Posts Written OnApril 25, 2007

WTN: Comtesse Therese 70% Cabernet Sauvignon 30% Cabernet Franc (North Fork)

Some of the wines that display Long Island’s true nature-terroir if you will-are actually red blends, not the varietal merlots that are often lauded as the region’s best. I know, shocking. I should be strung up for suggesting such a thing. Of course not all blends are created equal. There are more than enough wines that fall into the "meritage" catetory that seem more like a way to use up extra lots of lesser reds than anything else. Theresa Dilworth, co-owner of and head winemaker for Comtesse Therese isn’t making one of those. This blandly named but far-from-bland blend of…

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WTN: Castello di Borghese 2005 Chardonnay (North Fork)

Even the most casual Long Island wine lover knows Castello di Borghese, located in Cutchogue. Their vineyards are where the Long Island wine industry got its start back in 1973—then known as Hargrave Vineyard after founders Alex and Louisa Hargrave. As such, a visit to Castello di Borghese offers visitors a chance to travel back to infancy of Long Island wine. That’s this producer’s past. That’s the past and because winery’s current owners, Marco and Ann Marie Borghese put the property back on the market for $9.2 million (it was purchased for $4 million in 1999). The entire estate is…

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Rkatsiteli: A Future Finger Lakes Standout?

By Finger Lakes Correspondent Jason Feulner Riesling is the king of the Finger Lakes, and most would agree that the Finger Lakes region consistently produces some of the best riesling in the United States.  Similarly, riesling’s Alsatian cousin gewürztraminer fares well in this region although its hard-to-pronounce name is sometimes a tricky sell with the casual consumer. So, how about rkatsiteli?  Rkatiswhat?  Rkatsiteli (pronounced R-kats-i-teli) is in fact one of the most planted varietals in the world and is grown throughout Eastern Europe. In Western Europe and the United States, however, Rkatsiteli is very rare.  The grape is similar in…

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Heard Through the Grape Vine: LI Wineries Shutting Out Howard Goldberg?

My post the other day caused at least a mini-stir in the local wine industry. Several people intimately involved in it emailed me privately about it rather than commenting on the site. So, I can’t (and won’t) mention any names or quote anyone directly-but Howard is definitely a man with a reputation on the East End. Some came out and said that Howard just plays favorites. Some joked that certain wineries must "have something" on him. Another said that it appears that Howard has favorites because he’s ticked off so many out here that only a handful still send him…

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