Merlot With a Mission — Lieb Family Cellars Produces Wine to Commemorate 9/11

Lieb Family Cellars has teamed up with September’s Mission – a nonprofit foundation that funds educational and cultural programs in remembrance of the victims of 9/11 – to help the many families affected by the tragedy. To commemorate the three-year anniversary of 9/11, the Mattituck winery has produced 6,300 bottles of a special 2002 Merlot, which is available at its tasting room for $9.11 and is also available for resale to wine shops and restaurants in New York State. By donating 91.1 cents from each bottle sold to September’s Mission, winery owners Mark and Kathy Lieb hope to raise close…

World Wide Wine Blogging Wednesday — Episode 1

Ladies and gentlemen…after a month or so of promoting World Wide Wine Blogging Wednesday (WWWBW), it’s finally here! I’m hopefully that we’ll have a great turnout for the theme of inexpensive New World Merlot that is not from the United States and costs $15 or less! As the vinter of this new blogging event, I felt a certain pressure to come up with a spectacular example. And, while my wine was above average, I wouldn’t characterize it as spectacular. My wine was Trumpeters Merlot 2003 from Bodega La Rural, Argentina. I picked this one up on one of my always-fun…

From the Vine: The Making of Mr. Merlot

  I’ve been lucky enough over the past several years to attend some noteworthy wine tasting events at various venues on our beautiful North Fork. They are always deliciously wonderful experiences and I’m always on the lookout for bigger and better events. So when I was invited to Bedell Cellars in Cutchogue for its “17 Years of Merlot” tasting, I knew this would be a benchmark experience for this still-young region. After navigating the Riverhead traffic to get to this 50-acre former potato farm, my fiancée Nena and I were a little hungry and beyond eager to begin tasting. A…

From the Vine: 17 Years of Bedell Cellars’ Merlot

A few weeks ago, when my wine editor at Dan’s Papers asked me if I wanted to to go Bedell Cellars to attend a special event celebrating 17 years of Merlot, I jumped at the chance. Kip Bedell, founder and winemaker, is known throughout L.I. wine country as “Mr. Merlot” and in tasting 17 vintages, he has certainly earned the title. Even the early vintages, made when he admits he knew “only a fraction of what he does now” about grape growing and winemaking, were delicious. I’ll not give away too much information here, I do have to write an…

The Club Scene — Long Island Wine Clubs

The Reserve Club. Club North Fork. The Wine Circle. No matter the name, the hottest thing in Long Island wine this summer isn’t even wine – it’s wine clubs. What exactly is a wine club and what’s in it for you? If you’re a Long Island wine lover, there’s a magnum full of reasons to join one at your favorite winery. Specific benefits and perks vary from winery to winery, but at the heart of every club is wine (typically two or three bottles) shipped directly to your home either monthly, quarterly or seasonally. Membership is free for most wine…

How Sweet It Is — Long Island Dessert Wines

You’ve probably heard of, and maybe even sampled, Port from Portugal or Italian Moscato D’Asti dessert wines. But did you know that Long Island winemakers are making quality dessert wines right here in our own backyard? As someone who is relatively new to these after dinner beverages, I decided I needed to dive headfirst into what our region has to offer. What did I find? Quality, tasty wines that are truly Long Island in character. Dessert wines can be expensive – from $25-60 for a 375ml half bottle – and sometimes it’s difficult or impossible to sample them in a…

LENNDEVOURS — Your Source for Long Island Wine Information

Welcome to LENNDEVOURS, your source for everything Long Island Wine Country has to offer. To read my L.I. wine columns, which appear in Dan’s Papers, check out the "Over the Barrel" archive. Interested in other, often Long Island-related wine articles? Visit my "From the Vine" section. And finally, if you’re just looking for Long Island wine reviews, you can read through my Tasting Notes. If you have any questions, need advice picking wines for a party or are heading out east and want to know where you should go, email me anytime!