Posts Written OnMay 2013

Red Tail Ridge Winery 2010 “RTR Vineyard” Teroldego

I don’t have a lot of experience with the teroldego grape. In fact, the first one I ever tasted was the sparkling rendition Nancy Irelan makes at Red Tail Ridge Winery. So, it was with a completely blank slate that I approached Irelan’s Red Tail Ridge Winery 2010 Teroldego ($35) — this time the still version. Color fetishists will no doubt appreciate the dark, almost inky color of this wine, but I’m more interested in its other attributes. Blueberry preserves and ripe strawberry aromas are joined by notes of fennel, Chinese Five Spice and hints of toasty vanilla. Round and…

Sheldrake Point’s Madill Joins Team at Red Newt Cellars Too

Bob Madill, one of the founders of Sheldrake Point Vineyards on Cayuga Lake, has accepted a new role as Wine Director of Red Newt Cellars on Seneca Lake. Madill, the longtime general manager at Sheldrake, says he will perform duties for both operations. At Red Newt, Madill will oversee the wine program from the tasting room to the restaurant, and already there are changes. Madill wants to take advantage of Red Newt’s extensive wine library, which contains dozens of older Finger Lakes wines, some more than a decade old. To combat the consternation some diners might have when it comes…

Event: Celebrate Mother’s Day with Roanoke on Love Lane

Roanoke Vineyards realizes that there’s nothing a mother deserves more than a good meal and some good wine.  In this spirit, they are hosting a Stroll Down Love Lane this Friday evening, May 10, in celebration of Mother’s Day. The wining and dining will get off to a proper celebratory start at The Mattituck Florist with some bubbly, in the form of Wolffer’s 2008 Sparkling Blanc de Blanc, Brut.  After that The Village Cheese Shop will offer a variety of savory pairings with the aid of two of Roanoke’s wines.  The 2011 The Wild! Chardonnay will be served with prosciutto…

No Shortcuts: Villa Bellangelo Steams Forward with Ambitious Plan to Establish a New Sense of Place

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Lindsay Prichard, an avid NYCR reader who wanted to share his passion for Finger Lakes wines with other readers.  The long, cold weeks of winter provide a well-deserved rest between the frenzy of the previous autumn’s harvest and the bustle of the upcoming spring and summer. In the vineyards, snow blankets the ground and the vines hang silent and bare. In the wineries, the long hours of the previous harvest are over. Winter is a time for the region to catch its collective breath before the vineyards burst back to life and the migrating multitudes of…

The NYCR Preview to Long Island Craft Beer Week

The Third Annual Long Island Craft Beer Week is actually 10 days if you count the pregame, and I don’t  mind that at all. From May 10 through the 19 expect to see plenty of alehouses and beer-centric watering holes promoting and pouring Long Island craft brew. The festivities begin May 9 with a free pint glass pickup happening at multiple locations (register here for yours) and a pre-game Cask Kickoff tasting at Croxley’s Ale House.  One of the larger kickoff events will be “Bayfest 2013” held outside of Great South Bay Brewery. GSB will play host to more than 20 New York…

Red Tail Ridge Winery 2010 Blaufrankisch

Red Tail Ridge Winery 2010 Blaufrankisch ($23) is another wine that supports the case for Blaufrankisch in the Finger Lakes, even if it’s completely different from the one I reviewed yesterday. Made from fruit grown just up the road in the Martini Family Vineyard (the Martini family owns Anthony Road Wine Company), this wine is a standout because of it’s purity and and freshness. The nose shows floral high notes backed by intense, distinct aromas of red cherries and just-crushed red raspberries. Medium-light bodied and crunchy at the edges, the palate shows more of that clean red, brambly fruit and…