Posts Written OnSeptember 20, 2010

Photo courtesy of Dave Falchek By Evan Dawson, Managing Editor "Who decided that the purpose of wine competitions was to deliver valuable information to consumers? Other than Tasters Guild, I cannot think of any." -Chris Cook, Michigan Wine Competition Superintendent, attacking our premise that wine competitions are supposed to assist consumers "Every competition I judge begins with me or some other chief judge reminding the judges we are there to help consumers find wines to drink." -Bob Foster, director of three wine competitions and judge at many others, clearly disagreeing with Cook in the same discussion thread, after explaining that…

By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief This weekend HARVEST EAST END, a wine auction and celebration of Long Island's East End, will take over wine country on both forks to benefit the Peconic Land Trust and East End Hospice. The event has been organized by the Long Island Merlot Alliance and Long Island Wine Council with support from the New York Wine & Grape Foundation. The day-plus event kicks off on Friday with ten 10-Mile Dinners, which take place at private locations — homes, yachts, etc. — with locally sourced food cooked by a local chef and hosted by a local winemaker.…

By Julia Burke Fall is in the air in a big way here in western New York, and as far as I’m concerned, fall is beer season. Oktoberfests, pumpkin ales, harvest ales, bocks…the styles brewed during this time of year are some of the most delicious and exciting in the beer world. I tasted two Oktoberfest beers of note this week: one from Buffalo’s recently reopened brewery Flying Bison Brewing Company, the other made across the state at Brooklyn Brewery. I enjoyed both beers outside, in the crisp fall weather, with an appropriately large sweater and snacks involving obscene amounts…