Posts Written OnApril 2009

Fundraiser Event: Friends of Sisson Family, May 8 @ Bedell Cellars

On Friday, May 8, Bedell Cellars and the Friends of the Sisson Family, will host a fundraiser from 6-9 p.m. From the event website: The Sisson Family Fund has been set up in our friend Ben Sisson's memory to help financially support his wife Alice Wise and their children Ethan and Emma during these difficult times. Our primary goal is to enable Alice, Ethan and Emma to remain in their family home as the children mature and to allow the family to maintain a continuing quality of life within their community of family and friends. Our enduring friendship and love…

Quick Q&A with Jim Silver, General Manager, Peconic Bay Winery

Peconic Bay Winery's Jim Silver with his favorite wine website in the background. Jim Silver’s wine career began a little over 20 years ago. Over the course of those two decades, he's held just about ever wine-related job (except winemaker and vineyard manager) that you can think of. He's been wine buyer for a large retailer in Delaware and sommelier at the Four Seasons Hotel in Philadelphia. He's also worked in the New York region representing Rémy Amerique, Grupo Codorniu and the Hess Collection. Here on Long Island Jim has served as the National Sales Director for Pindar Vineyards before…

Red Newt Cellars 2007 Sawmill Creek Vineyards Gewurztraminer

By Lenn Thompson, Editor and Publisher When I heard that Red Newt Wine Cellars was releasing two single-vineyard Gewurztraminers, I was intrigued. Did the two vineyards really warrant separate bottlings, or was it a marketing ploy along the lines of "reserve" labels? And when I heard they were price at $36 and $42, I'll admit that I even thought to myself "Have they lost their minds?" Now that I've tasted them, I can say definitively that yes, the two vineyards (in 2007 anyway) led to distinct wines worthy of single-vineyard labeling. Are the prices exorbitant? That's really up to you,…

Wine Blogging Wednesday #56 Fine Kosher Wines

By Lenn Thompson, Editor and Publisher Today is Wine Blogging Wednesday #56. I know I say it almost every month, but it is still fascinating to me that the virtual wine tasting I founded 56 months ago is still going strong. This month, we're hosted by John, who is better known as The Corkdork. The theme is Fine Kosher Wines, something that I knew little about (and still probably don't, given the small sampling that I did.) Before this edition of WBW, I actually had never knowingly tasted a Kosher wine. I guess it's possible that I had some Manischewitz…

Pindar Vineyards 2007 Peacock Chardonnay

By Lenn Thompson, Editor and Publisher Because I have to taste several Kosher wines for WBW #56 tomorrow, today's review is going to be a quick one for a simple, but solid Pindar Vineyards 2007 Peacock Chardonnay ($11). This chardonnay was ermented in stainless steel and with an unknown amount of oak aging (the website doesn't say), this wine is very fruity on the nose with pineapple and pear aromas backed by hints vanilla and even some citrus blossom. As I said, simple, but solidly made, the palate is medium-bodied with more pear-pineapple flavors, a bit more vanilla and just…

Wine Dinners: Showcases or Money-Makers?

By Lenn Thompson, Editor and Publisher A couple of weeks ago, Nena and I had the pleasure of attending a wine dinner at Mirabelle Tavern, featuring the wines of Lenz Winery. It's always a pleasure to see Lenz's winemaker, Eric Fry and he was hustling his way around the dining room, talking with attendees about each of the wines as they were poured. And, it's always great to sit down to a meal prepared by chef Guy Reuge, one of my favorite Long Island chefs. For me, the pairing of the night (and this was a night filled with well-considered…

Plastic Wrap vs. TCA: Does it Work?

Tom Mansell, the science-loving wine geek behind one of my new favorite blogs, Ithacork, posted a video the other day that I thought you might find interesting. I've heard before that by pouring a corked wine over plastic wrap, the TCA binds to the plastic and leaves the wine tasting cork taint-free. Watch his video above and see what he found.

Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars 2007 T23 Cabernet Franc

By Lenn Thompson, Editor and Publisher Cabernet franc is a wine that comes in many styles across New York state. One one end of the spectrum, you have winemakers who eschew oak completely. On the other end, you have the winemakers who treat cabernet franc like it's cabernet sauvignon blanc, extending maceration and bludgeoning it with new oak. I guess what I'm saying is that there isn't a clearly defined New York style cabernet franc yet. Nor is there a distinct style for Long Island, the Finger Lakes, etc. either. This unoaked rendition, Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars' 2007 T23 Cabernet…

Wine Importer Neal Rosenthal on Filtration

By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Correspondent After the recent discussion regarding the effects of filtration on wine, I contacted wine importer Neal Rosenthal for his thoughts. Over the past three decades Rosenthal has been a leading voice calling for unfiltered wines. In his book Reflections of a Wine Merchant, Rosenthal writes often about how he routinely asked winemakers to stop filtering wines. He also wrote a brief defense of Brettanomyces, but he did not connect Brett and filtration in his book. I appreciate his response, and I learned a bit about the evolution of filtration. I'd love to hear from…

Quick Q&A with Chris Stamp, Winemaker, Lakewood Vineyards

On my recent trip to Seneca Lake, one of the wineries that surprised me the most was Lakewood Vineyards. Winemaker Chris Stamp is making some classic, well-priced riesling, doing some interesting things with New York oak in his chardonnay and cabernet franc programs and even impressed with some of the hybrid blends. This week, we pose our Q&A questions to Chris: What (and where) was the first bottle of wine you remember drinking? First, you should know that although I grew up on a grape farm, my parents rarely had wine, or any alcoholic beverages around the house. Not because…