(This column appeared in the 7/29 issue of Dan’s Papers) As you may have read in this space last week, I got married a few weeks ago. We had a perfect ceremony on a covered bridge in bucolic upstate New York, which was followed by a fun and lively reception filled with the best of friends and — of course — Long Island wines. In fact, instead of table numbers, we used Long Island winery names and wine from each was placed on the tables. Needless to say, our guests loved the idea…
Posts Written OnJuly 2005
Take the LENNDEVOURS User and NY Wine Interest Survey
Online surveys are nothing new. Look most anywhere on the Internet and you’re bound to find a survey of one sort or another. And recently, blogs like Fermentations and Vinography have started using them to understand their readers better and gather non-personal information about them…all in the interest of providing you, the blog reader, with better content. Well, LENNDEVOURS is entering the fray with its first survey, the LENNDEVOURS Reader and NY Wine Interest Survey. It is my hope that by simply asking you, my readers, what you like, dislike and would like to see more of in these pages,…
A Visit to the Long Island Meadery
Honey wine, better known in some circles as mead, is one of the oldest alcoholic beverages in the world — dating back thousands of years and pre-dating both beer and wine (grape wine that is). But despite it’s long history, mead remains a relative unknown among "serious" wine drinkers, often thought of as a beverage consumed solely by people at medieval reenactments and festivals. While it’s true that mead is the drink of choice at such events, it’s an increasingly popular choice for people living in 2005 as well. Search the Internet, and you can find literally hundreds (maybe thousands)…
Le Clos Therese: A Tale of Two Merlots
Merlot is often touted as Long Island’s “signature” grape — the varietal and the wine that is going to put the region on the world wine stage. I’m not one hundred percent sold on that notion — some of the Cabernet Franc here is just too good — but the consistency and ripe-ability of Merlot makes it somewhat of a safer choice. At Le Clos Therese in Aquebogue, owner and winemaker Theresa Dilworth, makes two interesting and decidedly different merlots with good results. These wines, along with her cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay and rose are produced at Premium Wine Group, the…
Must-Stop Destination in LI Wine Country — Village Cheese Shop (Mattituck, NY)
Sunday afternoon, Nena and I were feeling a bit restless…summer-time cabin fever really. It was a beautiful day and after spending the morning unpacking our wedding gifts and finding room for the various wine glasses, serving dishes, etc…we wanted to get out and enjoy the day. So, we hopped in the car and headed out east to the wineries (shocking, right?)…with no particular plan in mind. For as long as we’ve been visiting Long Island wine country, we’ve heard about the cheese shop in the region — the Village Cheese Shop on Love Lane in Mattituck. And, until Sunday, we’d…
Winemaker Steve Edmunds Joining Vinography.com
Alder Yarrow, the founder of Vinography.com, the wine blog that all other wine blogs are measured against has announced that Steve Edmunds, proprietor of Edmunds St. John winery in Berkeley, CA will be joining the blog as a regular contributor. Edmunds is an accomlished author and writer in addition to his winemaking talents and I know I look forward to reading his contributions. Alder is very tough on wine writers and for him to say about Edmunds: "The first time I read Steve’s writing on wine, I knew I had met a kindred spirit. He writes with a passion and…
Excuse the Mess…
Over the next few days/weeks, I’ll be not only changing the "look" of LENNDEVOURS, but also changing how it is organized as well. That will include the addition of some new categories, consolidation of others and revamping of what appears in the right and left columns. Hopefully I’ll be able to do it such that the site remains useful and fun for my readers. And, I’d also like to thank a day-job friend of mine for designing my new logo. He’s a recent graduate of a local visual communications program and a damn good coder to boot. Now if I…
Learn About Food and Wine Blogging at Stony Brook University
On Thursday, October 20th Derrick of An Obsession With Food and I will be leading a discussion about food and wine blogging at the Stony Brook University Center for Wine, Food, and Culture. The agenda isn’t set yet, but we’ll be talking about how we got into blogging, why and how it has helped us snare some "real" writing gigs. Derrick met The Center’s director Louisa Thomas Hargrave at a wine writer’s symposium in the spring and I’ve talked to her on several occasions locally…so this session brings the three of us together. It promises to be a fun evening,…
Back to Reality…as a Married Man
Well, after a beautiful and fun wedding and reception, followed by ten beautiful days in southern Jamaica (well, nine…Hurricane Emily cost us one day), Mr. and Mrs. LENNDEVOURS have returned to the friendly confines of our beach bungalow on Long Island. It’s good to be back…but we already miss the sunsets from our balcony (here’s one picture, but more will be posted as I dig out at work). I’m going to write a full review of Sandals Whitehouse in the next few days, but here’s some quick comments: The resort and surrounding area is beautiful The wine was horrid…from the…
Taste the North Fork in Westhampton Beach
Thanks to one Long Island wine veteran and one of the region’s rising stars (not to mention a personal favorite), visitors to the South Fork can get a taste of the North Fork without taking the ferry or driving around Peconic Bay. Ray Blum, founder of Peconic Bay Vineyards in 1979 (now Peconic Bay Winery under new ownership) and owner of Ackerly Pond Vineyards, and Jim Waters of Waters Crest Winery have teamed up to open the Hamptons Wine Boutique, located at 118 Main Street in Westhampton Beach. And, to help promote the local wine industry, and differentiate themselves as…