Browsing CategoryWines of the Year

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor We've added several writers to the NYCR team over the years, but today we welcome Mark Grimaldi to the website as our director of marketing and events — with his focus set squarely on events. With our New York Beverage Artisan Dinners off to a great start — with the next one set to be announced soon — Mark will no doubt be busy coordinating with winemakers, brewers and distillers from across the the state. Mark is also a driving force in our "DRINK LONG ISLAND WINE" sticker program (more on that soon). Many in…

A reminder at Tawse Winery One of the first wines I tasted when I arrived in Niagara-on-the-Lake for TasteCamp 2011 was a riesling. Its crushing acidity very nearly made ceviche out of my tongue. Now before I start to sound like a certain wine critic, I should point out that I cut my wine teeth on Finger Lakes riesling. I like acidity, but I like balance better. An Acid Balancing Act Back to Niagara, where titratable acidity (TA) in rieslings regularly reaches double digits on the grams per liter scale (for Canadians, that's grams per litre). I made it a…

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor Why isn't there more traditionally made sparkling wine in the Finger Lakes? Yes, I know it's more expensive to make than many wines. Yes, I know that it requires a serious investment time-wise. And yes, I know that the prices wineries need to charge for methode champenoise wines may be higher than some are willing to spend. But when done well, Finger Lakes sparkling wine shows so much potential. Take Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars 2006 Blanc de Blanc ($25) for example. They don't make it often — the last one was from the 2001 vintage…

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor I'm always proud of the wines that I pick for the Times Union New York Wine Club because, well, if I weren't, I wouldn't pick them. That said, I'm extra excited about our March 2011 selections. For our Basic-Level Members this month, we have an perennial favorite and a charity-minded newcomer. First, we have Shinn Estate Vineyards 2010 Coalescence, a wine that straddles the line between a white and a rose. Sounds interesting, doesn't it? It's steel-fermented blend of chardonnay, merlot blanc, sauvignon blanc and pinot noir blanc. Fresh and fruity-but-balanced it mostly looks like…

By Tom Mansell, Science Editor In our annual wines of the year tasting, the NYCR staff tasted many, many delicious wines. One of the big winners of the day was Paumanok Vineyards, whose wines swept the three Long Island categories in which they were nominated — Merlot, White Wine and Ice/Dessert Wine). Interestingly, all three of the winning wines (and a fourth wine that was also nominated in the white category) were bottled under screwcap closures. All of the submitted wines showed interesting and in some cases unique aromas and flavors, often bordering on exotic and tropical.   The Wines The NYCR tasting…

By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor "As an industry, we're in love with certainty. But if you're going to make exciting wine, you're going to be on the edge of having flaws." Those are some of the first words offered by the winemaker of Bloomer Creek Vineyard. It's an ethos shared by many winemakers who produce the world's best wines. The concept of "best" wine or "better" wine is fleeting, a bit silly, and easily misguided. We tend to eschew the word "best" on the New York Cork Report.  But spend a few hours with Kim Engle and Debra Bermingham, the…

Here is a sampling of what our editors and contributors have been drinking. Evan Dawson: Local store's recommendation — Ravines 2007 Meritage I had a very strange experience at a local wine store this past Saturday. I picked up a bottle of the Ravines 2007 Meritage at the urging of the gentleman behind the counter in Wine Sense in Rochester. (The store has assumed new ownership; the previous owner was a steadfast supporter of New York wines.) The man told me, "That's the number one Finger Lakes red wine," referencing the NYCR Wines of the Year results. I did not…

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor Christopher Tracy, winemaker and partner at Channing Daughters Winery, is doing some of the most interesting things with chardonnay on Long Island. Of the winery's current offerings there are six different wines that either are or could be labeled "Chardonnay" and three other wines, including this Channing Daughters Winery 2008 Vino Bianco ($20) feature significnat proportions of Long Island's most-planted white grape. Made with 40% chardonnay (Dijon 96 and Musque clones), 30% sauvignon blanc, 20% pinot grigio and 10% tocai fruilano, it shows pretty floral aromatics layered with white pepper, Asian pear, coriander seed, apple,…