Posts Written OnJanuary 2007

It’s a Boy!

This afternoon at 5:17 p.m. the Thompson (and LENNDEVOURS) family welcome Jackson William Thompson into the world. He’s 7 pounds, 10 ounces and is 20" inches long. Nena and Jack are resting comfortably at St. Catherine’s Hospital in Smithtown, NY. It’s looking now like they’ll both come home on Sunday morning, just in time for the Super Bowl. And you can bet that he’ll have some sort of Steelers gear on, even if they aren’t playing in this year’s big game. Nena looks like a natural and there is one proud papa typing this post. Obviously there will be some…

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A little preview…and some great news

My column in this weekend’s issue of Dan’s Papers is about Comtesse Therese’s current releases. Check it out this weekend in print or be patient and I’ll publish it here as well. That’s the preview portion of this post. The good news is that after years of writing almost exclusively about Long Island wines in Dan’s Papers, I’ve finally been given the go-ahead to write about most anything wine related. I look forward to using this opportunity to expand my wine expertise and to bring it to you as well. Don’t worry-New York will always be my focus, but I…

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Appellation America in the New York Times

In today’s New York Times, wine guru (and fellow blogger) Eric Asimov writes about a website near and dear to my own heart, Appellation America. The story is a nice one and I’m glad to see AppAm get the press and publicity. Eric discusses several good points in the piece, but two stand out to me: American’s don’t think of "place" right now Maybe American wine regions shouldn’t compare themselves to others Both are certainly true in my mind. Of course, I know plenty of people who buy wine by region (even U.S. region) but they are wine geeks, not…

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WTN: Comtesse Therese 2005 Blanc de Noir (North Fork)

People sometimes tell me that I’m crazy when I smell "non-grape" things in a wine. This wine is for them…if only because it is a perfect example of non-grape aroma. In fact, I could have titled this post "Wanna Experience Peach in a Wine?" or something of that ilk. Personally, I didn’t care for this wine much, but it’s an excellent example of the wonder of wine grapes. Theresa Dilworth, co-owner and head winemaker of Comtesse Therese, made 127 cases of her Comtesse Therese 2005 Blanc de Noir ($18). First, don’t be fooled by the name, it’s not a sparkler.…

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Mario Batali has a new website

In case you missed it, uber-star chef Mario Batali has launched a new website. Normally, I’d barely care and certainly wouldn’t mention it here, but this time I’m proud of the relaunch because a good friend of mine is the designer behind it. The cool thing was that I got to see this thing from the inception-from design proposals all the way through to launch. At one point, they wanted her to visit at least one of the restaurants to get a feel for the cuisine, but as a strict vegan and busy mother of two, that hasn’t happened quite…

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Leaving the Long Island Wine Gazette

It is with much disappointment-but no regret-that I stepped down as editor of the Long Island Wine Gazette today. The reasons for this decision are as varied and complex as a mature glass of North Fork merlot, but creative (and business) differences with the publisher, increasing demands on the home front with my soon-to-arrive first child and a desire to pursue other wine-related projects all played a part. Although I only edited one and a half issues, I learned a lot-both about my own writing and my editing skills. And I also learned that it takes a lot of work…

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Waiting…and waiting

Anyone who knows me well at all knows this…I’m not a patient person. Never have been, and Nena isn’t going to win any patience awards either (as if there are any.) She’s not even due until later this week, but already I’m beyond ready for our little bundle of joy to arrive. But, much like a fine bottle of wine that isn’t finished with its time in barrique, he or she just isn’t ready. So, we wait. And wait. But, Nena gave me reluctant permission to post a recent picture. Stay tuned folks…lots happening. And soon we hope.

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Howard Stern to Buy a Long Island Winery?

Should we be looking for H. Stern Cellars or Chateau Stern to open in Long Island wine country? I have no idea. This isn’t based on a single thread of news or even rumor. But, Howard Stern, the only person on the radio worth listening to, not only loves wine, but is a Long Island native who is building a mansion on the East End. Oh, and he also has plenty of money with that big Sirius contract. With wineries like Sherwood House Vineyards, Castello di Borghese and Galluccio Family Wineries for sale-all under $10 million-Howard can probably buy one…

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Wine Blogging Wednesday #30 Announced: New World Syrah/Shiraz

Can you believe that February 7 is the 30th installment of Wine Blogging Wednesday already? It seems like only yesterday that I stole borrowed the idea for Is My Blog Burning and turned it into a wine event. Anyway, here we are at #30 with Tim of Winecast serving as host. I’d like to thank him for filling in for the scheduled host, who is AWOL. I know what Tim’s original them was (not going to ruin the surprise for a later WBW vintage) but it wasn’t particularly seasonal. So, he turned to a wine that we both think will…

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What wine-related baby-arrival traditions are out there?

As you all know, Nena and I are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our first lil one. It could happen any day now. Seriously. Any. Day. Now. I was thinking this morning about some of the wine-related traditions that I’ve read about in the past when it comes to new parents. I’ve heard that some people put a little bubbly on the baby’s lips in the delivery room. That’s pretty cool, but I’m not sure our doctor would be particularly pleased with that. And of course there is the tradition of buying a case of wine from your baby’s birth…

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