Posts Written OnMarch 2005

Tomorrow morning (yes April Fools Day) I’m going under the knife. The reason? Tonsils the size of golf balls. In other words, this diagram isn’t "to scale" when it comes to me. They’ve always been huge…but tomorrow they come out. And, from what they tell me, I’m going to be laid up for at least ten days. So, the way I see it, I have two options. I could offer you guys riveting information about my applesauce, cottage cheese, Jello and ice cream diet. Or, I can hand over the reins of this juggernaut to the love of my life,…

Well all know how "hot" Pinot Noir is right now, mostly because of the movie Sideways. It seems like every time I visit my favorite wine shops, there are more Pinots on the shelves from a variety of regions. My favorites usually come from Oregon and, of course, Burgundy. This particular Pinot, I specifically sought out based on a recommendation from Jim Waters, winemaker and owner of Waters Crest Winery. He admitted one time, as we sipped his stellar Riesling, that he doesn’t typically like Pinot Noir…but that this one is a definite exception. So, I drove to Stew Leonard’s…

I can count on one hand the number of varietal Grenache wines I’ve tasted. And frankly, I don’t remember much about them at all…which probably tells you all you need to know. Last week, when I was doing some pre-Easter wine shopping, I saw The Fifteen 2000 Grenach with a nice little note on the shelf touting it’s score from Parker (a 90). I figured for $14 bucks, I’d give it a shot. I wasn’t able to dig up a ton of information on this wine, but it’s made in the Mediterranean city of Rousiilon in the south of France…

(This column appeared in the 3/25 issue of Dan’s Papers)Winemaker Christopher Tracy and his wife (and the winery’s GM) Allison Dubin Visit Friuli (And Hungary) Without Leaving the IslandBordeaux. It’s the region most often used to describe our unique climate. It should come as no surprise then that many Long Island winemakers focus mainly on Merlot, one of the most important grapes in Bordeaux.             Channing Daughters Winery in Bridgehampton is delightfully different. Do they make Merlot? Sure. In fact, they make a few different ones, depending on the growing season, each with its own distinctive character.…

I got an email last night from a reader that I thought would be to share. After all, as LENNDEVOURS evolves…I’m hoping to add more educational content. In his email, he asked: "Lenn, I just had a bottle of Castello De Broghese’s 2004 Novello. Delicious and paired well with a leg of lamb I had. Anyhow, in the last glass, I noticed there were crystals of I what am hoping sugar on the bottom. Is this common with this wine? It has to be sugar crystals, because when I washed them with water, they retained their color, I got scared…

I have a question, a simple one at that: If you’re a restaurant and the tomatoes at your disposal are pink, lifeless, hard and taste like cardboard…why do you put them in your salads? WHY!?!?!?! I demand an answer! Are there people who actually enjoy these things? Are wedges of tomato such a mandated ingredient that must appear in any salad, regardless of season and geographic location? I know. Not every restaurant can afford or gain access to locally grown tomatoes year round. I’m not a complete food snob and I really do understand that. But, if you can’t get…

I can’t help it. I have a sweet tooth…even if I’m not big into eating dessert (at least not compared to the future Mrs. LENNDEVOURS)..I love dessert…dessert wine that is. Macari Vineyards‘ Block E, a dessert wine made in an ice wine style, is one of my two or three favorite Long Island dessert wines. I picked up a bottle of their newly-released 2003 Block E a few weeks ago, and I have to say, it’s been torture not popping it open and polishing it off myself (mabye letting Nena have some). But, I was able to control myself…until our…