Last week, the NYCR team shared some of what they will be drinking tomorrow with Thanksgiving dinner. It was a diverse list to be sure. Now it’s your turn. We want to know what are YOU plan to uncork with your meal tomorrow. Tell us about one bottle. Tell us about all of them. The NYCR team is on vacation until Monday — it’s the least I can do, right? — so have a great Thanksgiving!
Posts Written OnNovember 2013
What We Drank (November 26, 2013)
I thought about letting Michael Gorton have this WWD all to himself — you may be able to guess why from the picture and certainly will be able to below — but ultimately decided to just give him a lot more words than WWD is supposed to be. Again, you’ll see why in a moment. As always, this is a sampling of what our editors and contributors are drinking: Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor: Blue Bee Charred Ordinary Cider I recently had the opportunity to taste a handful of Virginia-made ciders. All were well made and tasty, but one stood out…
Hector Wine Company 2011 Essence (Syrah Blend)
Hector Wine Company 2011 Essence ($25) is a blend of 40% syrah, 40% cabernet sauvignon and 20% merlot. It shows many of the aromas you’d expect from a syrah blend made in cooler vintage. Aromas of black and white pepper, high-toned red fruits and just a bit of blueberry are joined by notes of American oak. Medium-light on the palate, more peppery spice notes and cran-raspberry flavors are overwhelmed a bit by barrel flavors — particularly on the finish. Tannins that I suspect are from barrel rather than skins/seeds are a bit rustic as well. Lacks fruit for balance. Producer: Hector…
Macari Vineyards 2013 “Early Wine” Chardonnay
With all of the chardonnay grown on Long Island, it is unthinkable to me that no one else is making wines like this one. Macari Vineyards 2013 “Early Wine” Chardonnay ($17) isn’t complex. It isn’t the best wine on the North Fork. It isn’t a world changer. What it is, is delicious. And fun. And too many wines forget to be both of those things. The grapes were picked in September 7, and not long after a short fermentation, the finished was bottled right after Halloween. The wine was released on winemaker Kelly Urbanik’s birthday, November 8. Notes of citrus —…
Shinn Estate Vineyards 2012 Haven
After tasting Shinn Estate Vineyards‘ sauvignon blanc-based wines for several vintages now, it is clear that vineyard manager and co-owner Barbara Shinn has a way with the grape and that her piece of land is well suited to the variety. First Fruit, the winery’s steel-fermented sauvignon blanc is a perennial favorite — crunchy with acidity, citrusy, herb-y and faintly saline. Their Haven bottling is a completely different wine, and not just because it has some semillon blended in. The juice that becomes Haven spends extended time on the skins before being fermented by ambient yeasts in French oak. The result is…
The New York Cork Report Guide to Thanksgiving Wine
Thanksgiving wine columns. Editors demand them. Writers write them. Of course, people read them. They must. These “Perfect Thanksgiving Wine” columns are ubiquitous. We don’t like them here, though. We don’t think anyone should worry so much about wine pairings of any sort, for any meal. Wine pairing is often much more about avoiding bad pairings than it is finding the singular “perfect” wine for whatever is on your plate. Barbera is getting a lot of attention this year in Thanksgiving columns. It’s a great pick — fruity, low-tannin and crunch with acidity. But is it t he “perfect Thanksgiving wine?…
Brooklyn Brewery Sorachi Ace
This little 750 ml beauty comes from Brooklyn Brewery. One of the brewery’s regional sales reps and I were discussing local distribution on the East End of Long Island at an event back in the spring. He mentioned that some accounts were dropping their Brooklyn tap lines because they “weren’t craft enough.” This struck me as odd at first, but then I understood. Once a small upstart brewery, opened in 1996, Brooklyn Brewery can now be found in 25 states and 20 countries. This means your favorite sports arena, restaurant and even gas station probably has at least one of their beers. Some of…
Drink Charitably at Long Island’s Harmony Vineyards
When David Acker became the fifth owner of the East Farm property in Head of the Harbor Village in 1998, he knew there was a way to fulfill his dream to use the 32-acre waterfront estate as a charity platform. As a successful entrepreneur and philanthropist, he saw money for others in that fertile ground. The farm, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, had a 300-year old farmhouse, several barns and a continuous tradition of farming that the medical device inventor wanted to maintain. But in his own words, “Tomatoes and green peppers were boring.” So he decided…
Camplese Joins NYCR Team Covering Long Island
I continue to be amazed at how like-minded, local food and wine lovers find one another. Today, I’d like to welcome Kristin Camplese to the NYCR’s Long Island desk. She’s a Pennsylvania native (just like me). She recently moved to Long Island (much like I did 12 years ago). And we have a mutual friend, which is how we met. Of course, I grew up with said friend, sitting behind her in many classes through junior and senior high school because our last names were often consecutive on class rosters. Kristin befriended her when they were both adults. Still —…
5 Questions with… Robin Ross, Arrowhead Spring Vineyards
For those that know Robin Ross, co-owner of Arrowhead Spring Vineyards, it may be difficult to believe that when she met her husband Duncan she wasn’t even a wine drinker. Ross has come a long way since then. She now dedicates herself day and night to the 7-acre vineyard in New York’s Niagara Escarpment, with much of that time in between the vines. If asked 10 years ago if she thought she would be a winery owner working full-time in the wine business, my guess is that she probably would not have said yes. Winemaking was her husband Duncan’s passion,…