Posts Written OnJune 2005

Back in April, Bedell Cellars released the first wine in its Artist Series. To get the Eric Fischl-designed label on that 2001 Reserve Merlot, you had to dish out $200 bucks for a magnum (750ml bottles are $30, but don’t have the special label.) Probably out of most of our price ranges…even if I think it’s the best wine I’ve tasted from the winery. This weekend, they will release the second wine in the Artist Series, a blend of 50% Viognier, 35% Chardonnay and 15% Gewürztraminer, dubbed simply Taste. The label was designed by reknowned artist Barbara Kruger, a reknowned…

Feeling a little under the weather? Dr. Vino has the cure for what ails you… The Real Wine World, a new project by the good doctor will track one year of making and selling wine in three different parts of the world — via a blog/website. I know that I look forward to keeping tabs on the three members of this reality show. What’s next? Survivor Napa? Who Wants to Marry a Vineyard Manager? The Apprentice Winemaker? The Real Wine World…check it out…and keep going back.

Last week, I tasted, from left to right: Ternhaven Cellars 2000 Claret D’Alvah (Bordeaux Blend): B Ternhaven Cellars 2000 Merlot: B- Ternhaven Cellars 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon: C+ Bedell Cellars Artist 2004 Series White "TASTE" (Pre-Release Sample): B+ Lenz Winery 2003 Gewurtztraminer: A Lenz Winery 2003 White Label Chardonnay: B Lenz Winery 2001 Silver Label Chardonnay: B+ Lenz Winery 2001 Gold Label Chardonnay: B-

Ten days from this evening, on July 8th, Nena and I will be standing together on a covered bridge in Schoharie, NY, surrounded by the people that mean the most to us as we are joined in marriage. It is certainly cliche, but when I met Nena almost four years ago, I knew instantly that my search was over. I knew that I had found my best friend for life and the woman I would grow old with. What started back then as a first date at a sushi restaurant has grown into the relationship we’ve both looked for all…

In yesterday’s New York Times, Howard Goldberg wrote a piece listing some of the tasting rooms (and wines) that visitors should check out when touring our wine trails. Looking at his list, it’s hard to argue with it. He certainly includes all the "heavy hitters" in the region, including Bedell Cellars, Wolffer Estate, Paumanok Vineyards and Lenz Winery (who I’m writing about as I type this.) He also lists the places I consider "touristy" spots…Pindar, Martha Clara Vineyards and Palmer Vineyards. Touristy, in my definition, just means that the overall wine quality isn’t the best, but the tasting rooms and…

Two wine blogs that I read regularly, BasicJuice and The Silk Roaf of Wine have mentioned a new online wine retailer — Winemonger.com — that focuses on Austrian wines. That’s Austrian…not Australian. This is great news for anyone who has ever wanted to taste some Gruner Veltliner but had a hard time finding it in local wine shops — which was me until recently. And, the have a decent selection of Austrian reds as well…including some blaufrankisch. Check it out…

                    As the resident wine aficionado (or geek) at Dan’s Papers, I’m “forced” to taste several wines each and every week. In just under a year with the paper, I’ve already filled up one whole notebook with notes and comments and have started another. It’s hard work, but someone has to do it, right?                    Through hundreds (thousands?) of sips, I’ve learned that when I taste a winery’s new releases, I can almost always find at least one I enjoy. Just about every winery on Long Island has…

In 1994, Harold Watts, a former economics professor at Columbia University in New York, bought five acres of land on Alvah’s Lane, just off Route 48 in Cutchogue, NY. Not long after, he planted his vines — merlot, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc. And, in 1997 Ternhaven Cellars was born when he opened his tasting room and production facility in Greenport, NY…in a rennovated gas station. I guess you could say he’s a New York garagiste. Last night, I tasted three of his current releases, all from the 2000 vintage (he ages his wines more than many local winemakers do…

I just got an email from my for-print editor…and she needs five (yes, five) stories for Monday. Turns out that we have a wine guide insert for the 4th of July weekend (she never told me before now)…and as the wine writer, I’ve got to fill the pages. So, between now and Sunday, I’ll be drinking blind tasting at least a dozen different wines, making a few phone calls, sending off a couple dozen emails and typing away like a mad man. Oh, and cooking for eight of our closes friends Saturday night. Oh…and going to an event at one…