From Kareem Massoud at Paumanok Vineyards: "I have been working at Paumanok full time for nine years, and have been involved since my parents planted the vineyard in 1983, and I can’t remember a season as good as this one. It’s incredible-knock on wood. I always have to add that because we haven’t picked a single grape yet, although we may start as early as tomorrow with Sauvignon Blanc. Since late August, we’ve had day after beautiful day of perfect ripening conditions. Plenty of sun and blue skies, warm days and cool nights. I wasn’t here for the full growing…
Posts Written OnSeptember 20, 2007
New Contributors Page
Just a little housekeeping item to let you know about. I’ve added a new page to this blog that provides a list of contributors (some more frequent than others) along with brief bios. I thought it a little silly to have a huge "About" page that was only about me. I’m not that much of an egomaniac (regardless of what you may have heard). Then again, I will include my new "wine writer" picture in this post. You can expect some more changes like this one soon. I’m going to add a wine samples policy, an overall ethics policy and…
The Morning When The ‘Never Look At Grapes In The Rain’ Rule Was Broken
By Poet Laureate Christopher Watkins Wet socks and all, we trudge the rows, black umbrellas breaking backwards like the battered wings of jackdaws in the winter. It’s early Fall, the grapes show signs of tartness still, but sugar’s on the rise. We chew the berries, macerate the skins between our purpling teeth, and test the seeds for tannins, before spitting out the soft purple masses on the thin, green strips of grass between the rows; on the ground, clusters dropped last week spackle the grass like tiny browning skeletons. …
Long Island Beer Event: Cask Night at Deks - Firkin Friday
By Beer Columnist Donavan Hall Put this on your calendar! Firkin Friday at Deks in Rocky Point will feature a firkin of cask conditioned Oatmeal Stout from Blue Point Brewing Company. The cask will be tapped at 9 p.m. on Friday, September 28, 2007. If you never had cask conditioned ale, now’s your chance. If you love cask conditioned ale already, come on out and join us. Cask conditioned ale is a young beer. The brewing process for the ale is the same, but just as the primary fermentation slows, the beer is transferred from the fermenter to a cask…