Posts Written OnApril 2005

I have to apologize for the lack of wine reviews this week. Between my various birthday celebrations, the beginning of softball season and other work-related stuff, I’ve just not had much time for drinking…or taking notes about said drinks. I’d love to be able to tell you that I’ll catch up on that this weekend…but that would only be a half truth. I’ll be drinking alright…but few notes will be taken. I’ll be drinking…probably in excess…but it will be fun. I’m heading to Atlantic City Saturday morning with seven other guys…playing a round of golf, checking into the Borgata and…

If you ever find yourself in Burlington, Vermont and in need of a great little restaurant for interesting, locally-grown food and an interesting (and impressively long) by-the-glass wine list, Smokejacks on Church Street is for you. We loved it so much, we we ate there last Saturday for lunch and again on Sunday for brunch.

It seems like there are new wine blogs popping up every single day. I’m afraid that my "Wine Blogs" list on this site is a bit behind and outdated. So, if you have a wine blog and would like to be added, shoot me an email and give me a nudge. Thanks to Tom from Fermentations, I came upon winewaves this morning…a great wine blog that focuses on tasting notes. Some nice camera work too. If only Jerry reviewed some NY wines…it’d be perfect. Check it out.

Despite some Long Island Railroad issues and slow subway service that resulted in us getting home just before 3 a.m., Nena and I had a great time at Windows On Long Island last night, at Capitale in Manhattan. The space there is gorgeous. The food was inventive and delicious. And, as expected, the wine was great as well. So where’s the pictures? That’s a fair question, but, as much as I love my digital camera…it has one serious design flaw. You actually need a memory card in it for it to work. And, well…I forget the stupid card. No pictures…which…

Everywhere might be a slight exaggeration, but I always smile when I see a Long Island wine on a wine list outside of New York. As you can see above, Nena and I stumbled upon the Wolffer Estate Rose at Smokejacks in downtown Burlington, VT…right next to an offering from Bonny Doon. Of course, we didn’t order it…we’ve had it before (and it was the 2002). Wolffer’s 2004 Rose should be out any day now.

Burlington, Vermont. That’s where Nena took me for my birthday…and we had an absolutely great time. Thank you, honey! The weather sucked…but we stayed in a beautiful, historic bed and breakfast, the Willard Street Inn, had two great lunches at Smokejacks (yes, we enjoyed it so much Saturday we went back Sunday), enjoyed a beyond-amazing dinner at Trattoria Delia, and discovered a great wine bar, WineWorks. I’ve got pictures of most everything (except the dinner)…including the car we rented (a new Mustang convertible that only had 650 miles on it). Doesn’t Nena look good behind the wheel? Of course with…

(This column appeared in the 4/22/05 issue of Dan’s Papers) When I think of Martha Clara Vineyards, named after Martha Clara Entenmann (of Entenmann bakery fame), three things always come to mind: their jam-packed events calendar, their large and inviting tasting room, and Bernie, the Jack Russell terrier that adorns their Rose wine label. I’ve always wanted a bit more from their wines, which while potable haven’t always been distinctive. But I’ve long been a fan of their Ciel dessert wine, made with Viognier and Chardonnay. It’s one of my favorite Long Island after-dinner drinks. And, while the Bernie-bottle Rose…

Chardonnay is the most-planted variety on Long Island. Just about every winery makes it at least one bottling, and many have several. Just because it’s the most planted, however, doesn’t mean it’s what the region does best. In fact, in general, I think there is a lot of bad Chardonnay made here (but that’s true of many other regions too, right?) If you’ve been reading LENNDEVOURS long, you’ve probably seen me use "Long Island-style Chardonnay" to describe some of the better ones. They aren’t quite as crisp or minerally as the best white Burgundies, but they aren’t flabby, buttered-oak California…

Continueing on with my review of Martha Clara Vineyards’ recent and upcoming releases, we move onto my favorite of the whites, the 2003 Estate Reserve Gewürztraminer. 100% estate grown, the vines produced less than two tons per acre. The ripest grapes were hand harvested and meticulously sorted to ensure that only the best ones were used. They were pressed gently and the juice was immediately chilled to 50˚F. After settling, it was fermented at 55˚F in steel tanks leaving  less than 1% residual sugar (12.7% alcohol by volume). Only 75 cases were made.  Eyes: Bright lemon yellow Nose: Nicely aromatic…

Next Tuesday (the 26th) I turn 30, and because Nena is so wonderful, she’s respected my wishes and hasn’t planned some huge bash. That’s just not my style on my birthday. Instead, she’s planned a trip somewhere for the weekend…just the two of us, which is something we don’t do often enough. But, she won’t tell me where we’re going. All she’s told me is that we can’t be out too late Friday night at happy hour with friends (also for my birthday) because we need to be up at 7 a.m. to drive to the airport. On my birthday…