Posts Written OnJuly 2008

When Nena, Jackson, Ben and I traveled to the Finger Lakes back in August, one of our favorite winery visits was at Ravines Wine Cellars on the eastern shore of Keuka Lake. We found the owners, Lisa and Morten Hallgren, charming, passionate and very friendly. And of course the wines were among the best we tasted as well. Clearly, Morten has learned how to get the best out of Finger Lakes grapes and is continuing to do better and better things. I even enjoyed a couple of his reds, and you all know how I feel about most Finger Lakes…

You might remember me mentioning Blind Bat Brewery back in March, when I profiled brewmaster Paul Dlugokencky in canvas Magazine. Well, as Paul continues his quest to become Long Island’s smallest brewery (he’s still awaiting label approval now) he’s making test batches to get back into the brewing zone. And, he’s started a blog on his website. A writer/editor-type by day, Paul will certainly be a welcome addition to the local blogging world. Check it out and see what he’s up to.

As I mentioned last week, Ellen will be visiting Channing Daughters weekly to follow three bunches of three varieties (merlot, chardonnay and pinot grigio) throughout their lifecycle. Instead of putting all three picture into a single post each week, I’m going to space them out a bit, starting with the merlot this week. From Ellen: "An overflow of Merlot grapes, cascading off the vines on a summer afternoon, at Channing Daughters Winery in Bridgehampton, NY."

John Zuccarino, who owns Silver Springs Winery in the Finger Lakes, is the subject of today's LENNDEVOURS Q&A. In addition to his duties in the vineyard and in the winery, John also does some online wine education videos and is one of the only New York winery owners to use Twitter. What (and where) was the first bottle of wine you remember drinking?  Growing up in a European-cultured family, you drank wine as far back as you can remember. One memory comes to mind when I was very young sitting at the table in the summer having red wine poured…

By Bryan Calandrelli, Niagara Correspondent When pinpointing the origins of the Niagara Wine Trail, there will always be a few wineries recognized as the granddaddies of the region. Certainly Niagara Landing, formerly Cambria Wine Cellars, will be mentioned as well as the pinot-pushing Warm Lake Estate as the local pioneers. Others have followed their lead, and over the last two years, another handful have popped up. The differences in winemaking style, farming background and overall business strategy is quickly evident when you visit. Their diversity is most noticeable when you take a look at who’s planting what in their vineyards.…

With this pesky day job, I don’t get to go to as many wine event as I’d like. They tend to be during the work week, either during or right after work hours, and in New York City. I have to pick and choose the ones that I take vacation days to attend. Well, on August 5 & 6, I’ll be taking a couple days to drive east to Stony Brook University’s Southampton campus for The Art of Balance: Cool Climate/Maritime Wines in a Global Context, a symposium that will feature advanced educational presentations and wine tastings led by prominent…

By Jason Feulner, Finger Lakes Correspondent Being a father is wonderful, but the interrupted nights and the chaos of getting baby from point A to point B made extraneous activities — like drinking and writing about wine — nearly impossible at first.  But, now that six weeks have passed and the Feulner family is in a bit of a groove, albeit a shallow and bumpy one, I’m ready to try and scratch my way toward some new posts on LENNDEVOURS. I’m attending a press event for the weekend’s Finger Lakes Wine Festival at Watkins Glen tomorrow evening, so hopefully I’ll…

From late spring through the end of the summer (and even into the fall) we drink a fair mouth of rose in our house. Good rose is extremely versatile. You can enjoy it on it’s own as an aperitif, of course, but it’s also great with salads, fish, light meats and I even like it with sweet-spicy barbecue. Styles vary of course. Some of my favorite local pinks are blends of both red and white grapes. Most tend to be heavy on chardonnay (which is the most-grown white grape in these parts) and it shows. They are light, super-refreshing and…

You might remember that last year, Ellen Watson, the East Hampton photographer who serves as the resident photographer for LENNDEVOURS, took a series of pictures at Wolffer Estate Vineyard. In the series, she chronicled a two specific rows of chardonnay as they changed throughout the seasons. The series is available online. This year, Ellen will be taking on a slightly different project for LENNDEVOURS at Channing Daughters Winery in Bridgehampton. Rather than following the evolution of two rows, she’ll be following the changes that three clusters of three different grape varieties make throughout the growing season. Specifically, she has identified…