Posts Written OnJanuary 2016

#NYTastemaker: Zack Klug | Liten Buffel

“Tastemaker” is a term typically used to describe a person — either a sommelier or writer in the wine world — who decides what is good, cool or otherwise interesting. With our new #NYTastemaker profiles, I’ve decided to usurp the term to mean someone who actually makes the wines, ciders, spirits, etc. that we love. A “tastemaker” should make something, after all. You may not know the name Zack Klug, but I have a feeling you will. After a few years working in various cellars in and around the Niagara Escarpment AVA he — along with business partner Patrick Vaughn — has…

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Weekly New York Wine News — January 18, 2016

Vidal ice wine harvest for Arrowhead Spring Vineyards (photo via Arrowhead Spring Vinyeards) NEWS NorthForker – 1/4/2016 Upstart Southold Farm + Cellar gets a 93 point review from the Wine Enthusiast. WHCU Radio News – 1/12/2016 Heron Hill Winery pledges to help save and protect the rare white deer of Seneca Lake. Brandon Sun – 1/13/2016 Associated Press piece about winter finally coming to facilitate the Finger Lakes Ice Wine harvest Spotlight News – 1/16/2016 Long time Capital District area wine and spirit shop, changes location in Delaware Plaza and plans to offer an even larger selection of New York…

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Sheldrake Point Vineyards 2013 Dry Riesling

Dry riesling (that is actually dry — but that’s another topic for another day) is harder to make that many people realize. Without careful, thoughtful decisions in the vineyard and in the cellar, you can be left with that I always refer to as “lemon water” — shrill, acidic wines that have a pithy, often-bitter citrus note but little else in terms of flavor or concentration. With Sheldrake Point Vineyards 2013 Dry Riesling ($16) winemaker Dave Breeden shows his deft touch. Aromas of lemon-lime, dried pineapple and just a bit of peach lead into a palate that is crackling with acidity…

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From the Archives: TasteCamp 2009 — An Interview with Remy Charest

Editor’s Note: Every Thursday — call it Throwback Thursday if you’d like — I’ll pull a story from the more than a decade of NYCR stories and republish it. This week’s post is an interview I did with Remy Charest right after the first-ever TasteCamp — which was held right here on Long Island in almost seven years ago. Remy hasn’t missed a TasteCamp since and has become a vital cog in putting the event on as a permanent member of the planning committee. We announced this year’s TasteCamp earlier this week. I keep forgetting to mention that TasteCamp EAST 2009 was actually…

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Southold Farm + Cellar 2014 “Counting Stars” Sparkling Petit Verdot

With Southold Farm + Cellars 2014 “Counting Stars” ($28) — a sparkling red wine made from 100% petit verdot grapes — co-owner and winemaker Regan Meador has created what might be the most food-versatile wine available on Long Island today. That’s not a declaration that I take lightly, either. A lot of people thought he was a little crazy (maybe he is) for making sparkling wine from petit verdot — a late-ripening variety most often used to add color, tannin and acid to red wine blends — but ultimately, it’s petit verdot’s character that makes this wine such a great complement to so…

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#NYTastemaker: Peter Bell | Fox Run Vineyards

“Tastemaker” is a term typically used to describe a person — typically either a sommelier or writer in the wine world — who decides what is good, cool or otherwise interesting. With our new #NYTastemaker profiles, I’ve decided to usurp the term to mean someone who is making the wines, ciders, spirits, etc. that we taste. The traditional “tastemaker” doesn’t really make anything, after all. Not really, anyway. Peter Bell, winemaker at Fox Run Vineyards, has been a reader of the New York Cork Report (and LENNDEVOURS before that) for many years. He’s also served as an informal proofreader, often sending…

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Announcing TasteCamp 2016: Vermont

The organizers of TasteCamp are proud to announce that the event will make it’s return this spring in Vermont on June 3-5, 2016. After visiting Long Island and the Finger Lakes, the Niagara Region, Virginia, Quebec and most recently the Hudson Valley, this weekend of regional discovery will focus on Vermont in search of great wine, but also of cider, beer and various food specialties. More than 35 bloggers and writers are expected for TasteCamp 2016: Vermont, which will provide participants with the usual mix of great meetings with producers, grand tastings, vineyard (and orchard) visits and, of course, one of the great traditions…

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Weekly New York Wine News — January 11, 2016

This week’s featured photo is from Hosmer Winery’s Facebook page. NEWS WineBusiness.com – 1/1/2015 Long Island Wine announces it’s new approach to branding and regional identity. Rochester Democrat & Chronicle – 1/4/2013 Winter’s late arrival finally allowed the Finger Lakes ice wine harvest to begin at Casa Larga. Finger Lakes Wine Info – 1/5/2016 A view from Kemmeter Wines – 10 Questions for Johannes Reinhardt WXXI News – 1/10/2016 Since the inception of the New York Wine and Grape Foundation over 30 years ago, Jim Trezise has been its Executive Director…he’s retiring from that position and a change of leadership is expected by…

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From the Archives: Roanoke Vineyards Debuts on the North Fork

Editor’s Note: Every Thursday — call it Throwback Thursday if you’d like — we’ll pull a story from the more than a decade of NYCR stories and republish it. As you may or may not know, Roanoke Vineyards’ primary tasting room — the one on Sound Avenue — closed to the public at the end of December. It will re-open February 1 after some renovations only for wine club members. That got me thinking back to when Roanoke first opened and the first time I wrote about them back in November of 2004, when this story first appeared on the site. This summer,…

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Corks of the Forks: 5 Resolutions for a Local Wine Drinker

I’ll be the first to admit that I think New Year’s resolutions are a bit silly, which is why I rarely proclaim them privately — let alone publicly, in print. Would I like to lose some weight? Sure, and I will. Should I be a nicer person and help others? Absolutely. I’ll try to do that, too. Without measurement and being held accountable, these types of resolutions often fall by the wayside around Feb. 1 every year. But when it comes to the wine portion of my life — what’s left over after a full-time day job in a high-tech…

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