Posts Written OnJuly 2012

Fork Finds: Greenport Harbor Brewing

Where I went to college, there was a lot of beer.  Disclaimer: I didn’t drink any of it*. Natty Light, The Beast and an occasional mystery keg abounded, sending me directly to the bottom of a bottle of bourbon. The blanket statement of “I don’t drink beer” made me pretty unpopular when I lived in Boston, Massachusetts during graduate school.  I danced to chants of “you’re so wicked high maintenance” as I threw another stoli doli on my credit card. It wasn’t until I started worshipping wine that I saw the potential craft brews had to offer. But a girl…

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10 Things You Didn’t Know About Hard Apple Cider

If you’re not hip on the cider train, that’s okay.  If your experience with cider up till now has consisted of a pint of syrupy sweet Magners from your local O’Fooligans, or you’ve gone one step further into darkness by mixing a half pint of lager with a half pint of Strongbow (known conspicuously as a “Snakebite”, and with after effects not so far off from a Cottonmouth Water Moccasin snake sinking its fangs in the meat of your calf, filling your bloodstream with toxins), then you’ll be okay.  And if you’ve never tasted a farmhouse cider before, I’ll give…

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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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Heron Hill Winery 2009 Ingle Vineyard Unoaked Chardonnay

The portfolio at Heron Hill Winery varies greatly from top to bottom — but the Ingle Vineyard wines, made with grapes grown in owner John Ingle’s vineyard, offer dependable value. The Heron Hill Winery 2009 Ingle Vineyard Unoaked Chardonnay ($20) is a balanced, expressive wine with aromas of lemongrass, grapefruit, lemon, green apple and just a hint of honeydew melon rind. Medium bodied and showing tremendous focus, the palate is citrusy with a lemongrass edge and a light floral characteristic. The acidity is almost crunchy and well-integrated, lengthening the finish, which is tinged with apples and lemon zest. Producer: Heron Hill Winery…

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It Doesn’t Get Any Fresher or More Local: Rocky Point Artisan Brewers Releases Hefeweizen

Saturday morning, I logged onto Facebook and was greeted with some exciting news — Rocky Point Artisan Brewers, with license now in hand, had released its first beer, a hefeweizen, at my local beer shop. As you can see from co-owner Mike Voigt’s post, the beer moved quickly from brew day to on tap at Thrifty Beverage in Rocky Point.  It doesn’t get any fresher — or more local.  RPAB’s brewery is just a couple miles from Thrifty and from DEKS American Restaurant, where the beer is also available. “Local” has long mattered to the RPAB team. Voigt helped organized…

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Evan Dawson a Two-Category Louis Roederer International Wine Writers’ Award Finalist

NYCR readers already know that our managing editor Evan Dawson is an extremely passionate, talented story teller and that his book Summer in a Glass, captures the essence of Finger Lakes wine country better than any book before it. Today, I’m proud to let you all know that we’re not the only ones taking notice — he’s been named a Louis Roederer International Wine Writers’ Award Finalist in both the “Emerging Wine Writer of the Year” and “International Wine Book of the Year” categories. Congratulations to all of the finalists — but let’s be honest, we’re pulling for you to win…

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Wolffer Estate Vineyards 2011 Rose

Wolffer Estate Vineyards and winemaker Roman Roth are known for producing some of the East Coast’s best chardonnay and merlot. But it is this wine, the Wolffer Estate Vineyards 2011 Rose ($16), that is probably the winery’s best known. You’ll find it most every where in the Hamptons — from posh pool parties to the beach to restaurants and bars — and they make a lot of it every year, typically well north of 9,000 cases (which dwarfs several Long Island wineries’ total production). Made with 54% merlot, 21% chardonnay, 9% pinot noir, 8% cabernet franc and 8% cabernet sauvignon,…

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Governor Cuomo and Legislators Announce Agreement Supporting Craft Breweries

A threat that could have put New York’s breweries in financial jeopardy and driven up the cost of craft beer has been staved off, thanks to collaboration by breweries and sympathy from Albany. As Rochester correspondent Mark Tichenor reported, a recent lawsuit filed by the Shelton Brothers importation and distribution company resulted in the end of exemption from excise tax and brand label fees for New York breweries. That meant that effective immediately, New York breweries were required to pay a $150 fee on each individual beer label registered for sale, plus 14 cents on the gallon (add an extra…

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