Posts Written OnMay 11, 2011

Run for the Roses in Long Island Wine Country in May

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor I received a press release from the Long Island Wine Council today about this year's Run for the Roses Festival and wanted to pass it along the list of participating wineries and the specials they are running for the month. I was disappointed, however to learn that there is no longer a charity component to this program, which raised money for CancerCare last year. According to Steve Bate, executive director of the Council, "Participating wineries are being asked to contribute to the Wine Council

The NYCR and Luce & Hawkins Present… an Evening with Paul Dlugokencky, Blind Bat Brewery, May 23

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor For several years now, I've allowed an idea for a series of local beer, wine and spirit dinner macerate in my mind. I wanted them to be somehow different from the dinners already happening — because where's the value or fun in doing something that is already being done? First and foremost, I wanted these dinners to celebrate a person rather than a winery, brewery or distillery. The artisan behind the local beverages needed to be the star. Front and center. Next, I wanted the dinners to be as affordable possible — to make them…

Lucas Vineyards 2009 Semi-Dry Riesling

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor When you're the winemaker at Lucas Vineyards, making nearly 30,000 cases of wine every year — with nearly 30 different bottlings — it's not easy to give each lot the attention it deserves, as Jeff Houck told my colleague Evan Dawson back in late 2009. Many of the Lucas Vineyards wines are geared towards casual drinkers and those new to wine, but there are some real gems in the portfolio — including Houck's cabernet franc, sparkling Cayuga and always-tasty riesling lineup. Lucas Vineyards 2009 Semi-Dry Riesling ($14) will appeal to a wide range of palates…