Browsing CategoryFinger Lakes

Silver Thread Vineyard 2012 Blackbird

Well-priced, fresh and food friendly, Silver Thread Vineyard 2012 Blackbird ($22) is a blend of 68% cabernet franc, 21% merlot, 11% cabernet sauvignon — and you can smell taste all that cab franc. Black cherry and red raspberry aromas are accented by savory notes of grilled herbs and mushroom. The medium-bodied palate features similar character with a earthy umami edge and a finish that begs another bite of food. We enjoyed it with smoky grilled pork chops recently. Producer: Silver Thread Vineyard AVA: Finger Lakes Barrel Program: 8 months in American oak Production: 340 cases Price: $22

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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…

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In the Finger Lakes, Finally, Female Winemakers are Becoming More Common

It was inevitable that women would conquer wine, and winemaking, as a small-but-not-unrelated stop on their way to conquering the top government posts that they have long been owed, in this country and others. Men have ruled for too long, and look where that’s gotten the world: on the brink of nuclear annihilation, or financial ruin, or The Singularity, or some such embarrassing way to ruin this improbable oasis in a heretofore barren universe. From the Russian satellites to Syria to the job markets to the pathetic level of political discourse, blame the men. We’ve proven ourselves incapable stewards. Anyway,…

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No, We’re Not Number 3: The Trouble with Bad Lists

The Finger Lakes is not the third-best wine destination in the world. And this should not offend anyone in the Finger Lakes. It should offend the nice people at the Huffington Post, or Viator, or wherever this list originated. For the past several days, I’ve seen a long list of people on social media celebrating this ostensible award. Several people posted the list on my Facebook timeline, declaring it another signal of the world’s respect for the Finger Lakes. And on that score, I guess, maybe, sure. But there’s actually a danger here. No one from Bordeaux is celebrating their…

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Kemmeter Wines 2012 Sheldrake Point Vineyard Riesling

Kemmeter Wines 2012 “Sheldrake Point Vineyard” Riesling ($24) is a classy, expertly balanced riesling from what will likely go down as a classic riesling vintage in the Finger Lakes — one that shows ripeness and intensity without the flabby softness of some other warmer seasons. Mixed  citrus — tangering, lemon and lime — aromas are layered with notes of pear, green apple, papaya and wet river stones on an expressive-but-restrained nose. Medium bodied with subtle sweetness that is balanced by juicy acidity, the palate shows intricate citrus and pomme fruit flavors that match the nose. There is a precision and…

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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…

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New Survey Shows Why 2014 was the Worst Winter in the Finger Lakes in Years

The most devastating winter in more than a decade has left behind millions of dollars of damage to the Finger Lakes wine industry. Thanks to a survey from the Cornell University Cooperative Extension Finger Lakes Grape Program, we’re learning just how serious the winter losses could be. Over the last two weeks of March, researchers cut more than 14,000 buds and collected more than 100 samples of vinifera. Teams visited 20 different sites, from vineyards on Seneca, Keuka, Cayuga, Canandaigua, and Skaneateles Lakes. The staff attempted to collect buds from a variety of locations even within single vineyard sites — buds from high up, buds from…

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Finding Inspiration in the Finger Lakes, by Regan Meador, Southold Farm + Cellar

Getting past New York City with a trailer overloaded with 350 gallons of wine had been a major milestone. As the truck lurched and faded, lurched and faded, every bang of a pothole had me questioning my decision on this endeavor, but I still had four hours to go until the Finger Lakes. I was taking perfectly good still red wine to Bellwether Wine Cellars in Trumansburg so I could turn it into an ode to dry lambrusco (an endeavor that had given more than a few colleagues on Long Island a good laugh). I needed to use their pressurization…

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Villa Bellangelo and Winemaker Ian Barry Part Ways

Villa Bellangelo has decided to end its employment of winemaker Ian Barry, and the winery is launching a search for a new winemaker immediately. Barry was hired by Bellangelo in 2011 when the Missick family arrived from California to set in motion a dramatic change at the Seneca Lake facility. Known for a quirky Italian theme and a lineup of sweeter wines, the Missicks purchased Bellangelo with the intention of joining the regional elite. Barry, an award-winning winemaker with experience at several Finger Lakes producers, was hired to improve the wines. “Ian Barry assisted Bellangelo during an important transition,” said Chris Missick in a statement. “Most…

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Billsboro Winery 2012 Pinot Gris

Billsboro Winery‘s 2012 Pinot Gris ($16) is an under-stated wine that shows delicate aromas of mandarin orange and pink grapefruit backed by lightly floral notes and and interesting blanched-almond quality that emerges as the wine warms. Light-bodied and with just a bit of residual sugar (1%) that shows on the mid-palate, it’s fresh and lightly fruity with apricot, grapefruit and citrus blossom flavors.  The finish shows a bit of pithy citrus that combines with vivacious acidity to help it finish dry and refreshing. Producer: Billsboro Winery AVA: Finger Lakes RS: 1% ABV: 11.5% TA: 9.4 g/L pH: 2.86 Production: 274 cases Price: $16* (3 out of…

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