Posts Written OnFebruary 23, 2010

By Bryan Calandrelli, Niagara Region Editor This past Friday, I hosted the second Barrel Tasting Friday event at Freedom Run Winery in Cambria, NY with cellarmaster Kurt Guba. The focus was pinot noir and the turnout was amazing. More than 50 guests reserved seats and showed up in the dead of winter from as far away as Rochester to taste the barrels they’ve seen in the tasting room during previous visits. I have to admit I pitched the idea to the owners after having taken part in similar, though less formal, events last spring. At TasteCamp on Long Island, we…

By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief Via critical and customer acclaim, Ravines Wine Cellars, nestled into the eastern shore of Keuka Lake, has built a reputation for itself as one of the top producers in the Finger Lakes, if not the entire state. True, that reputation is built most famously on winemaker and co-owner Morten Hallgren's dry rieslings, but he is doing some impressive things with reds too — especially pinot noir and cabernet franc.  This Ravines Wine Cellars 2007 Cabernet Franc ($19) greets the nose with ripe red raspberry and red cherry aromas accented by briar, lightly grilled herbs and earthy tobacco leaf…