Posts Written OnSeptember 2012

Genesee Brewing Company Tap House Now Open in Rochester

For most of its 234 year history, the Genesee Brewing Company remained a closed book to the people of Rochester, New York — an imposing, mostly corrugated metal structure on St. Paul Street from which trucks laden with beer would issue forth, but into which only brewery workers would go. No tours, no brewery store,  just a Wonka-esque factory on the hill. The brewery’s recent purchaser, venture capital firm KPS, saw value in issuing golden tickets. They tore down the dilapidated original brewhouse and renovated an adjoining building into The Tap House visitors’ center, complete with small-batch brewery, museum and…

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Foodie-to-Farm Tour 2012: An Adventure in Chautauqua County

A farm tour of Chautauqua county this weekend, organized and led by Feed Your Soul founder and Buffalo Spree Food Editor Christa Glennie Seychew, brought the region’s incredible farm scene to life for forty-five Buffalonians with a visit to a cider mill, two family farms, and a winery, as well as two farm-to-table dinners by Western New York’s most renowned chefs. “This is the 5th anniversary of this tour, and it’s absolutely my favorite event of the year,” said Seychew at the start of the tour. Seychew’s company advancing the local food movement, called Feed Your Soul, hosted the all-day…

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The Chronicle Express Asks “State unfair to New York Products?”

We don’t link to New York wine stories published by other publications very often, but this piece by John Christensen is more than deserving. In the piece, Christensen starts off with some surprising news: [quote] The New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets may be the organizers of the New York State Fair, but they seem to have forgotten that New York is in the wine business. According to local sources attending the fair, the Empire Room, despite the hundreds of wineries in the Empire State, serves only one New York wine (from Glenora), yet offered several wines by…

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Hail Storm Hits the Finger Lakes — Has There Been Any Damage?

This morning, Rick Rainey from Forge Cellars published some photos and a piece on the winery blog about some hail that he encountered at his home in Trumansburg, NY. Luckily, none of the vineyards Forge purchases fruit from was affected by the sizable hail that feel at the Rainey home. We have some emails out to local growers — but has anyone heard of any vineyard damage from this hail storm?

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Arrowhead Spring Vineyards 2008 Vidal Ice Wine

Late harvest and ‘iced’ wines — those made with grapes frozen in commercial freezers before processing — are common in New York. Real deal ice wine is not. This is the real deal and you can certainly taste the difference. Arrowhead Spring Vineyards 2008 Vidal Blanc Ice Wine ($38) smells like juicy ripe peaches and apricots drizzled with floral lavendar honey. The nose is intense and ever-moving as the wine warms to room temperature. The palate is explosive in its concentration and complexity, bursting with stone fruit flavors along with those of hay, honey, cooked sugar, golden raisin, dried apricots and lavender…

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Shinn Estate Vineyards 2011 Rose

Simple aromas of watermelon and strawberry seem to fade on the palate, which lacks fruit, particularly for the amount of skin and seed tannin here. Though fresh, with nice acidity, it seems bitter and unbalanced. Better with food, this is decidedly not a beach or poolside sipper. Shinn Estate always goes for a bolder, ‘non-wimpy’ style of rose, but perhaps 2011 wasn’t the year to accomplish that. Producer: Shinn Estate Vineyards AVA: North Fork of Long Island ABV: 13.3% Price: $16*   (2 out of 5, Average)    

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Heron Hill Winery 2010 Unoaked Chardonnay

There is a delicate floral edge the light citrusy nose that turns a bit tropical as the wine warms to room temperature. Fresh and citrusy on the palate, the light-bodied palate shows hints of Golden Delicious apple and pineapple as well, all framed by nice acidity. Though appetite-whetting and crisp, this wine is a bit short on the finish and there is a slightly bitter quality to that finish as well. Producer: Heron Hill Winery AVA: Finger Lakes ABV: 12% Price: $14*   (2.5 out of 5, Average-to-Very Good)

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Five Years After the Finger Lakes’ Worst Riesling Vintage in a Decade, Some Happy Surprises

What’s the worst riesling vintage of the past decade in the Finger Lakes? It’s an awkward question, given that winemakers in the Finger Lakes love to say that riesling performs beautifully in the regoin no matter the weather. That’s largely true, but it’s also a copout. I’m willing to say that 2007 is the worst riesling vintage of the decade. It was a year of heat and drought, and the result was a region dotted by stressed vines. For red wines, it was generally a success. But for riesling, the balance between ripe fruit and crackling acidity was much more…

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