“Balance” is a term that gets bandied about in the wine world. Collectively, “balance” has a meaning that most agree on — a wine is balanced when all the different components (fruit, residual sugar, acidity, tannin, etc.) come together in a harmonious way. A balanced wine doesn’t have protrusions or awkward components. But even if we can agree conceptually on this definition, there is a lot of room for interpretation. A wine that you find perfectly balanced, I may find too oaky. Similarly, what I consider balanced might have too much acidity for you. Context matters too — and that gets us…
Posts Written OnSeptember 2015
Weekly New York Wine News — September 14, 2015
2015 syrah pet nat (Photo courtesy Southold Farm + Cellar) While not yet officially announced, we have it on good authority that at a Hudson Valley wine competition this past weekend, our article from last week turned out to be a bit of fortune telling. NEWS InForum - 9/9/2015 Finger Lakes Kelby James Russell is first mention in a list of recommended rosés from around the world. New York Upstate - 9/10/2015 Dr. Frank Cabernet Sauvignon gets some love in this wine pairing with New York Strip steak. Wall Street Journal - 9/10/2015 Peter Bell of Fox Run Vineyards shares his…
Domaine LeSeurre 2012 Semi Dry Cuvee Classique Riesling
As you may remember from my recent post, I don’t write reviews based on at-winery tastings. I do use those tastings to help identify wines that I want to taste again or learn more about. Such is the case with Domaine LeSeurre 2013 Semi Dry Cuvee Classique Riesling ($19). My visit to the tasting room over the summer was a bit of a let down. It was too warm in the tasting room, leaving the reds well above cellar temperature. The glassware was small and weighty — the kind of glass you expect at a wine-tasting festival perhaps, but not at…
Upper Hudson Wines Smell Like Victory
In 1777, the Battle of Saratoga was declared a decisive turning point in the struggle for American independence. Just a few miles from that pivotal ground, Victory View Vineyard slopes in three directions spinning from Southeast to Southwest situated along the local highway, NY State Route 40, and there they are firing warning shots that herald a new revolution in upstate New York agriculture. The site was selected because of its visibility from the road but it turned out to be a lucky choice because it turns out to be excellent for both air and water drainage. Mary and Gerry Barnhart have a…
Weekly New York Wine News — September 8, 2015
Harvest has begun at Damiani Wine Cellars (Photo courtesy Damiani Wine Cellars) Short week due to the holiday, so the news brief is brief…hope everyone enjoyed the weekend, and please feel free to contact us if you see a NY news story worth sharing. NEWS Cornell Chronicle - 9/2/2015 Cornell President Elizabeth Garrett visits the New York State Fair to follow up on the university’s impact on state agriculture, and while she visited the wine tent and talked economics, someone let her drink a wine slushy. Albany Times Union - 9/5/2015 Washington D.C. is scheduled to get a taste of New…
New York Cork Club: September 2015 Selections
The September 2015 wines for the New York Cork Club will ship soon — thank goodness that the hot weather has started to subside. It’s shipping season! (If you missed our announcement about the rebirth of New York Cork Club, check it out here.) As we head into harvest season this fall, a lot of us start to drink a bit more red wine — but not heavy, oak-laden ones. With that in mind, we’re doing two reds this month, but both are bright and decided not oaky. Just what we like as the last of the summer’s tomatoes move through our…
McCall Wines 2014 “Cuvee Nicola” Sauvignon Blanc”
Earlier this week, I read two articles (you can read them yourself here and here) lamenting the rise and dominance of dry rose in America — not because the authors don’t like rose, but because other summer-ready wines have been been marginalized. There is a lot of rose being made in New York right now — more than ever. Much of it is delicious and I drink a lot of it (all year long), so it’s probably not unusual that so many end up being reviewed on this site. That said, rose isn’t something I consider my “summer wine.” Finger Lakes riesling…
Weekly New York Wine News — August 31, 2015
Photo courtesy of Cayuga Ridge Winery What’s old is new again, the Finger Lakes leave their mark on bloggers, baseball and bookies, tannin vanishing acts, and an upstate beverage summit… NEWS New York Times - 8/18/2015 Paumanok in Long Island and Bloomer Creek in the Finger Lakes ( with help from Pascaline Lepeltier ) play their parts in a plan to revive American appreciation for Chenin Blanc. Star Tribune - 8/26/2015 Bill Ward reminisces about his recent trip to the Finger Lakes, and what Minnesota vintners might learn there. New York Upstate - 8/27/2015 Video review of the New York Yankees…