Posts Written OnFebruary 2008

Vineyard Visuals: Wolffer Estate Through the Seasons (February 22)

Finally! Resident photographer, Ellen Watson, and I have been complaining about Long Island’s lack of snow for some time now…because we wanted some snowy shots of our little spot in Wolffer Estate’s vineyard. This morning, she got the first snow shot: "Blowing, blustery, wet and cold. Big trucks racing by behind me, throwing slush onto my vulnerable Subaru parked on the side of the road……finally some snow and our beloved Wolffer Estate as it looked blanketed in it….9:15 a.m." — Ellen Watson

Continue Reading

Fresh-Pressed: John Levenberg Out as Winemaker at Bedell Cellars

I have emails in to my contacts at Bedell Cellars/Corey Creek Vineyards, but the latest rumor on the North Fork is that John Levenberg has been fired from his winemaking duties there. His name (thought not his picture) have been removed from the website, so I’m inclined to think that this one is true. This is a surprising development given his resume and the recent success he’s had at Bedell, but it takes more than good wine to keep your job, right? For the short term, it would seem that Bedell will move forward with assistant winemaker, Kelly Urbanik,  consultant Pascal…

Continue Reading

WTN: Osprey’s Dominion Vineyards 2006 Sauvignon Blanc (North Fork)

Today’s review is going to be a quick one. Are you sick of over-the-top grassy sauvignon blancs from New Zealand? If so, let me suggest that you try Osprey’s Dominion Vineyards’ 2006 Sauvignon Blanc, a steal at $13. I’ve enjoyed many local sauvignons over the past couple years, but many are at or around $20, making them a little beyond the "summer sipper" price. Right out of the fridge, this one was a little tight and a bit neutral, but once it warmed just a bit, nice lemon, melon and grapefruit aromas appeared with just the most subtle hints of…

Continue Reading

Diploma Dispatches: Northern Italy

By Sasha Smith, NYC Correspondent OK, I admit it. I’ve been feeling a little smug lately. Maybe it was the fact that I did pretty well on my study group’s blind tasting exercise. Or that I devoted a good part of my President’s Day to researching the slopes and soils of Burgundy. Or perhaps it’s just that many of the wines we’ve looked at to date, from Alsatian Rieslings to Southern Rhône reds, happen to be wines I drink frequently. Whatever the reason, up until yesterday I thought I would have no serious problem passing this test. But yesterday’s class…

Continue Reading

Wine Chick Wednesday: Sour Grapes

By Jamie Gabrini, Special Columnist I’m sick of wine. I don’t quite know how this happened, but it’s true. At some point during the past year, I lost interest in wine and – quite frankly – don’t give a fig anymore. Or at least at the moment. I certainly have not been in wine all that long. I think it’s been five years now since I decided that Chateauneuf-du-Pape was heaven in a glass and that I simply could not live another day unless I worked in wine. In hindsight, I don’t know what I was thinking. Maybe my ego…

Continue Reading

Reminder: LENNDEVOURS/canvas Magazine Wine Event, March 1

I know that several of you have already signed up, but I wanted to remind all of you that on Saturday, March 1 at 5 p.m., I’ll be co-hosting a wine event at at canvas’ Footprint Art Gallery in Huntington, NY. Three North Fork wineries will be pouring local wines with food from Whole Foods Market. The three participating wineries are Raphael, Lieb Family Cellars and Macari Vineyards. I’m still working with Whole Foods on the final pairings, but I’ll post them once they are finalized.  In addition to great wine and food, there will be live music and a…

Continue Reading

Pindar Vineyards Doesn’t Want Your Stroller in Their Tasting Room

Jackson, our one year old son, has been visiting winery tasting rooms with us since he was six weeks old. Since his first visit to Roanoke Vineyards as a wee little lad, we’ve visited several tasting rooms as a family, including Martha Clara Vineyards, Waters Crest Winery, Wolffer Estate, Lieb Family Cellars and Corey Creek Vineyards. He’s always well behaved. We’re always careful to make sure that he’s not disturbing other tasting room patrons. And, most importantly, one of us always spits/dumps our wine. Until yesterday, Long Island wine country was not only tolerant of young families, it was welcoming.…

Continue Reading

WTN: Shinn Estate Vineyards ‘Red’ (North Fork)

Long Island, admittedly, doesn’t offer many red wine values under $20. So when I tasted Shinn Estate Vineyards’ latest non-vintage labeled ‘Red’ table wine, which is $15, I had high hopes. Would this be a wine I could tell people about when they want an every day-priced red? Yes…and no. I really liked the Red from a couple years ago, but this one, which is actually made from grapes grown in 2006, isn’t quite as good despite its redeeming qualities. The previous bottling was 75% merlot and 25% cabernet sauvignon, so this is quite different, made with 99% merlot and…

Continue Reading

Sunday Baby Blogging: Jackson as Sous Chef

Jackson, taking after his parents, likes to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. We’ve had latches on the cabinets for months now. But, now that he’s walking (and doing it so well) we can’t leave the fridge open without our little sous chef poking his head in to see what’s good. You can’t quite see the "Jackson Shelf" in this picture, but he has his own area where all his organic yogurt and food resides. He also has his own gallon of milk now as well (organic whole milk). So far (knock on wood) he hasn’t had much…

Continue Reading

A Morning at Sannino Vineyard…Racking, Cleaning and Tasting

Last Saturday, I stood in a large, barely-heated garage-turned-winery just off of Alvah’s Lane in Cutchogue. The thermometer had crept just above freezing, so I could I barely feel my hands. That’s the bad news. The good news is that I got my first taste of the wine that my group and I are making at Sannino Bella Vita Vineyard, sipping a barrel sample of 2007 cabernet franc, made from fruit grown on vines just at the end of the driveway behind me. Sannino Bella Vita Vineyard, the East End’s only home winemaker’s center, is a welcome and exciting new…

Continue Reading