By Jason Feulner, Finger Lakes Correspondent Editor's Note: Jason and I both visited this wine company in recent days and we both left with the impression that, at $10, the cellar tasting at Heart & Hands is the most unique tasting experience in the Finger Lakes, just made for wine enthusiasts. Jason details it below. Higgins is the winemaker who organized last week's industry tasting of Finger Lakes Pinot, which was detailed here. -Evan I recently paid a visit to Heart & Hands Wine Company, a new winery on the northeastern shore of Cayuga Lake, to scoop a story for…
Posts Written OnJuly 09, 2009
Video: Why Limestone Helps Make Great Pinot
By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes EditorPhoto by Morgan Dawson Photography Those are literally chunks of limestone sticking out of the earth. That’s unique because when we hear winemakers talk about the composition of the soil we have to use our imagination. In the case of Heart & Hands Wine Company on Cayuga Lake, the vines have not yet been planted. It’s all about the site, which prominently features limestone, and we have the rare chance to see the composition up close before vines begin to grow (until his site can produce wine-worthy fruit, Higgins is sourcing his grapes from several…
“With water comes life. All kinds of life.”
By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor The photo and the quote come courtesy of Amy Cheatle, tasting room manager at Damiani Wine Cellars on Seneca Lake. Like so many other vineyards, Damiani is battling mildew and trying to tamp down the water-inspired swell of disease pressure. "We need the sun," she says. Across the lake at Hermann J. Wiemer, Fred Merwarth goes further: "We need it to be dry and hot, and we need those conditions soon. We're looking at a serious challenge for this year already, and it's time for the weather to cooperate." If the Finger Lakes has…