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Posts Written OnApril 2014

Finding Inspiration in the Finger Lakes, by Regan Meador, Southold Farm + Cellar

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Getting past New York City with a trailer overloaded with 350 gallons of wine had been a major milestone. As the truck lurched and faded, lurched and faded, every bang of a pothole had me questioning my decision on this endeavor, but I still had four hours to go until the Finger Lakes. I was taking perfectly good still red wine to Bellwether Wine Cellars in Trumansburg so I could turn it into an ode to dry lambrusco (an endeavor that had given more than a few colleagues on Long Island a good laugh). I needed to use their pressurization…

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Villa Bellangelo and Winemaker Ian Barry Part Ways

Former Villa Bellangelo winemaker Ian Barry.

Villa Bellangelo has decided to end its employment of winemaker Ian Barry, and the winery is launching a search for a new winemaker immediately. Barry was hired by Bellangelo in 2011 when the Missick family arrived from California to set in motion a dramatic change at the Seneca Lake facility. Known for a quirky Italian theme and a lineup of sweeter wines, the Missicks purchased Bellangelo with the intention of joining the regional elite. Barry, an award-winning winemaker with experience at several Finger Lakes producers, was hired to improve the wines. “Ian Barry assisted Bellangelo during an important transition,” said Chris Missick in a statement. “Most…

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Suhru Wines 2013 Sauvignon Blanc

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  Though young (it seems like we’re seeing more and more new-vintage whites released before Memorial Day every year, aren’t we?) Suhru Wines 2013 Sauvignon Blanc ($19) showed well in a recent tasting with aromas of passion fruit, peach and pink grapefruit accented by a grassy spearmint note. Fuller bodied but still fresh, the palate delivers mostly lemon and grapefruit citrus notes with only subtle tropical fruit and grassy-herbal character. Though a bit hollow on the mid-palate, the finish is medium-long and balanced with ripe fruit notes lingering nicely. I like this wine enough that it will be in an…

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Announcement: “NYCR 2010 Reds Tasting Report” Tasting June 7 (CANCELED)

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Note: We have decided to cancel this tasting. More information coming soon about our next tasting. Over the winter, as the editorial board and I looked at NYCR and what we wanted to do with it in 2014, expanding our Tasting Reports program was to be a big part of it. The plan was to conduct six such tastings that would cover a wide range of grapes and styles from around the state of New York. Unfortunately, it quickly became apparent that pulling that many tastings together with a group of part-time volunteers (which is what we all are) would be exceedingly…

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Lieb Cellars 2013 Bridge Lane Chardonnay

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  When Lieb Cellars’ new Bridge Lane 2013 Chardonnay ($15) is released this summer, it won’t be available in a 3L box (it’s white blend cousin is available in one) but at $15/bottle and $260/disposable keg (retail) — which works out to $10/bottle — it’s one of the best white wine values to be found on the North Fork. In fact, positioned and sold correctly, it could help get local wines on more by-the-glass wine lists across the metro area. Not, it’s not particularly complex or nuanced, but it is a fresh, versatile steel chardonnay that is as at home on the beach as it…

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What We Drank (April 1, 2014)

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Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor: Paumanok Vineyards 2012 Riesling Saturday night, we hosted three couples — new-ish friends we’ve made through our first grader, actually — for drinks before heading out to dinner together to our local BYO joint. I pulled nearly a case of New York wines from my cellar and I could easily have picked any of them for WWD this week. Instead, I’m going to write about this bottle that one of the couple brought for us as a “host/hostess gift.” It’s rare that someone brings wine to my house (why? I WANT it as a gift, always) and I hadn’t…

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