Posts Written OnJanuary 2010

Help Haiti: Donate to the Palate Press Wine Auction

By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief (AP Photo/Jorge Cruz) I've never been to Haiti. I don't know anyone in Haiti either. I actually don't think that I even know anyone with family or friends in Haiti. But, like so many, my heart goes out to the people of Haiti in this time of tremendous tragedy and distress. Places like the Red Cross are organizing aid for the island nation, of course, but I've been thinking for a few days about how I, with the rest of the New York wine community, can do my part to help. I still may try to…

Ice Wine Science, Part 1: Volatile issues

By Tom Mansell, Science Editor I recently had the opportunity to participate in part of the ice wine grape harvest at Sheldrake Point Vineyards, located on the west side of Cayuga Lake. Ice wine grapes can and should be harvested under specific conditions. Sheldrake Point winemaker David Breeden likes to harvest between 12 and 18 degrees Fahrenheit, but it's a delicate balance. In frozen grapes, some of the water crystallizes into ice, segregating sugars and acids into a more concentrated solution. The degree of "frozen-ness" of the grapes will determine the concentration of the syrupy solution which will be extracted…

Shinn Estate Vineyards 2007 “Rebellion” Merlot

By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief As a category "natural" wines are hot in the wine world, but they aren't necessarily easily defined. Ask ten people what "natural" means and you'll get at least five answers. One common thread, however, is a reliance on naturally occurring, 'wild' yeasts for fermentation rather than inoculating the must with a strain of the winemaker's choosing. A handful of Long Island producers are experimenting with native yeast fermentations, including Raphael, Channing Daughters, Onabay Vineyards and the makers of this wine, Shinn Estate Vineyards. Shinn Estate Vineyards 2007 "Rebellion" Estate Merlot ($25) is 100% estate-grown merlot that…

Lenz Winery 2002 Estate Merlot

By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief It wasn't that long ago that I wrote a bit about Lenz Winery and their belief that, because American's don't know how to age wines, they'll age them for us. That's true for their high-end reds, but it's also true for their mid-level "Estate Selection" lineup. This Lenz Winery 2002 Estate Selection Merlot ($23) was just released a couple months ago, following up on one of my favorite under-$25 local merlots, the 2001. And, while perhaps a bit less complex than that wine, this is still a fine value. The nose is a bit less funky…

Roanoke Vineyards 2008 Barrel Tasting: Hard-Fought Mature Fruit Lead to Pretty, Elegant Wines

Members of the Roanoke Vineyards wine club tasting 2008 reds in the Wolffer Estate cellar. By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief Friday night, on a cold, windy East End night, I joined 20 or so members of Roanoke Vineyards' wine club at Wolffer Estate Vineyards (where Roanoke's wines are made) to taste Roanoke Vineyards' 2008 reds from barrel. It was part wine club event, part futures tasting — the winery's first — and offered an excellent opportunity to taste these wines for the first time. Plus, it's always a pleasure to taste and talk with winemaker Roman Roth and Roanoke Vineyards co-owner,…

Finding the Chautauqua-Lake Erie Wines of the Year — and Finding a Region’s Emerging Personality

By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor Photos by Morgan Dawson Photography In a chic western New York wine bar called Sapore, on a quiet Sunday afternoon, a group of colleagues and competitors did something they had never done before. They poured one another's wines in an introduction to the New York Cork Report and an effort to promote the Chautauqua-Lake Erie wine trail.   Producers chose to feature only white and dessert wines for this tasting, and while these wines represented the best of this wine region, they're not showing the same quality that consumers can find in the Finger Lakes and Long Island. But for now, they don't…

Ravines Wine Cellars 2008 Argetsinger Vineyard Dry Riesling

By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief Often in the wine world certain wineries or vineyards are noticed by a writer or two and a huge mountain of hype ensues — sometimes warranted and sometimes not. If you've been paying attention to the Finger Lakes region for very long, you've heard the hype about Ravines Wine Cellars and winemaker Morten Hallgren. If you're a bit more of a geek, you've probably heard about Sam Argetsinger and his vineyard on Seneca Lake. In this case, the hype is warranted. If I were to start a winery in the Finger Lakes, Morten would be on…

Taste Live Tomorrow Night: Finger Lakes Cabernet Franc

By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief Just a reminder that tomorrow night 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) and at least two of the winemakers whose wines we'll be tasting. 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 (in this order) starting at…

What We Drank (January 11, 2010)

By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief This week's What We Drank is a good one for two reasons. First, almost everyone on the team chimed in with something noteworthy. Second, it really shows that we're as big of beer geeks as we are wine geeks. Enjoy! Evan Dawson: Max Ferd. Richter Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spätlese 2006 If this were a Finger Lakes riesling it would be labeled "semi-sweet." My feeling is that critics and perhaps more fanatical consumers stay away from that designation in the Finger Lakes; I've heard people say it's a riesling line to please the sweet wine drinkers. Perhaps…