Aromas of sweet candied lemons and and dried apricots lead into an extremely fruity palate oozing with lemon and peach candy and just a hint of foxiness. Though off-dry (2.5% RS), crunchy acidity (9 g/L) brings solid balance. Simple and somewhat short, but refreshing and well-priced at $10. Producer: Hunt Country Vineyards AVA: Finger Lakes ABV: 12% Price: $10* (2.5 out of 5, Average-to-Very Good)
On the first night that acclaimed restaurant Suzanne Fine Regional Cuisine was open during Finger Lakes Restaurant Week, owner Bob Stack found that nearly half his customers had ordered the all-local Restaurant Week menu. Some of those customers had come specifically for the event; others hadn’t known, but were eager to try the chef’s special hyper-local creations when given the option. “We’re off to a wonderful start,” Stack told me as we finished our meal on the deck overlooking Seneca Lake. “We’re very curious to find out how other restaurants are doing with it. We think it’s a great idea.”…
The May 29 storms that hit the Finger Lakes brought a variety of rough weather elements, including hail. A few bursts of hail were large and destructive, and while most Finger Lakes wineries were not affected, Cayuga Ridge Winery is now confirming a loss of nearly 100%. [pullquote_right] It’s been an emotional time here. We work all season to ensure a healthy harvest, and in a short time it was all destroyed.” [/pullquote_right] “The hail hit us for about ten minutes on that Tuesday afternoon,” said Mary Jane Kircher, whose family owns and operates Cayuga Ridge. “There were pockets…
There are still some seats left for our next New York Cork Report “Drink Local Dinner,” this Friday, June 15 at Amarelle in Wading River, featuring five wines from Anthony Road Wine Company, located on Seneca Lake in the Finger Lakes. It’s rare that a Finger Lakes winemaker comes down to Long Island for a dinner like this one, so we’re excited that German-born winemaker Johannes Reinhardt will be with us to talk not only about the wines, but the stories and work behind them. Johannes will also be at Empire State Cellars the following evening pouring many of the same wines for customers.…
Finger Lakes winemaker Vinny Aliperti is taking on Shakespeare, whether he knows it or not. It was The Bard who famously wrote, in Romeo & Juliet, “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” It was his typically poetic way of saying that what we call something doesn’t matter; the content of that thing is what matters. Maybe not. Maybe a name matters enough to affect public perception. Aliperti finds that to be true with rosé. Some Finger Lakes wineries have seen steady growth in sales and production of rosé, while others have stagnated. Some of that stagnation…
[quote]The New York Wine & Culinary Center will excite, inspire and engage New Yorkers and the world in a celebration, understanding and appreciation of New York wine and food through educational programming and partnerships, making it a part of their everyday lives.[/quote] That excerpt from the New York Wine and Culinary Center’s (NYWCC) website would seem to say it all. New York deserves a place to showcase its agricultural wonders without the distraction of other regions. Unfortunately, according to a recent email newsletter from the New York Wine & Grape Foundation, the newly renovated restaurant at the NYWCC, now known as…
We have the menu and pairings for our next New York Cork Report “Drink Local Dinner” on June 15 Amarelle in Wading River, featuring five wines from Anthony Road Wine Company, located on Seneca Lake in the Finger Lakes. We’re excited that German-born winemaker Johannes Reinhardt will be with us to talk not only about the wines, but the stories and work behind them. Johannes will also be at Empire State Cellars the following evening pouring many of the same wines for customers. Seats are $75 plus tax and gratuity, so call Amarelle at 631.886.2242 to reserve your spot today. Anthony Road Wine Company…
Over the last 12-18 months the United Kingdom has emerged a potentially important market for New York — and other East Coast — wines. In fact, delegations from the Finger Lakes and Long Island are there right now for the 2012 London International Wine Fair. Now, more New York wineries than ever are looking even further east for new markets — all the way to China. A handful of wineries, including Channing Daughters Winery, Lieb Family Cellars and Pindar Vineyards, already sell or have sold wine in China. But, later today, Empire State Cellars, the New York-only tasting room and shop in Riverhead,…
When Paul and Shannon Brock purchased Silver Thread Vineyard last summer, I immediately wondered about their first vintage and wines. 2011 was a challenge for even the most experienced growers — growers who had been taking care of their vines for the entire growing season. The Brocks came in in what amounts to the fourth quarter of the game. Having tasted a few of Paul’s first wines (he’s the winemaker), those worries seem to be unwarranted. The Silver Thread 2011s deliver the same bright, clean flavors as many of those he made at Lamoreaux Landing a few years ago. Silver Thread…
I’m not even going to ask, because I know that most of you have never heard of the Noiret grape. Developed by Cornell University, it’s one of the newer hybrids out there (it’s a cross between NY65.0467.08 and Steuben), having been released in 2006. According to Cornell’s Bruce Reisch, wines made from Noiret “are free of the hybrid aromas typical of many other red hybrid grapes. The distinctive red wine is richly colored and has notes of green and black pepper, with raspberry and mint aromas, and a fine tannin structure.” It ripens mid-season too, which has mad it an increasingly popular…