Posts Written OnSeptember 2009

Bedell Cellars 2007 Cabernet Franc

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 —…

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…

Restaurant Wine Lists: The Quirky Village Tavern Shines

By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor When I dine out, I’m looking for three things on a wine list: Diversity. I get it. Ravenswood Zin is awesome, but it would be nice to see a little more. Price: I expect to pay a markup, but I don’t expect to need to pay in installments. Age: This is rare, but it’s always fun to see if an establishment carries any older bottles. The first time I had dinner at The Village Tavern in Hammondsport, NY I could hardly believe the wine list. The restaurant, located on the southern end of Keuka…

The New York Cork Report Names Tom Mansell as Science Editor

By Lenn Thompson, Founder and Editor-in-Chief This announcement has been in the works for some time now, and I'm happy to finally be able to make it official — Tom Mansell, founder of the Ithaca, NY-based wine blog Ithacork, has joined the New York Cork Report team as its new science editor. We often talk about the "art" of winemaking and the romance surrounding our favorite adult beverage, but behind those things is a whole lot of science. That's where Tom comes in with knowledge and a true scientific approach to wine. Don't worry though, he loves drinking it as…

Q&A: Ian Barry, Winemaker, Swedish Hill Winery

By Lenn Thompson, Founder and Editor-in-Chief Ian Barry, winemaker at Swedish Hill Winery (as well as sister wineries Penguin Bay and Goose Watch) was studying English literature at SUNY New Paltz in 1997, when he answered a job posting placed by Adair Vineyards in the Hudson Valley. What started as a summer job soon took him to Oregon to make pinot noir, Washington to make full-bodied reds, back to New York as assistant winemaker Heron Hill Winery, and finally to Swedish Hill in 2006, wherehe  joined as assistant winemaker. After successfully running the 2006 harvest, Ian was promoted to head…

Sourcing, Cooking and Eating Local: Fishbar in Montauk, NY

I came across this video this morning and really liked it. Thought I'd share… A story for true seafood lovers… You need more than two hands to count the number of seafood restaurants and shacks out in Eastern Long Island, but only one to tally the number of places who actually buy their seafood straight from the captains of local boats. Meet Chef Jennifer Meadows of Fishbar, a new local seafood restaurant in Montauk, who begged her way onto the boats of local commercial fishermen to guarantee her fish was as fresh and as local as possible. Supporting sustainable seafood…

Long Island’s 2009 Vintage: Quantity Down. Quality…to be Determined.

By Lenn Thompson, Founder and Editor-in-Chief The downfall of the 2009 Long Island wine vintage has been greatly exaggerated. Especially with regard to quality-focused producers. Yes, 2009 has been a difficult year for grape growers on Long Island. Very difficult. So difficult in fact that David Page, co-owner of Shinn Estate Vineyards told me that “there has never been a more frustrating spring since we started growing grapes.” A Smaller Crop That cool, rainy spring — particularly an overcast June lowlighted by 20-plus days of rain — wreaked havoc on flowering vines and invited a condition known as coulure. Caused…

What We Drank (8/31/09)

Evan Dawson: Jaquesson 1996 Champagne Thank you Alice Feiring. See, my wife grew up in a family that drinks Champagne at every holiday. Christmas. Thanksgiving. Easter. Arbor Day. Bastille Day. So, she enjoys sparkling wines more than I do, but she wanted to break into a different realm. That's where the wine world's most ardent naturalist came in. After reading Alice's book I tried to track down any of the small production, more natural Champagnes mentioned in her book. This was the only one I could find, and even then I had to have it shipped from NYC. It was…