Today's review is going to be a lot like its subject — easy going. Vidal blanc, a French hybrid grape, is a grape that doesn't get enough respect (a problem many hybrids face) but it does particularly well in the cool climate of the Finger Lakes where it's winter hardiness makes it a somewhat safer choice than vinifera varieties. And, with flavors that are a bit riesling like, it fits right in with the aromatic whites that make the region so exciting. And this is one of the best Vidals I've had, and certainly the best in recent memory. Pale…
Posts Written OnJanuary 2009
Quick Q&A with Fred Merwarth, Winemaker, Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard
One of the very first Finger Lakes wines that I remember tasting was a riesling from Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard (I can't remember the vintage). I was still fairly new to wine, but enjoyed German rieslings even then, and I remember being surprised at how lively and delicious the Wiemer was. Unfortunately, Wiemer wines aren't widely available to me down here on Long Island, so I don't drink them as often as I'd like, but they are definitely worth seeking out. For today's Q&A, we pose our questions to Fred Merwarth, long-time winemaker at Wiemer. What (and where) was the…
Winter Cold Snap Has Finger Lakes and Hudson Valley Vintners Nervous
This week's weather forecast for upstate New York has many in the Finger Lakes and Hudson Valley wine industries nervous. If the forecast is accurate, temperatures will be dipping down below zero (as low as -10 F) which could be devastating for vineyards. If the mercury does dip below zero, it will be the coldest weather the region has had in five years. And five years ago, several vineyards had to deal with winter kill, including John Zuccarino of Silver Springs Winery who told me in an email that "This could be a replay of when I lost 10,000…
Bedell Cellars 2006 Reserve Merlot
2006 was a relatively cool year on the North Fork, but the vineyard management and winemaking teams at Bedell Cellars were able to coax impressive amounts of ripeness out of the grapes that went into Bedell Cellars 2006 Reserve Merlot ($48). The nose offers intense red cherry and plum aromas with quite a bit of toasty oak and vanilla. After a few hours of air time, light hints of spring herbs emerge, but are still dominated by red fruit and oak. Medium bodied and mouth filling in the flavor department, the palate shows red raspberry and red cherry candy flavors,…
Putting It All On the Table: The Future of American Wine
By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Correspondent Alder Yarrow of the Vinography blog wrote a great post about wine in America last week and I wanted to build on what he very effectively wrote. First, while it might take years of effort, the most effective way to erode the stigma of pretension that wine endures is to get it on the dinner table in more families, more often. One big step would be to lower the legal drinking age to 18. How is this related? This country has strange obsessions with morality, even though most efforts tend to have the opposite of the desired…
Bouke 2007 Red
If you read about wine online much, you've no doubt heard of one of Long Island's newest wine producers, Bouke Wines. Pronounced like "bouquet," Bouke is the brainchild of Lisa Donneson and the wines are made by industry veteran Gilles Martin. Lisa has done a great job, better than most winery owners in New York, of engaging with the blogosphere to get her wines and brand out in front of bloggers and those who read blogs. Her wines are well priced (this red is the most expensive at $21) and I really appreciate her dedication to creating affordable, but still…
Congresswoman Louise M. Slaughter’s Letter to Governor Paterson
Late this morning, I received a press release about a letter that Congresswoman Louise M. Slaughter (D-NY-28) sent to New York Governor David Paterson about his proposed elimination of funding for the New York Wine & Grape Foundation (NYWGF). With all that has been said here this week on the issue of the NYWGF, budgets, etc. I thought you'd enjoy reading it. As you can see, this letter says many of the same things that recent media coverage does, except I guess we expect the kind of hyperbole that I've bolded from politicians. We should expect more from journalists I…
Billsboro Winery 2006 Cabernet Franc
I've been a little hard on Finger Lakes reds over the years. Okay, at times I've been more than a "little hard" on them, but of late a few have grabbed my attention — mostly from the hot 2005 vintage. When I pulled this Billsboro Winery 2006 Cabernet Franc ($18) from my cellar for tasting, I didn't have high hopes. 2006 wasn't a great year for reds in the Finger Lakes and several that I've tasted just weren't very good. But this wine impressed with nuance, elegance and spiciness. Co-owner and winemaker Vinny Aliperti, who serves as winemaker at Atwater…
Scarola Vineyards 2005 Masseria Merlot
Members of the New York Cork Club will recognize this wine — it was part of our October shipment — but for some reason I never got around to publishing a review. That's a shame because this is a very interesting wine that combines value with all the characteristics that make Long Island merlot so unique and delicious. As I taste more and more 2005 reds, I'm finding them inconsistent. Some really show off the ripeness attained during the hot, dry growing season (before the deluge that is). Some don't. Many were bludgeoned with a lot of oak. Some weren't.…
New on LENNDEVOURS for 2009
Now that we're almost a week into the new year, I thought it a good time to do a little housekeeping, make a couple announcements and talk a bit about some plans I have for 2009. First, I've added a new page to the blog about the New York Cork Club. Membership is growing and I want to make the club a bit more prominent here on LENNDEVOURS. It's my pet project and it's something I'm pretty excited about each and every month. You may have already noticed, even though we're only a week in, that wine reviews are appearing…