By Kevin Burns, Beer Columnist The leaves are changing and the weather is getting cooler. While these signs mark the arrival of fall to many people, I know it is Fall when Oktoberfest and Pumpkin Ales start to show up on the shelves of beer stores. This week's beer review is fo Saranac Octoberfest Lager from the F.X. Matt Brewing Company. Saranac's Octoberfest poured a dark copper color with a two-finger width of white head. The nose is pleasant, and well balanced with malt up front and distinct hop aromas underneath. There is a faint trace of spices as well. The body has a…
Posts Written OnOctober 2009
Next Week is Regional Wine Week (October 11-17)
By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief Next week is Regional Wine Week 2009 over at DrinkLocalWine.com and of course the New York Cork Report will be participating. The organizers have contacted more than 50 bloggers and writers from around the United States and Canada (who aren’t in California or the Pacific Northwest) to write about “wine from around here” — wherever “here” may be. Many of the participating writers will be featuring local wines in their work next week, but it's easy for the NYCR to participate in this now-annual event — we write about local wines every single day. Largely, we'll just continue…
2009 Harvest Update: Peconic Bay Winery 2009 Riesling
Vineyard workers picking riesling at Peconic Bay Winery yesterday By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief Photos Courtesy of Peconic Bay Winery In an effort to bring as many harvest pictures and as much harvest information to the site as we can, we'd like to invite any and all New York wineries to send us pictures and data from their 2009 harvest. Jim Silver, General Manager at Peconic Bay Winery sent me a few pictures from their 2009 riesling harvest, which took place yesterday under sunny skies in Peconic. They picked around 8 tons, which means about one ton per acre, half of…
Local With Local: Announcing David Page as Long Island Chef
By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief Local With Local has been an increasingly popular feature here on the site over the last several months, mostly thanks to the contributions of Deb Whiting, chef and co-owner of Red Newt Bistro. She's brought new dedication to the project and has been pushing me to do it more often — to the point that we'll now be doing it monthly. Today I'm happy to announce that David Page, co-owner of Shinn Estate Vineyards and Shinn Farmhouse, has agreed to take over the Long Island edition of Local With Local on a similar monthly basis. Before…
Evan Dawson and Tom Mansell Contibuting to Palate Press
By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief This post is long overdue, and for that I must apologize to David Honig and Tish, publisher and editor-in-chief respectively, of Palate Press, a still-new online wine magazine that brings together some of the best and brightest in the wine blog world today. Case in point, the New York Cork Report's own science editor, Tom Mansell, and Finger Lakes editor, Evan Dawson are contributors and have published their first pieces. Tom's story, "The American paradox? Wine labels rarely list health benefits" discusses the truths and myths about the health benefits of wine. Evan takes on "minerality"…
Q&A: Nancy Irelan, Co-Owner and Winemaker, Red Tail Ridge Winery
Nancy Irelan and Mike Schnelle, co-owners of Red Tail Ridge Winery (Photo courtesy of Red Tail Ridge) By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief Red Tail Ridge Winery, situated on the west side of Seneca Lakes in the Finger Lakes, is a winery that has gotten a lot of press lately, both for the construction of its LEED-certified winery building or its wines. I have yet to meet owners Nancy Irelan and Mike Schnelle (they are at the top of my list for my next visit to the region) but I was able to track Nancy down to take part in our almost-weekly…
Long Island Wine Country Trip Report: At Channing Daughters and Paumanok, Experiments Yield Success
By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor Morgan and I took our first trip to Long Island wine country last weekend and I plan to share some observations and experiences in a series of upcoming posts. They are in no particular order of quality or chronology, and I should state emphatically that the winemakers and owners we met were excessively generous with their time and cellars. Long Island wine country is, in no small measure, a must-visit for New York wine enthusiasts. It is wildly different when compared to the state's other appellations. The vineyards are flatter than a cookie sheet…
Niagara Escarpment: Harvest 2009 is Underway
The harvest moon over Freedom Run Winery By Bryan Calandrelli, Niagara Escarpment Editor Harvest came early for me this year as my lovely wife gave birth to our son Wyatt Calandrelli on September 29, 2009, a full 12 days before he was due. Both he and mom are happy and healthy. As for myself I am exhausted from a long night and day of labor, a long night of celebrating, a seasonal cold and several sleepless nights of diaper harvesting. So when I got invited to harvest grapes on Monday, I couldn’t resist dusting off my nippers and running my…
The New York Cork Report Welcomes Wyatt Calandrelli to the Team
The New York Cork Report team grew once again a week ago — but just a bit. By 9 pounds and 3 ounces to be exact. It is with great pleasure that the entire team welcomes Wyatt Calandrelli to the site and to the world. Congratulations to Bryan and Johanna. Looks to me like lil Wyatt had a long day harvesting pinot today. Or maybe he was doing punchdowns? Poor kid looks exhausted. Help me in welcoming the little man to the world and in congratulating the proud and no-doubt sleepless parents.
What We Drank (October 5, 2009)
This is what the editors and contributors to the New York Cork Report were drinking last week. From Evan Dawson: Chateau Batailley 1982 Pauillac When I've had a rough day at work, I tend to behave irrationally if I'm in a wine shop that evening. You can only imagine what kind of day I had last Thursday, when I found myself involuntarily measuring the ullage on a number of older Bordeaux. I regret to say that this bottle was not exactly what I was seeking. It was, stunningly, as fresh as grapes picked straight from the vine. Well, almost. The…