Posts Written OnNovember 2009

Fermentation Winespeak

By Tom Mansell, Science Editor Have you ever smelled grape juice? Not Concord or Niagara juice but grape must that's about to become wine? It doesn't smell like much. It's kind of like fresh mown grass. How does this relatively un-aromatic juice evolve into complex, aromatic wine?  Most everybody's grapes are in (except for the ice wine grapes) and it's now time for winemakers to figure out how best to turn their grapes into quality wine. Surprisingly, magic is not involved.  Now in the spirit of Harvest Winespeak last month, In this edition of Winespeak, we'll explore some terms and…

Brooklyn Brewery Brown Ale

By Kevin Burns, Beer Columnist Brooklyn Brewery is widely considered one of the best breweries in New York State, and with good reason. In addition to making great craft beer, the brewery is credited with being one of the pioneers of craft beer in the empire state. And, while their Brooklyn Lager is their flagship beer, one of my favorite beers is their Brooklyn Brown Ale.    Brooklyn Brown poured a dark brown color with a tan head. The nose was nice and clean and gives off light malt and hops. The first sip was sweet with a hint of caramel. The middle is…

Keegan Ales Mother’s Milk

By Kevin Burns, Beer Columnist One of my favorite breweries in New York is Keegan Ales in Kingston. In addition to making great beer, they are the closest microbrewery to my hometown of Ellenville. I have previously reviewed their Joe-Mama's Milk Stout, which was created from their original stout, Mother's Milk.   In a past interview, I asked Owner Tommy Keegan to talk about Mother's Milk's origins. “There’s a lot of dry stouts out there, so we wanted to be different. We actually started out making an oatmeal stout, but then we added a 50 lb bag of lactose to the first…

Finger Lakes Distilling: A Spirited Addition to Finger Lakes Wine Country

By Jason Feulner, Finger Lakes Correspondent I've always been a beer and wine guy. My liquor cabinet at home is a bit on the pathetic side. What I'm saying is that if you prefer only mixed drinks, avoid my invitations. So, when I recently decided to visit the new distillery on Seneca Lake, I knew that I might not be the judge of spirits. But, Finger Lakes Distilling makes appreciation of spirits by the liquor-challenged extremely easy. The brand-new tasting room is a marvel and one of the nicest spaces I've seen in the Finger Lakes. It features a wide open room with natural lighting, an…

Raphael 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon

By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief Much like the other cabernet sauvignon I reviewed earlier this week, this Raphael 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon ($30) shows why some of the best wines in the world are made in warmer years in cooler regions. The 2005 North Fork growing season was a dry and hot one from the spring through the summer — shaping up to be a vintage of a lifetime. Then the October rains hit before the Bordeaux-variety reds started coming in, dumping up to 18 inches of rain on some vineyards over the course of 8 days. The result has been up-and-down…

Library Fines: A Model On Long Island, and a Trend In the Finger Lakes

By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor Photographs show the Raphael wine library and Raphael barrel room Before New York state wines will be taken seriously by a wider swath of national and international consumers, they will have to show a track record of graceful aging. The problem is that most New York wine producers do not have a consistent library program. This is changing.  On a recent visit to Long Island's North Fork, I was smitten with the gorgeous and extensive library at Raphael. This is the standard to which many other wineries will aspire, but laying bottles down requires…

Q&A: Adam Ehmer, Slave to the Grape, Roanoke Vineyards

By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief I first met Adam Ehmer over a year ago at the first "quarterly" LENNDEVOURS wine bar event at Roanoke Vineyards where he pours in the tasting room and, of late, helps out in other facets as well. While most of his background is in academic ecology and biology, and he only joined the wine industry a little bit more than a year ago, right around when we met. His job at Roanoke started as a part-time, weekend "gig" while he was instructing courses at SUNY Southampton, but now he's postponed teaching to focus more on wine…

Dedicated to Local or Taking Advantage of Locavores?

By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief Photo of Church & Main's dining room from Yelp.com A few weeks ago, I did something at a restaurant that I almost never do — at least not at a fine dining restaurant. I drank beer before and during my meal. On the surface, that's not that big a deal. I drink beer all the time. Heck, I was a beer geek long before I became obsessed with wine. Besides, sometimes beer is a better pairing that wine. Yes. It's true. So why was I drinking beer at Church & Main restaurant in Canajoharie, NY —…

Peconic Bay Winery 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon

By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief Merlot is Long Island's most-planted grape and clearly the red that, year-to-year, leads to the region's best wines. It could be argued that cabernet franc isn't far behind, but my affection for cabernet franc is well documented, so I won't go there today. But, in warmer years (and when planted in the right places on the North Fork), the other major grape of Bordeaux, cabernet sauvignon, can be just as good. There. I said it. In those good years and good places, cabernet sauvignon is the delicious little secret of Long Island wine. Knowing that, I…

What we Drank (November 16, 2009)

We have a shorter than usual list of offerings for What We Drank this week. Bryan has been busy changing diapers and Lenn only drank local this weekend — and wants to save those reviews for standalone posts. At least we're back to wine this week for Julia. From Tom Mansell: Jordan 1996 Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma County Every now and then, you get a nice surprise.  I had this wine at a friend's steak-filled birthday party and I should note that gatherings at this particular friend's house are usually more of the Keystone Light variety than the aged California Cabernet…