Posts Written OnOctober 2005

Please join us in wishing our little guy, Ben "the Beagle" Roethlisbeagle, a happy birthday! He turns one today (at least we think he does based on the information the shelter gave us). As you can see, he certainly enjoyed the birthday present his aunt Kimberly gave him on Saturday. Tonight he will dine on expertly prepared lamb and rice dog food and non-vintage tap water. But, he will certainly enjoy a few extra treats on his birthday.

Mrs. LENNDEVOURS and I spent last weekend in beautiful Schoharie, NY with her family. It was the first time we’d been home since our wedding in early July. As always, a fun time was had by all — particularly at the now-annual Pumpkin Carving Party. (the one on the far left, with the off-center goatee, was our contribution). In the coming days I hope to bring a bit of Schoharie’s local flavor to LENNDEVOURS, including a review of Sweet Thyme Cafe and a piece about Schoharie Valley Farms — known locally as the Carrot Barn.

If you’re like most Americans, you’ll drink that bottle of wine you bought today within the next few days. In that scenario, how and where you store wine isn’t nearly as important as if you buy a case of Long Island’s  finest Merlot and want to age it over the next decade. If tasting how a wine changes as it spends time aging in the bottle is important to you, how and where you store it is paramount. And yes, there are many wines made locally that are worthy of such aging. First, we all know that wine should be…

As a wine (and food) blog that focuses almost entirely on New York wines, I don’t often find myself getting much pub, but I got an email today from the editors at Top TenSources letting me know that LENNDEVOURS has been chosen as one of the top Internet sources for information on regional wine. It’s pretty cool to be included…and I’m glad to see some of my blogging friends on the list mentioned on the list…and in part one (wine reviews) and part two (wine news & commentary) of the series.

I’ve long been a fan of Finger Lakes riesling (no shock there) gewurtztraminer, and to a lesser extent, chardonnay — but few reds from the region have ever done much for me. They tend to be "green" with simple flavors and less-than-ripe tannins.2005 could change all that. The 2005 growing season was almost universally outstanding throughout New York, and according to the National Weather Service in Buffalo, the Finger Lakes region had its fourth warmest summer in 100 years, making it great for ripening reds in this usually much cooler area. While rain leading up to and during harvest made…

Much has been written in various New York media outlets about the heavy rains Long Island has endured over the past few weeks. At one point, certain locations on the East End received 17 inches of rain in an eight-day period. That is definitely a lot of rain — especially after a summer where we endured near drought conditions (less than two inches over three months). Now, senators Chuck Schumer and Hillary Clinton are seeking federal funding assistance for Long Island’s "devastated" wine region. I use quotes around devastated because from what I’ve heard (and seen with my own eyes)…

Sorry for the lack of posts this week, everyone. It’s been an insanely busy week between the day job, non-blog writing and spending some time with our favorite Obsessed ones.  Oh…and we signed the contract to buy our first house this week as well…it’s been a crazy one to be sure. I had a great tasting trip with Derrick and Melissa on Wednesday and then, because our Stony Brook class was cancelled, we had dinner with the founding mother of Long Island wine, Louisa Hargrave at her house in Jamesport. Once I dig out from under this deluge of "real…

Since dogs are “man’s best friend” it only makes sense that they would have a place –- and an important one at that –- in many winery operations. By patrolling the vines, they keep the vineyard free of hungry birds and deer. Their friendship can cheer the staff with the wag of a tail. But perhaps most importantly, they serve as canine ambassadors in the tasting room, greeting and entertaining visitors. Besides, since a sense of smell is a big part of enjoying wine, who better to help sniff out the best?