad self serving. This afternoon they started including my wine reviews as well. The inclusion of bloggers if very forward thinking and PoppingCorks.com should be applauded. I think people are sick of having major wine publications as their only source for wine information. I know I learn much more reading wine blogs…because I can easily relate to…

I drink a lot of New York wine, particularly from Long Island. It’s right in my own back yard and over the past few months I’ve developed some nice relationships with some of the GMs and winemakers in the region. I think it’s always fun to drink a wine when you know the people behind the scenes. But, there are some varietals that just don’t do well (or as well) here…and to expand my wine knowledge (a continuous process I expect to last the rest of my life), I’ve decided it’ time to look west to California more often (and…

In my morning wine-related Web surfing, I stumbled upon an amusing wine calendar from Bob Johnson, a Bay-area designer. Check it out…I’m thinking of ordering one for my cube here at the ole day job.

A couple months ago, I edited/reviewed my friend Tracy’s doctoral thesis for her. After almost putting me asleep with her piles of information and research projects on Achille’s tendon injuries…she figured she owed me. I wouldn’t accept cold cash…so she decided to send me some wine instead. This bottle of 2001 Willowcroft Vineyards Cabernet Franc was the first I opened–my first wine made in Virginia.

(This column originally appeared in the December 10th issue of Dan’s Papers) Macari Vineyards, located on Sound Avenue in Mattituck, has always been one of my favorite destinations for East End wine tasting. Its modern, elegant tasting room and spectacular vineyard views are almost as welcoming at the people who pour the wines. With tasty wines that are organized into ever-changing flights, I’ve never had a bad experience at Macari – from the people or the wines. Despite becoming increasingly well known for its high-end reds, including Bergen Road 2001 ($40) and Alexandra 2000 ($75), as well as its Rose…

After a one-week hiatus, you can read me again in Dan’s Papers this week. My column, Over The Barrel…With Lenn Thompson, this week focuses on Macari Vineyards and some of their recent and future releases.