Posts Written OnSeptember 2012

Harvest 2012: Seyval Blanc at Gibson Farms for Villa Bellangelo

Chris Missick from Villa Bellangelo sends this harvest report — and video — about the first grapes processed on their new crushpad: [quote]We harvested Seyval Blanc from a great 10 acre site owned by Marty Gibson, on the west side of Seneca Lake, and crushed the grapes at our winery a few miles away.  The Seyval came in at 19.5 brix, the fruit tasted amazing, and I am looking forward to what our winemaker, Ian Barry, can do with the fruit this year.  Although most of our wines under the Bellangelo label are vinifera varietals or blends, our Seyval, crafted in…

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Sparkling Pointe 2009 Topaz Imperial

The current lineup of wines at Sparkling Pointe — Long Island’s only only-sparkling winery — is impressive top to bottom. Over the next few days, I’ll review some of their current releases, including this Sparkling Pointe 2009 Topaz Imperial ($37). Coppery pink in the glass — looking vaguely of its namesake gemstone — this sparkler offers lively aromas of red cherries, wild strawberries and cranberries, with lesser hints of lemony citrus and distant-but-distinct wet rock minerality. The lighter-bodied palate is at first apple-y before delivering mixed red berries and a savory toasty-earthy minerality. Dry, well balanced and featuring tiny, persistent bubbles it…

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Harvest 2012: Estate Seyval Blanc at Hudson-Chatham Winery

From Hudson-Chatham Winery owner Carlo DeVito:   [quote] We harvested approximately one ton of seyval blanc from our North Creek Vineyard, Block 1 location yesterday. Brix were at 21. We would have actually let it sit longer, but extreme bird pressure and deer pressure led us to pick it earlier than we would have liked. We had several growing experts come in a take a look at it and help us make our calculation to pick. All agreed that we had excellent fruit, and nice production. We’ve found bird pressure immense this year. Possibly, with the drought-like conditions in the…

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Len Dest, Former Director of Long Island Merlot Alliance, Joins NYCR

I’ve known Len Dest for several years now, having first met him when he was serving as the first director of the Long Island Merlot Alliance (now known as Merliance). Over the years we’ve had several interesting, honest discussions about wine and the business of wine. Often, Len has shared his opinions about Long Island wine as it relates to other regions he’s lived in and visited extensively — California and Oregon. He brings a unique perspective to the team and his contributions should prove to be provocative and insightful. He splits his time between Manhattan, the North Fork and Florida, so…

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