Posts Written OnJuly 10, 2012

What We Drank: July 10, 2012

What We Drank, the series within which we highlight interesting, often non-local libations that find themselves in our glasses, is back after a too-long hiatus. Lenn Thompson: Two Shepherds 2011 Saarloos Vineyards Grenache Blanc Tasting (and drinking) so much New York wine, it’s not every day that I get to taste grenache blanc. It’s even more rare that I get to taste one from California, made by a blogger-turned-winemaker. A few weeks ago, William Allen, the Bermuda native behind Simple Hedonisms and Two Shepherds, visited Long Island wine country and asked me for my recommendations on where he should taste, eat, etc.…

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Wine Shop Owner’s New Book Discusses New York Wine Industry

“The perfect solution would seem to be to buy local. If only New York wines were worth it.” That is the opening salvo from wine shop owner Marco Pasanella, who has written a popular new book called Uncorked: My Journey Through the Crazy World of Wine. Pasanella tells the story of how he built a successful wine shop from scratch in Manhattan. He writes about which wines sell, which don’t, and how he waded through bureacracy to finally build a thriving retail store. It’s an interesting read, if flawed, and my full review of the book will be up on…

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Cornell Asks the Industry to Name That Grape

Usually the way the game goes, someone gives us a hint, say Barolo, and we have to guess the name of the grape (Nebbiolo) to win the prize or score some points. Yesterday, I received a couple of interesting emails from a list put out by Cornell Enology Extension Associate Chris Gerling that were more than mere fun and games. Chris is a sharp guy and quite a joker, yet someone who I take very seriously in matters of cold-hardy viticulture and wine geek info. In this case, he passed on word about a bit of sport where we know what…

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