Posts Written ByLindsay Prichard

Introducing “Finger Lakes Wine By the Numbers”

Earlier this year, NYCR set out to gather data on the Finger Lakes wine industry to get a better understanding of several aspects of the industry. The method was simple: we gathered data from industry, winery and reseller websites regarding the wines from Finger Lakes producers that were being offered online. Admittedly, it was not a scientific data collection, and the information was only as accurate and complete as the sites provided. But we did gather data on more than one hundred wineries and nearly two thousand wines, which provided a significantly large sample size for our review. And because…

Anthony Road Winery Teams with the New York Yankees for 2013 Riesling

It wasn’t in the morning box score, but the 2014 season marked the Major League Baseball debut of a Finger Lakes native. Seneca Lake winery, Anthony Road Wine Company, teamed up with the New York Yankees and Major League Baseball to introduce New York YankeesTM Reserve Dry Riesling, a custom-bottled version of its Dry Riesling. Yes, it’s the same wine as the standard Dry Riesling. But labels have drawing power, and the New York Yankees offer one of the most powerful brands in the marketing world. In addition to the Yankees, a handful of major league franchises, including the Boston…

Anthony Road Winery Redesigns its Labels

One of the Finger Lakes Wine industry’s iconic brands is getting a new look. Anthony Road Winery is introducing a fresh, new label for its eponymously titled line of wines. Beginning this year, all new releases will bear a label meant to be stylish and modern. The new label prominently features an abstract art design. The previous Anthony Road label had been used for the past dozen years and was more traditional and understated in style. According to associate winemaker Peter Becraft, the winery had been considering an update to the Anthony Road wine series label for some time before…

Experiencing Riesling at Villa Bellangelo

Although there is no known method for preventing the “Polar Vortex Blues”, a wine dinner is an effective remedy. A group of nearly forty food and wine lovers discovered this at “The Riesling Experience” wine dinner that was recently held at Villa Bellangelo. The evening featured a seven-course dinner of wonderfully prepared dishes that had been created by Chef Mike Colvin (Beef and Brew in Geneva) along with rieslings from Villa Bellangelo’s 2011, 2012 and 2013 vintages. Featured among the wines was the limited release 2012 Villa Bellangelo 1866 Reserve Riesling. The 2012 vintage is a blend of two rieslings that were produced from grapes grown…

New Single Wheel Wine Aims for High End — and Looks to Customers Beyond the Finger Lakes

Single Wheel Wine recently joined the growing number of single-vineyard rieslings that are being produced in the Finger Lakes with the release of its 2012 vintage. The wine is produced by Hosmer Winery and is made from grapes that are grown in their Patrician Verona vineyard on the west side of Cayuga Lake. The concept behind single-vineyard wines is that a wine that is produced from grapes that are grown in a single, specific location has more consistency in characteristics and quality, and conveys a clearer sense of place than a blended wine. In the case of Single Wheel, the intent is to capture that sense…

Searching for — and Finding — Distinctiveness in Finger Lakes Pinot Noir

Producing pinot noir is the wine industry’s equivalent to a high-wire act. When done right, it can be spectacular and breathtaking. But it requires courage and commitment, and leaves little margin for error. Pinot noir is a thin-skinned grape that requires a cool climate with moderate temperatures to be successfully cultivated. Excessive heat can rob the fruit of flavor and acidity. While it is fairly adaptable to different soil types (provided that the soil drains well), it also requires a certain amount of precipitation and long hang time for the variety’s characteristic aromas and complex flavors to develop. Despite conventional…