Ravines Wine Cellars pinot noir being pressed By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor Photos courtesy of Ravines Wine Cellars Morten Hallgren thinks he might be close to solving one of the viticultural mysteries of the Finger Lakes. Hallgren, the owner and winemaker of Ravines Wine Cellars on Keuka Lake, purchases grapes from a handful of prized sites. One of them, Harvest Ridge Vineyards on the east side of Seneca Lake, has seen ripening happen at a very fast pace over the past several vintages. This year is no different; grower Chris Verrill's riesling was showing 20.5 brix when many other…
Posts Written OnOctober 20, 2009
New York Cork Club (New York Wine Club): October 2009 Selections
By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief What is the New York Cork Club? It's a New York wine club that I run with Greene Grape Wine in Brooklyn that puts the best, most interesting and often hardest-to-get New York wines in the hands of New York wine lovers. You can learn more here, but the basics are simple. I taste a lot of New York wines every week. The ones that stand out often find their way into the monthly shipments of two wines. Monthly costs vary depending on the wines I pick, but it's never more than $60 (plus shipping) for…
Onabay Vineyards 2007 Wild Ferment Chardonnay
By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief Even with the release of its 2007 wines, its second vintage, Onabay Vineyards, remains firmly under the radar of most local wine lovers. But they are a winery worth keeping an eye on for a number of reasons. Their vineyard is mature — 18 years old — and is managed by industry veteran Steve Mudd. The wines are made by another local vet, Bruce Schneider, a fellow cabernet franc fanatic and owner of Schneider Vineyards. Beyond Mudd and Schneider, Onabay is a family affair. The Anderson family owns the 180-acre farm that houses the vineyard and…
Leonard Oakes Winery: Going Those Extra Few Miles for Great Niagara Wines
Leonard Oakes Winery's winemaker Jonathan Oakes By Bryan Calandrelli, Niagara Escarpment Editor Tasting notes by Julia Burke Leonard Oakes Winery has remained somewhat under the radar here in the Niagara wine region. Lying just outside the Niagara County border a few miles into Orleans County, this young winery hasn’t yet benefited from the busy traffic that makes it to the Lockport/Cambria area wineries in the middle of the trail. To be honest, I’m just as guilty as the rest of them because I’d only been there once since they opened – that is, until Jonathan Oakes called me last month…