By Bryan Calandrelli, Niagara Correspondent As if grape growing in true cool climate areas wasn’t hard enough with extreme winter temperatures, early and late frost dangers and a constant battle with humidity, time after time severe storms add to the risk with hail outbreaks that can spoil an otherwise great vintage. The vineyard pictured above is owned by Schulze Vineyards & Winery in Burt, NY. These very same vines took a nasty hit from hail last year and left grower Martin Schulze with his share of damaged fruit. Martin, who came over from Germany as a child, has been…
Posts Written OnJune 30, 2009
Southern Tier unearthly Imperial India Pale Ale
By Kevin Burns, Beer Columnist Southern Tier's unearthly is an Imperial India Pale Ale that checks in at a huge 11% ABV. Southern Tier states that unearthly offers and "an uninhibited infusion of hops." unearthly poured a semi-hazy, golden-orange color with almost no head. The aroma has some really ripe fruit, with a huge blast of hops. The body is creamy and smooth, with a decent amount of malt and strong sweetness from fruity esters. The hops start to show through in the middle and become stronger leading to an extremely hoppy finish that thoroughly dries out the palate. Overall,…
What We Drank (June 30, 2009)
I think this might be the most interesting edition of What We Drank so far. We've got big names, big wines and then wines of elegance and restraint. And for the first time, not a single New York wine. From Bryan Calandrelli: Chateau Montelena 2004 Chardonnay In today’s market place there’s a growing number of so-called celebrity wines. In this case the wine itself has become a celebrity thanks to “Bottle Shock” the movie. A friend of mine opened this 2004 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay from the Napa Valley recently and I was lucky enough to get a taste of a…