Posts Written OnSeptember 2010

Photo courtesy of Michael Croteau Michael Croteau, co-owner of Croteaux Vineyards, Long Island's only rose-only winery, picked sauvignon blanc last week. Yes… sauvignon blanc for a rose producer. He reports via email that: "We picked Sauvignon Blanc on Sept 8th. This is the first year we haven't sold this fruit and will make our own wine with it. We will be doing something really interesting with this, in keeping with our "Rosé Only" identity. Stay tuned!" The fruit came in at 4.2 tons per acre with 22.4 Brix, 2.88 pH and TA of 11.4 g/l.

By Lenn Thompson With a handful of local winemakers changing addresses this summer, Long Island wine lovers are left to wonder how the changes will play out in their favorite wines. Rich Olsen-Harbich has made some of the North Fork's best sauvignon blanc for years, but now that he's moved on from Raphael to take over at Bedell Cellars — where they don't make a varietal sauvignon by the way — what will come of the Raphael First Label Sauvignon Blanc? We'll find out in about a year, but Raphael's new winemaker, Les Howard, has made some nice wines with…

Photo courtesy of Paumanok Vineyards Late last week, Paumanok Vineyards harvested sauvignon blanc from their newer block. It came in at 22.6 Brix, 3.24 pH and 6.3 TA.

Paul Deninno of BashaKill Vineyards sent an email this morning reporting that: "We pulled 4000 lbs. of Cayuga on Monday off 200 vines! This is going to be our Estate White Tail. It is 100% organically grown and I'm thinking of going sulfite free on this one. Usually I just put in about 30 ppm and have always been nervous about going totally sulfite free. Grapes looked so good I think I might go for it."

By Julia Burke, Beer Editor Genesee Brewing Company in Rochester, New York recently announced the installation of a $3.5 million production line for the purpose of packaging beer in 24 oz. cans. Explaining the decision, the brewery’s press release cited customer demand for canned beers as well as sustainability factors and the visual impact of cans on retail shelves. Expect to see more of the brewery’s classics including Genesee, Genny Light and Genny Cream Ale in the can at your local beer retailer.  From large macro-owned breweries like Genesee to tiny craft breweries, cans are popping up more and more…

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor Today's harvest update is a little bit different, but comes from long-time NYCR reader and former contributor Rich Olsen-Harbich, now the winemaker at Bedell Cellars: "With the 2010 vintage — the 30th anniversary of Bedell Cellars — we have begun a brand a new tradition, one which brings us together in ways that only the North Fork can. Last Friday, as the remnants of Hurricane Earl swirled out to sea, our Bedell family gathered together for a small ceremony to begin the starter fermentation yeast culture for the 2010 vintage. Everyone at Bedell brought a natural…

Carlo DeVito in his tasting room at Hudson-Chatham Winery (Photo courtesy of Scott Langley Photography) By Lenn Thompson Two weeks ago, Carlo DeVito — book publisher, wine book author, blogger and New York winery owner — published a post "Who Will Save New York Wine?". It's a great question and an even better post that publicly raises questions and issues that until now have mostly been pondered and discussed behind closed doors. At the NYCR, we don't think New York wine needs "saving," per se, but it does need help — help to grow, to get the attention it deserves…

There are still a few days left to purchase your tickets to the NYCR's Angelman Syndrome benefit at Roanoke Vineyards this Sunday at 1 p.m. And, to help entice those of you on the fence (and prepare those of you who have already purchased your tickets) I thought I'd list the various auction items that have so generously been donated by those in Long Island and Hudson Valley wine country. The dollar figure in parentheses is the estimated retail value: Bedell Cellars: VIP Tour and Tasting for 4 ($140) Channing Daughters Winery: Case of Vino Bianco ($240) Comtesse Therese Winery…