By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor Paumanok Vineyards' "regular" merlot bottling, informally known as the "white label merlot" is one of Long Island's most values — particularly from warmer, dryer years (think 2005 and 2007 recently). No, at $24, it won't satisfy those who lament the region's lack of $15 standouts, but know this: it over-delivers for that $24. The nose is ripe and complex, showing fruit aromas of black cherry, plum and cassis as well as notes of dried autumn leaves and dried thyme. Medium-bodied and at once ripe and lithe, the palate delivers fruit flavors that closely match the…
Posts Written OnNovember 2011
7 Questions with….Erin Flynn, Marketing Manager, Dr. Konstantin Frank Vinifera Wine Cellars
By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor If you're active in social media channels like Twitter and Facebook, you may have noticed that one of New York's best-known wineries, Dr. Konstantin Frank Vinifera Wine Cellars, has become extremely active on them. That's the work of Erin Flynn, who joined Dr. Frank in May. Erin is a Finger Lakes native but didn't stay home to work in the wine industry right away. After earning her bachelor of arts degree from Nazareth College and as Master's degree in management from Keuka College, Erin moved to Washington D.C. to work in politics and as a…
Job Posting: Part-Time/Seasonal Tour Guide for Experience! The Finger Lakes
Experience! The Finger Lakes, LLC, a full-service touring company based in Ithaca, is looking for a friendly, fun and engaging person interested in providing experiential, information-based guided tours of the Finger Lakes region. This part-time, seasonal position (April – November), requires a balance between weekday and weekend touring. Guide must have a clean driver's record, and must get a Commercial Drivers License to operate a 14-passenger van on tours throughout the Finger Lakes region. Interest in food, wine and the Finger Lakes region preferred. Demonstration of strong customer service skills required. For more information contact: Experience! The Finger…
What We Drank — Thanksgiving Edition
Today, we offer a sampling of what our contributors and editors were drinking on Thanksgiving day and over the holiday weekend…. Julia Burke: Schulze Vineyards, Leonard Oakes Estate Winery, Arrowhead Spring Vineyards, and Homemade WineMy family members all love wine but couldn't be more different, so I went a little overboard in my Thanksgiving wine shopping spree in a quest to make sure I had something for each of my loved ones, from my sixty-eight-year-old father (a zinfandel lover) to my twenty-one-year-old sister (likes "dollar bombs" and known to hit the Four Loco on occasion). I started with plenty of…
Five Things I Learned From a Night of Bartending
By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor There is so much to learn from a single night of tending bar. On a recent Saturday, I was one of several bartenders for a charity fundraiser in Rochester. It was a farm-to-table event put together by the fine folks at Breathe Yoga, and it featured local food and all Finger Lakes wines. I recruited the wine donations, then tended bar myself. Here's what I learned. 1. People like red wine, and Finger Lakes reds are plenty passable for the masses I divided the red wines into two main groups: lighter-bodied reds (mostly pinot…
For Chef Samantha Buyskes-Izzo, Simply Red Means Simply Good
By Rochelle Billow, Finger Lakes Food Correspondent Photos by Onion Studio If you’ve had any sort of connection to Finger Lakes food within the past ten years or so, chances are you’ve come across Samantha Buyskes-Izzo. She’s been cooking here since 2002, and since 2007 has served as the Executive Chef at Simply Red Bistro at Sheldrake Point Winery on Cayuga Lake, as well as at La Tourelle Resort and the Hangar Theatre in Ithaca. It’s a fair assertion that she’s best known for her work at Sheldrake, where the bistro earned her a sort of cult following, attracting visitors…
What We Drank (November 22, 2011)
Here's a sampling of what our editors and contributors have been drinking… David Flaherty: Eve's Cidery Rustica We're currently pouring a cocktail at Hearth that features Eve's apple cider and it's flying off the shelf like a freshly baked apple pie left unattended on the windowsill to cool. I first became smitten with Eve's Cidery a few months ago when I met two of the core members (yes, I totally wrote 'core' unintentionally — but now upon realizing it, I'm enamored by my unprovoked cleverness, so I'll leave it) Ezra Sherman and Autumn Stoscheck at an industry tasting that…
Talking Turkey (Wines) with the New York Wine Community
By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor Just like last year (and the year before that) here at the New York Cork Report we have decided to abstain from telling you what the 'perfect' wine is for Thanksgiving. Many wine writers are more than happy to offer their opinions, but to us, it's an exercise in futility. There are too many flavors and textures on a typical Thanksgiving table for any single wine to elevate any of them without getting in the way of others. Instead of offering a dish-by-dish and wine-by-wine outline for your holiday meal, we have asked our friends…
American Wine Society National Conference Recon
By Bryan Calandrelli, Niagara Region Editor Last Saturday I did something that I’d never had the chance to do before: I led an all-Niagara (USA) wine tasting for a national audience as Rochester played host to the American Wine Society’s National Conference. Of course, anyone with foresight and the ability to plan their lives accordingly may have actually taken advantage of the perks of being a presenter at a conference like this by pre-registering for other seminars, booking a hotel room to fully let loose and confirming whether they wanted beef, fish or the vegetarian entree at the banquet. But…
NYCR Expands Downstate Coverage, Adds Tracy Weiss to the Team
By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor In case you were curious, Twitter is the by far the place to find liked-minded local-philes these days. That's where our newest staff member, Tracy Weiss and I connected several months ago. We exchanged Tweets, found more than a little common ground when it comes to local food and wine, and then I asked her to write a guest post, which she did and did with gusto. When I asked her earlier this week if she would be interested in joining the NYCR team in a more formal way, she was extremely enthusiastic — and…