By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor

This month's New York Cork Club selections are Sheldrake Point Vineyards 2008 Gewurztraminer and Herman J. Wiemer 2008 Dry Riesling, who great summer sippers that will pair with the hot temperatures we've been "enjoying" of late and also with the great local produce that is available this time of year.

Before I say a bit about the two wines, first let me point you at more information about the New York Cork Club (NYCC) itself. The quick and dirty of it is that we've partnered with BacchusWineOnline.com to build a wine club that features only wines made in New York — making more accessible to people around the country. We can't ship to every state, shipping laws being what they are today, but we can ship to a lot of them.

For more information and to sign up, visit
the Bacchus website.

Okay, enough of that. You want information about the wines, right?

Sheldrake Point Vineyard 2008 Gewurztraminer ($18)
is a classy, classically styled gewurztraminer that delivers the character I love about gewurztraminer without any of the overly perfumey stuff that I don't. Candied lemon peel bursts from the glass with floral aromas that
aren't at all rose-like or perfumy, classic lychee notes and a little
sprinkling of brown spice.

Medium bodied and showing good balance between residual sugar and
acidity, this gewurz tastes dry despite sweet lemon-citrus flavors with
some ripe peach in the mix. The acidity isn't electric, but helps the
wine finish crisply with lingering citrus blossom and Lemon Head candy
flavors.

Interesting
in signing up for the club? You can do so on
the Bacchus website.

After including the 2008 Late Harvest a few months ago, I picked Herman J. Wiemer 2008 Dry Riesling this month, their 'regular' dry bottling. Don't be fooled — it's anything but ordinary. The
nose erupts with classic Finger Lakes character — bright lime, Kaffir
lime leaf, lemon zest and grapefruit aromas with an undercurrent of wet
slate minerality. 

In a mouth-watering, trocken Kabinett style, the palate
is dry (.8% RS) with electric acidity that is both balanced and
integrated. Lime flavors drive the palate with white grapefruit and
slightly less minerality than the nose might indicate. This wine shows great
length and has a bright-but-smooth finish, begging for another sip — as
well as a place on the lunch or dinner table.