Posts Written OnDecember 2012

Fox Run Vineyards 2011 Dry Riesling

White flowers and flint bring nuance to a citrusy nose with underlying nectarine aromas. The palate is peachy with a bit of pear, honey and lime/grapefruit citrus flavors. Dry and energetic — but not hard or austere — the lime juice-y acidity is nicely integrated and lengthens the finish nicely. Flinty/smokey note on the finish. Producer: Fox Run Vineyards AVA: Finger Lakes ABV: 12% Price: $16* (3.5 out of 5 | Very Good, Recommended to Outstanding and Delicious, Highly Recommended)

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Hermann J. Wiemer 2010 Magdalena Vineyard Riesling

You’ll find several wines made in the Finger Lakes with vineyards listed on the label. Academically, I really enjoy the opportunity to taste wines grown in smaller parcels and kept separate throughout the winemaking process. But there is also a bit of marketing gimmick to them. If a vineyard isn’t distinctive and mature, you’re really just using vineyard desingations to do it. Some vineyards haven’t ‘earned’ it yet. On the other end of the spectrum is Magdalena Vineyard, owned and managed by Hermann J. Wiemer. It is one of the few grand cru sites in the Finger Lakes. It’s one of the…

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Beach Plum Liqueur: Bringing Brooklyn Back to its Roots

Plums and alcohol have been long-time bedfellows.  The Czechs call it slivovice, the Bosnians call it šljivovica, the Germans Sliwowitz, the Bulgarians сливовица, and the Italians slivovitz.  Be it the myriad of Slivovitz found all throughout Europe, or the famous Sloe Gin of England, plum-based distillates can be found the world over. Perhaps it’s due to the intoxicating combination of sweetness and tartness inherant in the plum; the great equalizer in the natural world, and one that has captured the palates of mankind for centuries.  Rumor has it, that upon lopping off the head of an innocent farmer, Genghis Khan shouted…

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Op-Ed: Contract Brewing Just Isn’t Craft Brewing (Greg Doroski, Greenport Harbor Brewing)

These opinions are mine and don’t necesarily reflect those of my employer, Greenport Harbor Brewing, but I take great pride in brewing craft beer for a living. I take comfort in brewing beer at Greenport Harbor Brewing, where we made the decision to reject the opportunity to have another brewery brew our beer. While it might seem obvious that a business that calls itself a brewery should actually brew beer, there are far too many “breweries” that brew little, if any, of their own beer. Although the Brewer’s Association trade group reported an overall drop in contract brewing in 2012, the…

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Martha Clara Vineyards 2011 Gewurztraminer

Surprisingly subtle on the nose — gewurzt is usually much more effusive — aromas of underripe melon and kiwi are joined by subtle varietal floral/lychee notes. A bit dilute and light both in terms of body and flavor. Some residual sugar, but ultimately the snappy acidity comes off a bit shrill because there isn’t enough body to balance it. Producer: Martha Clara Vineyards AVA: North Fork of Long Island ABV: 10-.5% Price: $21* (2 out of 5, Average)

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5 Questions with… Antoinette Di Ciaccio, Wine Club Manager, Sheldrake Point Vineyards

For this week’s edition of “5 Questions with…” we sit down (virtually) with Antoinette Di Ciaccio, wine club manager at Sheldrake Point Vineyards and someone I’ve enjoyed tasting with on a couple different occasions. What was the first bottle of wine you remember drinking — and where did you have it and who were you with? Since you ask about my first bottle, I won’t expand too much on my early experiences with glasses of wine except to say that my parents, both born and wed in Italy before immigrating to the U.S. in the 195-s, enjoyed wine with dinner every…

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Overcoming A History of Sour Grapes with Kurt Guba

Two years ago, the owner of Freedom Run Winery bought what was once known as Warm Lake Estate, including the winery building, vineyards and much of the equipment. With the 2012 harvest,  Freedom Run saw its first harvest from those purchased vines. I sat down with friend and part-time co-worker Kurt Guba, cellar master at Freedom Run, to get his impression on the wines to come from that site not too long ago. Bryan Calandrelli: This was the first year Freedom Run Winery has gotten a harvest at the site of the former Warm Lake Estate Vineyard. How were the…

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Mattebella Vineyards 2007 Old World Blend

Mattebella Vineyards is a winery unknown to many — even North Fork wine fans — and that’s too bad. The wines are good, sometimes great, and it’s easy to respect and appreciate the lower-impact viticulture they are practicing. Though the vineyard was planted in 1997, owners Mark and Christine Tobin sold their crop for several years — choosing to work with wineries like Shinn Estate Vineyards, Paumanok Vineyards, and more recently, Anthony Nappa Wines. The Tobins didn’t release their first wine until 2008 and didn’t open their tasting cottage until the summer of 2011. As with many small wineries, Mattebella…

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Fork Finds: The Bloody Boar, North Fork Table and Inn, Southold, NY

I used to think a Bloody Mary was the brunch beverage for weak-stomached, hung over companions who couldn’t handle a bracing mimosa in their current state. I’d laugh and focus on the bottom of my champagne flute, mocking their delicate constitutions as I watched them nurse a drink that brought to mind an astringent-laced salsa. That was before I had the Bloody Boar at the North Fork Table and Inn. Happily ordered on a whim, the lure of drinkable pork products overcame the tiny, high-pitched voice chirping “but you don’t like Bloody Mary’s” in my brain. House-infused vodka captures the…

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The Strange Story of Syrah in the Finger Lakes

It’s easy to get confused about red wine in the Finger Lakes these days. Is there a ‘flagship’ red variety? Is it pinot in the hands of the right people? Is it cabernet franc, that workhorse that occasionally finds profundity? How about lemberger/blaufrankish? When did that bandwagon hit a massive pothole? And now here comes syrah. If you grew up on west coast syrah or Australian shiraz, syrah seems an unlikely choice for the Finger Lakes. But that ignores its happiest home, which happens to be the much cooler Northern Rhone. No, Cote-Rotie is not Seneca Lake, but nor is…

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