Sorry this is so late. Heading out of 2009 with some interesting drink choices… Evan Dawson: Mon Ami Winery 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon (Ohio) I was surprised to find that a family member had recently visited some wineries in Ohio; I was utterly stunned to find that they returned with a bottle of Ohio cabernet sauvignon. Because if they say that God can't ripen cab sauv in Virginia, well, the big guy has no chance in Ohio, right? Turns out that this is "American" wine, which means the grapes or juice came largely from somewhere else. But it leads me to…
Posts Written OnDecember 2009
Lenz Winery 2003 Cuvee
By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief It's likely that sparkling wine during the holidays has gone well beyond cliche, but hey, it still works. In fact, there are few times when sparkling wine doesn't work. It flies under the radar for many wine lovers, but Long Island has been putting out some delicious, traditionally made sparkling wine for years and those made by Eric Fry at The Lenz Winery are among the most consistently excellent. In fact, Fry makes sparkling wine for Lieb Family Cellars and The Old Field as well. The newly released Lenz 2003 Cuvee ($30) continues that tradition of…
DEC Defends Hydrofracking, but Opponents Worry About Impacts on Finger Lakes Wine Industry
By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor with Tom Mansell, Science Editor There is energy under our feet, and companies want to access it. The Marcellus Shale formation is about a mile deep, consisting of a rock-bound reservoir that runs through New York and Pennsylvania, among other states. According to experts, it's a natural gas basin that could provide 400 trillion gallons of natural gas. For sake of comparison, that's nearly 20 times the current national output. Crews can access the gas by drilling down — and then horizontally, hundreds of feet below the surface. The shale contains tiny pores where…
Macari Vineyards 2007 Syrah
By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief Syrah is a mere bit player in the world of New York wine. Only a few Long Island wineries produce varietal bottlings, usually only it the ripest and hottest of years, and the same is true in other New York wine regions. More often, it finds itself used in blends, lending dark berry and pepper spice. I honestly don't know a lot about the ripening curb Some would say that it's just too cool in New York to ripen syrah consistently. Proponents would argue that a Northern Rhone-style syrah is possible in New York, even if…
Boilo: Champagne of the Schuylkill County Coal Region
by Tom Mansell, Science Editor Nothing scientific about today's post. After all, there's really nothing scientific about a recipe… unless it involves careful record keeping and experimentation, which it almost never does. Anyway, if your family is anything like mine, Christmas is only the beginning of a slew of holiday parties culminating on New Year's Eve. So if you're hosting or attending a holiday party, allow me to suggest a hot drink to serve (in small amounts) to friends and family. Since Lenn and I are both of Lithuanian heritage, I thought I should post this Eastern European treat, which…
Happy Holidays from The New York Cork Report
Wine Blogging Wednesday #64: Alternative Holiday: Mestres 2004 Cava Visol Reserva Particular for Festivus
By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief Not that I'm surprised, but this month's edition of Wine Blogging Wednesday is one of the best themes we've had in some time. Why am I not surprised? Well, the host, Jeff Stai of Twisted Oak Winery and El Bloggo Torcido is a smart, creative and downright fun guy. I'd actually be surprised if he didn't have a great theme for WBW. The theme: Pick any winter holiday or observance that isn't Hanukkah, Christmas Day, Kwanzaa, or New Years Day or Eve, and choose a wine to celebrate it. As a long-time Seinfeld fan, my choice…
Long Island’s First Brandy: Peconic Bay Spirits Sono Rinata
By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief I haven't tasted it yet — no one not involved in the production has yet — but Long Island's first brandy is here: Peconic Bay Spirits' Sono Rinata. Technically, it's called "Immature Grape Brandy" because it was made with 100% finished merlot wine from Peconic Bay Winery, and wasn't aged for at least two years. That means they can't call it grappa. Produced by Richard Stabile at Long Island Spirits from Peconic Bay Winery 2003 Merlot with Bernard Cannac (now winemaker at Heron Hill Winery) consulting, it should be available in the Peconic Bay Winery tasting…
January 6: Taste Live with Finger Lakes Cabernet Franc
By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief I'm exited to announce today that I'll be co-hosting a live Twitter tasting of four cabernet franc-based Finger Lakes wines as a part of TasteLive. My co-hosts are the folks from Finger Lakes Wine Country (FLWC), who have definitely embraced new and social media more than any other New York wine organization. FLWC launched a TasteLive page a month or so ago, and this will be the first event to really kick off the page. There will be many more, so stay tuned for more announcements. For this edition, we'll be tasting these four wines: Fox…
Niagara Fruit Wines: Not Just For Breakfast Anymore
By Julia Burke, Niagara Escarpment Correspondent Full disclosure: I hate fruit wines. When I think of the wines of the Niagara Escarpment, visions of riesling, chardonnay, cab franc and ice wine dance in my head; fruit wines, on the other hand, get me about as excited as soy bacon strips: I’m vaguely aware of their existence but don’t feel the need to take the relationship to the next level. But in a wine region that shows remarkable diversity despite its small size, there’s no excuse for closed-mindedness, and after one of our fruit-wine-producing estates represented Niagara USA at a recent…