By Lenn Thompson, Founder and Editor-in-Chief It's pretty easy to tell that Kelly Urbanik, winemaker at Bedell Cellars, took over primary winemaking duties with the 2007 vintage. Why is it so easy? The wines have a lot less overt oak character. At least the finished wines that I've tasted so far. I'm not anti-oak, but I think that some of the Bedell wines before Kelly took over were too aggressively oaked, especially the chardonnays and cabernet franc. On the nose, this Bedell Cellars 2007 Cabernet Franc ($25) is intensely ripe with dark, dense fruit — black raspberry and black cherry —…
Posts Written OnSeptember 03, 2009
Windham Vineyards 2005/2006 Three Red Kings
By Lenn Thompson, Founder and Editor-in-Chief When most New Yorkers hear "Windham" they think about the popular ski slopes there. But James Bateman, owner, vineyard manager and winemaker at Windham Vineyards, is growing grapes and making wine there instead. Of course, with those ski slopes, its no surprise that Bateman, an Englishman, presides over the highest elevation vineyards in the east — at 2000 and 2200 feet above sea level. I've tasted and reviewed two wines made with estate-grown grapes, his St. Pepin and Frontenac Gris. Both showed potential and were interesting explorations for me because I'd never tasted those hybrids before.…
Yeast: The Unsung Hero in Winemaking
By Bryan Calandrelli, Niagara Escarpment Editor Yeast has to be one of the most underrated, underappreciated and misunderstood elements of wine making. It has so much influence on the final outcome of any wine, that when people ask me how a grape can ultimately show such a wide spectrum of flavors, I respond, “It’s the magic of yeast fermentation.” Well I’m going to try to shed some light on why some yeasts are chosen over others and what factors are considered when inoculating grape juice. Now I haven’t been formally educated in any way regarding winemaking or viticulture, so I…