Posts Written OnJanuary 2010

The New York Cork Report Editors at work during Saturday's 2009 'Wines of the Year' tasting. By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief Photos by Morgan Dawson Photography 5 tasters. 8 hours. 19 flights. 54 wines. That was my Saturday as I joined most of the New York Cork Report team for a tasting that would determine our 2009 Wines of the Year. It was an incredibly fun, exciting day, but it also an extremely challenging one. But above all, it was an incredibly satisfying day — the culmination of months of planning and coordination. A tasting like this one — a tasting…

By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief Later today, I'm on the road again, driving up to Cayuga Lake, for the New York Cork Report's 2009 Wines of the Year tasting, which will commence tomorrow morning at Heart & Hands Wine Company in Union Springs. We have a nice group together for the tasting, including the four official judges (who will vote) who happen to also be the NYCR editors — Bryan Calandrelli, Evan Dawson, myself and Tom Mansell. We'll be tasting 53 wines blind broken up into 19 total flights by category and region. All of New York's major wine regions are…

By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief The Hudson River Region has a clear-cut signature white grape variety — Seyval Blanc. On the red side of things, the most planted grape seems to be De Chaunac, but I don't know any winemakers who are excited about it. It's so widely planted because it's easy to grow. Period. Baco noir is only being bottled varietally by a handful of wineries in the region, but it seems to show the most potential among the hybrids that thrive along the Hudson River, and Benmarl Winery in Marlboro, NY has been growing it and making wine from…

By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief Pinot noir in the Finger Lakes? Absolutely, but if you're interested in high-quality stuff, make sure you know a little bit about the winery you're buying it from. The best Finger Lakes pinot noirs are made by wineries that are, of course, buying or growing fruit in the best places along the lakes, but there is one other key factor — crop load, the amount of grapes ripened and harvested per acre. Some wineries harvest 4 or more tons of pinot per acre, which is possible and can work in the best years (2007 comes to…

By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief On Saturday, I spent the day visiting four of the Hudson River Region AVA's best wineries. My goal? To pair that tasting trip with my experience judging the Hudson Valley Wine Competition last spring to identify finalists for the New York Cork Report 2009 Wines of the Year tasting, which takes place this coming Saturday. In addition to the 4 winery visits, several other wineries were represented as we opened wines during dinner. Expect several posts in coming weeks about my time in the Hudson Valley, but for now, I'm happy to announce the finalists —…

By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor Photograph shows a vineyard atop Mount Veeder, Napa Valley  I recently spent four days in various parts of northern California wine country, including Napa Valley and the Russian River Valley. During public tastings and private appointments, in wine shops and food markets, I asked people what they heard or knew about Finger Lakes wines.  I expected some out-of-date responses, perhaps including: "The Finger Lakes makes wine? Real wine?" "The Finger Lakes makes whites, I hear, but the reds suck." "The Finger Lakes, yes, I've heard of it. Bully Hill." But in all of our…

By Kevin Burns, Beer Columnist St. Nicholas, aka Santa Claus, is a magical figure, the bringer of gifts and an icon of holiday spirit. Forgotten by most is his evil side kick and enforcer of ‘the list.’ — Krampus. European tradition says while St. Nick is busy delivering presents to good little boys and girls, Krampus hands out punishments to the bad. A fanged, goat-horned bully, the Christmas Devil uses sticks and chains to beat the naughty children. Dark malts and aromatic hops create the diabolical spirit of this brew. It is finished with lager yeast and aged cold for…

By Julia Burke, Niagara Escarpment Correspondent Editor's Note: Julia left for South Africa yesterday, but we're hopeful to get some stories from her down under experience. For the next few months, my NYCR contributions will be few and far between and will include words and phrases that don’t normally show up in New York wine industry parlance, such as “bush vines,” “pinotage,” “Cape blends,” “sun damage” and “penguins.” This is because I ship off to Stellenbosch, South Africa this weekend, where I’ll be a harvest intern at Blaauwklippen Vineyards for the 2010 vintage. Feeding both my South African wine obsession…