Posts Written OnSeptember 2007

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…

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Introducing Sasha Smith, LENNDEVOURS’ New York City Correspondent

As many of you know, I have a full-time job half-way out on Long Island, which makes attending wine events in NYC nearly impossible during the week. It’s been a source of frustration on my part for some time now, but there isn’t much I can do without quitting my job, failing to pay my mortgage, forcing my family to live on the street, etc. Then LENNDEVOURS’ newest correspondent came along. Her name is Sasha Smith and she’ll be covering NYC goings on and events when I can’t. Sasha has written about food and wine for numerous publications, including Time…

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The New York Cork Report Team

  The New York Cork Report Editors at work during the NYCR 2009 ‘Wines of the Year’ tasting. Lenn Thompson, Founder and Editor-in-ChiefLenn Thompson, a proud Pittsburgh, PA native, moved to Long Island a decade ago and promptly fell in love with the region’s dynamic and emerging wine industry. An Internet marketing guru by profession, he founded NewYorkCorkReport.com in early 2004 to share his passion for the wines of New York and give the region the coverage it deserves. In six short years, the site has become the premier source for independent New York wine commentary, reviews and news. Formerly…

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WTN: Sonoma-Cutrer Chardonnays (Sonoma)

I’ve taken more a few swipes at California wines over the years. I’ve called them over-oaked. I’ve deemed them "wines without elegance”. And I’ve panned their high levels of alcohol. One of the most-frequent targets for my detestation is California chardonnay—which is often guilty of all three infractions.  I’m the first to admit it—I can be judgmental. Sometimes fairly. Sometimes unfairly. And, I think that a lot of wine writers are guilty of making broad generalizations more often than they should. I’m certainly guilty of it. I don’t loathe every wine made on the West Coast—far from it. After Long…

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LENNDEVOURS Q&A: Roman Roth, Winemaker, Wolffer Estate

Today’s Q & A is with one of my favorite people in Long Island wine, Roman Roth. He’s the winemaker at Wolffer Estate in the Hamptons as well as at Roanoke Vineyards on the North Fork. He has also served (and still serves) as a consultant for several other producers, including Shinn Estate and Scarola Vineyards. But, the reason I enjoy him so much is that, despite being a bit of a superstar winemaker locally, he’s extremely down to earth, genuine and quite funny. What (and where) was the first bottle of wine you remember drinking? At my parents home…

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My Homer Simpson Moment (aka Cider Doughnuts from “The Carrot Barn” in Schoharie, NY)

Behold, a cider doughnut from Schoharie Valley Farms, known to locals simply as The Carrot Barn. I had never had a fresh cider doughnut until I met Nena and she first took me to this farm/market/cafe for the first time. But boy oh boy, I love these things. Tender. Gently spiced. Cakey and moist. Sprinkled with sugar. I could eat them by the dozen. Luckily, Nena is aware of my affection and only buys me one or two most of the time…otherwise I’d end up with Homer Simpson’s build. Nena was upstate this weekend with Jackson and brought a few…

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WBW #37 Roundup Posted | WBW #38 Announced

In case you missed it, the good doctor has posted the roundup for Wine Blogging Wendesday #37 Go Native. And, I’m happy and proud to report that a record 52 entries were submitted. Thanks, Tyler, for hosting and for drumming up so many participants. Perhaps our new event portal has helped as well. And, the WBW train keeps moving forward as well, with one of my favorite blogs, Catavino hosting. For anyone who knows Ryan and Gabriella, it should come as no shock that they have chosen Portuguese wines for the them, but with a few caveats. I’m not going…

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New York Cork Club: September Selections

I have to tell you, I really love my job. Well, I like my day job too, but picking the wines for the New York Cork Club is a lot of fun. Wineries from all over New York are very excited about it and have been asking me to taste all sorts of wines-some good, some bad, some awful, some awesome. For September’s shipment, we’ve put together a duo that is perfect for this time of year. As we head into fall, we’ll still have the occasional hot, summer-like day. For those days, I’ve included Atwater Estate Vineyards Estate White…

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Seasonal Sundays and This Week on LENNDEVOURS

This time of year, seasonal takes on a whole new meaning in the LENNDEVOURS household. Instead of talking about the produce that is just coming in on the East End, it means football season-more specifically Steelers season. As you can see by Jackson’s expression, the Pittsburgh Steelers are serious business around here. So, it will be rare that many Sundays result in posting here. You see, my options for actually watching the Steelers every Sunday are: Drive to the local sports bar and get stuck watching a tiny TV in the corner, surrounded by a bunch of Jets and Giants…

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