Posts Written OnFebruary 2015

Uncork the Forks: These Long Island wines aged gracefully (northforker.com)

For a few months now, I’ve been writing a wine column “Uncork the Forks” for northforker.com — one of the few local outlets that shows any real interest in Long Island wine coverage. It’s been a fun project and I figured I should start pointing out my columns here on NYCR. My most recent column focused on a tasting of four North Fork reds from 2002-2006. You can read it here. And if you have any Bedell Cellars 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon in your cellar, we need to be friends so we can drink it together. Uncork the Forks: These Long Island…

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Dining Among the (2014) Wines at Anthony Road Wine Company

The winter weather outside was frightful, but inside the production building at Anthony Road Winery the scene was warm and inviting for the recent “Cellar Sampler: Dine Among the Wines” event. Wine cellar dinners have been gaining in popularity, and a crowd of nearly three dozen food and wine lovers attended the sold-out event that was hosted by Anthony Road Head Winemaker, Peter Becraft. The evening featured four of Anthony Road’s unreleased wines that were artfully paired with dishes that had been prepared by chefs Rune Hilt and Guilietta Racciatti of Red Dove Tavern in Geneva, NY. Unlike most formal wine tasting…

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Weekly New York Wine News — February 23, 2015

NEWS Syracuse.com - 2/19/2015 Wine review: Tasting Swedish Hill’s award-winning pinot grigio (Video). Poughkeepsie Journal - 2/19/2015 New York State ranks as one of the biggest producers of grapes and apples in the country again this year. Democrat & Chronicle - 2/20/2015 Fermentation and Distillation businesses are booming in the Rochester region, but is still a fraction of it’s historical peak. Daily Voice - 2/20/2015 Wine Doing Good - Wine Tasting Dinner in Tarrytown raises $300,000 for Food Bank. Wine Spectator - 2/20/2015 James Molesworth releases his comprehensive 2014 report scoring of more than 200 Finger Lakes wines. Troy Record - 2/21/2015 Industry…

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Forge Cellars 2013 Pinot Noir “Classique”

Assumptions and generalizations. In recent weeks they have crept into more than a couple wine-related discussions I’ve had. As with regular, every-day life, they are silly, even dangerous, things that can make us appear ignorant or worse. In wine, they are crutches that even the most intrepid writer/critic/thinker will fall back on in a pinch. Of course many of them are based in fact — at least tangentially. Take the idea that red wines from the 2013 Finger Lakes vintage can’t or won’t be good. I haven’t heard anyone laud the season for any grape. The growing season was a wet…

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Weekly New York Wine News — February 16, 2015

NEWS San Francisco Gate - 2/9/2015 American AgCredit Sweepstake Winemakers - Peter Weis gets the wine making props for the Dr. Konstantin Frank 2013 Semi Dry Riesling. Democrat & Chronicle - 2/11/2015 Keuka Lake wines take top slots at the Florida State Fair International Wine Competition, Dr. Frank and Arbor Hill among other New York medal winners. Ithaca.com - 2/14/2015 Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards plans 30th anniversary celebrations throughout the 2015 season. Examiner - 2/15/2015 Bill Dowd gets the scoop on the new release of the Herman J. Wiemer 2011 Blanc de Noirs sparkling wine the first in nine years. Examiner -…

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Argyle Brewing Company India Pale Ale (IPA)

Argyle Brewing Company is the first farm brewery to open in Washington County, NY. Ironically, Argyle takes its name from the “dry” town that one of the owners hails from. Their beer is brewed down the road in neighboring Greenwich, NY since “a successful brewery needs to sell its product.” The founders chose the name in order to pay homage to the hard working farmers and factory workers of Argyle. Their concept of sourcing hops and barley locally will help to bolster the surrounding farms and economy, befitting for a company that was born of local pride. I was unaware…

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North Fork Wines Take A Field Trip To Racines NY BYO Mondays

If you’ve suffered through my cooking, you know there’s certainly no meal coming from my kitchen that’s worthy of a special bottle of wine. In fact, drinking something quickly is your best method of defense. I tend to hoard long-held vintages or the Brunello procured on a magical vacation for an event where corkage is appropriate or find that rare BYOB restaurant of a certain caliber. Occasionally, I miss a drinkability window and I curse my principals and wish I’d just opened that bottle with a takeout turkey burger. Having the luxury of endless access to Long Island wine, they…

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Weekly New York Wine News — February 9, 2015

NEWS Observer Review - 2/3/2015 -A group of more than 100 area businesses has written a letter to Gov. Andrew Cuomo in opposition of Crestwood’s proposed liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) storage project in salt caverns along Seneca Lake. Examiner.com - 2/5/2015 The Shawangunk Wine Trail announced the new “Hudson Valley Wine Tasting Passport” that covers each of the Trail’s 14 members wineries. The Telegram - 2/6/2015 Winemakers experimenting with native grapes yield interesting results. “I recently tasted the Cuvée d’Amour 2011 from the Dr. Konstantin Frank winery in the Finger Lakes region of New York, which is made from their own…

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Corin Hirsch to Cover the Hudson River Valley for NYCR

Today I’m happy to announce that Corin Hirsch, a writer and beverage lover I met a few years ago at TasteCamp, has joined the NYCR team. Corin is an enthusiastic drinker, a history geek, and a freshly minted resident of the Hudson Valley, though she grew up in a cul-de-sac on Long Island. Before she joined the white-collar ranks, she worked as a used book buyer, hot-dog-hawker, sandwich maker, and barmaid, the last at a 16th-century pub in rural England. She’s spent almost her entire professional life in publishing — as a reporter, editor, designer, and art director. For the…

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Medolla Vineyards 2004 Merlot

It’s rare that one can go buy a fully mature Long Island wine right off the shelf, but Medolla Vineyards offers that opportunity with the current release Medolla Vineyards 2004 Merlot ($19). Yes. 2004. Current. Release. The Medolla wines are made at Lenz Winery under the watchful eye of Lenz winemaker Eric Fry. The 2002 was one of the most underrated merlots on the North Fork when it was released and the 2007 was a killer value a few years ago when it hit shelves. The 2004 — no doubt given extra time in bottle to even out some of the rustic…

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