Some announcements and happenings from around New York wine country. If you have news that you'd like to be considered for this almost-weekly column, please let us know via email. Finger Lakes Vineyard Training Series at Damiani Wine Cellars Damiani Wine Cellars is offering a five-part vineyard training designed to allow participants to "follow a vineyard from dormant vine pruning to harvest." Grower Phil Davis will lead the sessions, which are slated to run 90 minutes each. The first is April 3 and will provide a vineyard tour and lessons on pruning. Later sessions will focus on trellis work, shoot…
Posts Written OnMarch 23, 2010
Raphael 2009 Naturale White
By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief When Raphael winemaker Rich Olsen-Harbich released his first Naturale — a 2008 white blend (read the NYCR review) made without the addition of sugar or acid, without filtration or fining, and using naturally occurring yeasts and only the slightest bit of SO2 during bottling, I was intrigued. I look for deliciousness in wine, rather than a particular style of winemaking. Natural, biodynamic, organic, sustainable — they all matter on some level, but not if the wine isn't delicious. That 2008 received a 4-start rating and was a finalist in the NYCR Wines of the Year. Raphael…
El Paso Winery NV “Just Plain White”
By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-ChiefPhoto courtesy of East Coast Wineries A friend of mine in the Hudson Valley gave me this bottle of El Paso Winery NV "Just Plain White" ($10) and I knew next to nothing about it when I tasted it. And, after visiting the winery's website I don't know much either, other than that it's a "medium to semi-dry Chenin Blanc blend" even though the label says "Dry Table Wine." I tasted it before visiting the website however, and I wouldn't have guessed chenin blanc at all. The nose is very seyval blanc-like to me with apple and…
TasteCamp East 2010 Finger Lakes: Open Call for Wineries to Pour
By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief Evan Dawson, our Finger Lakes Editor, and I have been working hard to get all of the plans and details together for this year's edition of TasteCamp EAST, taking place May 7-9 in Finger Lakes wine country. The concept for TasteCamp is a simple one — getting enthusiastic bloggers together in a region that is new to them to taste as much wine as possible and speak to as many winemakers as possible over the course of a weekend. Most smaller, lesser-known wine regions in the world would love to get their wines in front of…