Two years ago today (at 5:17 p.m to be precise) our lives changed forever, when Jackson joined our family. Happy birthday, little man! Cupcakes courtesy of the LENNDEVOURS kitchen's executive pastry chef.
Posts Written OnJanuary 2009
Lenz Winery 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon
Most winemakers talk about how their wines are "made in the vineyard" and about how they let the grapes make the decisions for them in the winery. Not all of them actually practice what they preach though. Some local winemakers seem to impose their will on their wines, regardless of vintage. Having a consistent "house style" is one thing, but sometimes you need to take a step back and not overwhelm the fruit. Eric Fry, winemaker at Lenz Winery, is one winemaker who follows the fruit's lead. In the best vintages, he goes for it, making some of Long Island's…
Clovis Point Winery 2005 Cabernet Franc
Every time I drink a cabernet franc like this, I wonder how I had never heard of this beautiful, wonderful grape until I moved to Long Island almost a decade ago. To think, I could have been drinking cab franc back in grad school, wen was drinking super-fruity chardonnay and shiraz from Australia. Oh wait, maybe that's the problem, I was drinking those mass-produced, one-dimensional wines. I probably wouldn't have appreciated cab franc for all of it's non-fruity characteristics. This Clovis Point Winery 2005 Cabernet Franc ($25) is probably a wine I wouldn't have enjoyed back in my Black Opal…
Steelers Super Bowl XLIII Preparations
It’s not often that I discuss my complete and utter devotion to the Pittsburgh Steelers here on LENNDEVOURS, but with the Super Bowl just a few days away, I thought it time to discuss my food- and wine-related plans for the big game. I am extremely superstitious when it comes to the Steelers. I wear the exact same clothes for every game and have forced my wife and son to do the same. I drink beer out of a Steelers glass during the games (and only during the games). For the playoffs, I take my lunacy to the next level.…
Brown’s Brewing Company IPA (Troy, NY)
I'm not a big cocktail or spirit guy (though I do enjoy a little Bourbon with some regularlity). No, when I'm not drinking wine, beer is what you'll find in my glass most often. I probably drink as much beers as I do wine actually, because: They come in single-serving packages I can enjoy it without feeling compelled to pull out my notebook My beer knowledge pales in comparison to what I know about wine, and that's okay with me. In some ways, I prefer it that way. But, the geek (and my beer-loving buddy Woody) seem to be changing…
Wine Grape Task Force Releases Report
By Jason Feulner, Finger Lakes Correspondent The Wine Grape Task Force formed last year under the Department of Agriculture and Markets released its report in December (warning: the online format is bit cumbersome to read). The task force lays out an interesting set of recommendations but there remain some lingering questions about implementation. The report is comprehensive and seems to address many of the general concerns of the wine and grape-growing industries in New York State. It is obvious that many of those in attendance were well-versed, industry experts. Unfortunately, addressing concerns and solving problems are entirely different activities. As I inferred in a post when the task force was formed,…
Wine Blogging Wednesday #54 Announced: A Passion for Piedmont
I haven't done a great job writing about it lately, but Wine Blogging Wednesday is still rolling along. In fact, we're coming up on the 54th edition. It never ceases to amaze me that the little virtual wine tasting event I created over four years ago is still going and is still so popular. February's edition will be hosted by one of my favorite bloggers, David McDuff of McDuff's Food & Wine Trail. The theme is one that I'm looking forward to as well: A Passion for Piedmont. I have to admit, I don't know a whole lot about the…
Onabay Vineyards 2006 “Wild Ferment” Chardonnay
I was thinking this morning about how wineries (and to a certain extent wine writers) talk about wine. You always hear about whether or not a wine was fermented in an oak barrel, and if so, what type of oak and how many times its been used. Quite often, you'll also hear about clonal selection and even rootstock. But for some reason, yeast strain is almost never talked about. The only time you even hear about yeast is if a winery is using naturally occurring yeasts to ferment a particular wine. And yet, the yeast strain a winemaker uses has…
Welcome Our Newest Sponsor: The New York Wine & Culinary Center
Please join me in welcoming the New York Wine & Culinary Center as LENNDEVOURS' newest sponsor. The tasting room at the NYWCC is one of the few (if not the only) place in the state where you can taste the best wines, beers and harvest juices all in one location. I haven't been to the Center yet, but I'm hoping to get there during my time in the Finger Lakes next month. I'm happy to have them sign on as a new site sponsor for 2009. Check out their current tasting menu.
New York Shows Off Its Ice Wine During the First New York Ice Wine Festival
By Melissa Dobson, Finger Lakes News Correspondent Mention ice wine and most everyone thinks of Canada and the Niagara Ice Wine Festival held each year in Niagara-On-The-Lake, now in its 14th year. Although Niagara On-the-Lake, Ontario may be the first region to come to mind, New York's producers are looking to show off their offerings and educate wine lovers on the distinctiveness of their ice wines during the first New York Ice Wine Festival being held at Casa Larga Vineyards in Fairport, NY just outside of Rochester. Kicking off on February 8, 2009 and running through the month of February,…