Posts Written OnMay 2015

New York Cork Club: June 2015 Selections

We’re getting ready to ship the June 2015 wines for the New York Cork Club, so I wanted to tell you a bit about them. (If you missed our announcement about the rebirth of New York Cork Club, check it out here.)In the next week or so, members will get:Element Winery 2011 Syrah ($36) — Wow. This wine pushes the boundaries of what we want to include price-wise, but it’s so limited (90 cases) and so delicious (think Northern Rhone meets Finger Lakes) that we just had to include it. Bellwether Wine Cellars 2014 Dry Rose ($16) — A blend of cabernet franc, gamay…

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Anthony Nappa Wines 2014 Anomaly White Pinot Noir

I consider this wine a rose, though winemaker Anthony Nappa often refuses to call it one when we talk, preferring to call it a white pinot noir. Some years it’s whiter than others, but I consider it a rose regardless of color because of how it drinks — like a rose. Anthony Nappa Wines 2014 Anomaly ($20) is made with pinot noir grown both in the Finger Lakes and on Long Island because Nappa thinks that “a combination of New York’s two most prominent winegrowing regions complements each other and brings nice balance to this wine.” Unlike so many marketing messages in the wine world, I…

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Terence Daly Joins NYCR Beer Desk

There was a time in this site’s history when we tried to cover every corner of New York’s exciting and ever-changing food beverage industry. We had an entire team of beer writers. We even had some food writers along the way. Then I decided to scale back and focus almost exclusively on wine — with Gibson sticking around writing beer reviews for us here and there. That was the going-forward plan until I got to talking with my friend Terence Daly the other day. I met Terence when we were both working at Brewology. He drove and continues to drive…

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Weekly New York Wine News — May 25, 2015

Photo via Shinn Estate Vineyards New York wines still sweeping up awards, a new winery restaurant, new winery owners, and a new association on the East End of Long Island — plus new things on the horizon in the Finger Lakes. NEWS Albany Times Union - 5/18/2015 New York Wines take home close to 150 awards at the recent Tasters Guild International Wine Competition, including six Double Golds by unanimous vote of the judging panels. New York Times - 5/20/2015 Found among a list of new resto action in the metro and Long Island look for WÖLFFER KITCHEN on Main Street in Sag…

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Harbes Vineyard 2014 Dry Rose

I’ve been tasting a lot of Long Island rose over the past few weeks — both because it’s the season and because I was researching a story that will be published in the Long Island Wine Press next month. Like any category, Long Island rose is always a mixed bag. There are wines that you know will always be good, regardless of vintage. There are wines you always want to be good, but underwhelm. And then there are the wines that surprise you — either in a good or bad way. Harbes Vineyard 2014 Dry Rose ($18) was a pleasant surprise…

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Leonard Oakes Winery 2012 Reserve Series Syrah

“I’m not convinced about its place up here — but we had to give it a shot.” That’s one of the first things winemaker Jonathan Oakes told me when I asked about his soon-to-be-released syrah. Syrah is far from widely planted in the region, but most of what I’ve tasted has been delicious. And, after tasting Oakes’, I’m more convinced than ever at the grapes potential in and near the Niagara Escarpment AVA. Aged in heavily toasted American oak — even if the majority was two and three years old — Leonard Oakes Estate Winery 2012 Reserve Series Syrah ($23) shows a…

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Stoutridge a Uniquely Local Winery

Stephen Osborn at Stoutridge Vineyard

Stephen Osborn at Stoutridge Vineyard What started as a grand experiment, one with results that were successful beyond anyone’s expectations, Stoutridge Vineyard is a very unique winery. In 2001, founders Stephen Osborn and Kim Wagner set out to prove a thesis, they believed that great New York wines could be made truly locally, with local grape species, using the most simple, Old World, terrior-driven vinification processes — some call this “natural” wine making. To achieve wines that taste like they truly come from here. Their wines are perhaps like no others you have ever had. The best way I can begin to…

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Weekly New York Wine News — May 18, 2015

Gamay vines being planted at Whitecliff Vineyard’s new site in Hudson, NY The weather has turned towards summer and everyone is out and about…farmers in the field, bikers on wine trails, politicians on photo ops, and festival season is upon us. NEWS WNYT - 5/12/2015 Bill moving forward in the New York State Legislature to control actions of the SLA brought to light in the Empire Wine case. Ottawa Citizen - 5/15/2015 A couple on bicycles file a brief report on their tour around a portion of the Adirondack Coast Wine Trail, near the shore of Lake Champlain. Finger Lakes Times…

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Wolffer Estate 2014 “Summer in a Bottle” Rose

Much like the season that inspired its name, Wolffer Estate Vineyard‘s “Summer in a Bottle” Rose has been hot since its debut last spring. The initial 1,500 or so cases were gone seemingly before summer had hit its stride. Winemaker Roman Roth made nearly four times as much in 2014 (5,700 cases) so it should be around at least a bit longer into the season, which is a very good thing. Wolffer Estate Vineyards 2014 “Summer in a Bottle” Rose ($24) shows aromas of strawberries and mixed melons — orange and green. It’s not as brightly aromatic as its sister rose, but it’s not muted either.…

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Weekly New York Wine News — May 11, 2015

Photo courtesy of Wagner Vineyards via Facebook Wine, beer and ciders of New York in the news this week. A big riesling release party coming up, and remember…May is Finger Lakes Wine month. NEWS RedFin Blog - 4/15/2015 Affordable living near top notch wine country? If there is such a thing, Long Island makes this list… WineBusiness - 5/6/2015 Hazlitt 1852 Red cat and White Cat wines earn a couple of new lives as pre-packaged sangria. Bloomberg Business - 5/7/2015 Cider sophistication increasing and dry New York made versions garner some attention. CBS New York - 5/8/2015 Craft beer is booming on the east…

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