Posts Written OnApril 2011

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor We're getting ready to ship out this month's Times Union New York Wine Club selections and that means it's time to tell you a bit about them We've got some producers that we're including for the first time, which is always fun. For our Basic-Level Members this month, we have a Finger Lakes riesling and a Finger Lakes Cayuga White — yes, a Cayuga White.  Lucas Vineyards 2009 Cayuga White may very well be the finest example of the hybrid variety I've tasted. And it's a great value in a spring or summer sipper. Apple-pear…

By Julia Burke, Beer Editor What

Editor's Note: For some background on hydrofracking in the Finger Lakes, please read our previous post on the topic. By Art Hunt, Owner, Hunt Country Vineyards In the fall of 2009, as a member of the Board of Directors of the Keuka Lake Association, I was appointed to a new committee to study the process of

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor Tickets are still available for our charity wine event on April 30 from 1-4 p.m. We are partnering with Peconic Bay Winery and Lacrosse for Autism  to benefit The Cody Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities at Stony Brook University. You can get all the event details in our previous post. Our silent auction continues to grow as well. So far we have lots including: Channing Daughters Winery: Case of Mosaico Clovis Point: 6-pack of 2007 Reds Heron Hill Winery: Red Wine Gift Basket Hunt Country Vineyards: Mixed Case of Riesling Jamesport Vineyards: Wine Four-Pack…

By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor Some of the 86 acres of vines at Sawmill Creek Vineyards rise so steeply that a machine harvester can not safely venture between the rows. The site on the southeast side of Seneca Lake provides fruit for nearly 30 wineries every year, and its combination of slope, location and vineyard management has earned Sawmill Creek a strong reputation. Recently a fascinating question arose in the mind of Dave Whiting, winemaker at Red Newt Cellars: How would the wines made from Sawmill Creek in 2010 show, side-by-side, in a tasting featuring many of the producers…

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor Now this is a wine that has enjoyed quite a bit of local attention in recent months. I first tasted it when it won the red wine flight at "The Judgment at Riverhead" back in November. Then in January, it was named NYCR Non-Merlot Red Wine of the Year. And just a few weeks ago, I included it in our March 2011 Times Union New York Wine Club shipment. Sometimes wines hype is hollow and just not warranted. With Roanoke Vineyards 2007 Blend One ($43) that is decidedly not the case. This is a special…

Here is a sampling of what our editors and contributors were drinking last week…   Evan Dawson: Ravines Wine Cellars 2007 Pinot Noir I'm grateful for the early reviews of Summer in a Glass, and perhaps the most moving one yet comes from a NYC-based wine enthusiast and writer. It inspired me to open this bottle this weekend. That's because Keith Levenberg not only read the book, he followed up by tracking down some of the wines. I've never met Keith, but I've been reading his stuff for a while. He is - and I've said this long before he…

By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor "The best wine comes from a warm vintage in a cool climate." That's something Fox Run Vineyards winemaker Peter Bell is fond of saying. It has practically become a regional mantra. And if Bell is right, then one would expect 2010 to produce stellar wines. But the Finger Lakes is not Bordeaux, and there is no early rush to judgment on the red wines from a vintage like 2010. That will come with time. Riesling, however, will start hitting the market in mere weeks. And of course, no wine is more vital to Finger Lakes…