Browsing CategoryFinger Lakes

Inspire Moore Winery 2010 “Change” Blaufrankisch

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor Here is yet another delicious Blaufrankisch from the Finger Lakes, with ripe, juicy aromas of blackberry and black raspberry with hints of cassis and a black pepper edge. Showing off the warmth of the 2010 growing season, the medium-to-full bodied palate displays intense red and fruit flavors that remain bright and crunchy because of the fresh acidity. Add a sprinkling of black pepper and you have a wine well suited to the dinner table or your picnic table next to burgers and barbeque. The finish is long shows a certain floral-herbal quality that brings complexity.…

7 Questions with….Erin Flynn, Marketing Manager, Dr. Konstantin Frank Vinifera Wine Cellars

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor If you're active in social media channels like Twitter and Facebook, you may have noticed that one of New York's best-known wineries, Dr. Konstantin Frank Vinifera Wine Cellars, has become extremely active on them. That's the work of Erin Flynn, who joined Dr. Frank in May. Erin is a Finger Lakes native but didn't stay home to work in the wine industry right away. After earning her bachelor of arts degree from Nazareth College and as Master's degree in management from Keuka College, Erin moved to Washington D.C. to work in politics and as a…

For Chef Samantha Buyskes-Izzo, Simply Red Means Simply Good

By Rochelle Billow, Finger Lakes Food Correspondent Photos by Onion Studio If you’ve had any sort of connection to Finger Lakes food within the past ten years or so, chances are you’ve come across Samantha Buyskes-Izzo. She’s been cooking here since 2002, and since 2007 has served as the Executive Chef at Simply Red Bistro at Sheldrake Point Winery on Cayuga Lake, as well as at La Tourelle Resort and the Hangar Theatre in Ithaca. It’s a fair assertion that she’s best known for her work at Sheldrake, where the bistro earned her a sort of cult following, attracting visitors…

Opposition to Hydraulic Fracturing in the Finger Lakes (By John Ingle, Heron Hill Winery)

By John Ingle, Heron Hill Winery As a winery owner and grape grower for over 35 years in the Finger Lakes Region, I have witnessed the growth of our industry from a dozen wineries in the ‘70s to over 100 now. I have also seen the significant increase in tourism in the Finger Lakes. This growth represents a focused and diligent effort to create two of the most viable profit centers, wineries and tourism, in the New York economy. For years, families and friends have united here over the lakes, the land, and the wine – to see it all…

Lamoreaux Landing 2010 Dry Riesling

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor As I patrol the Internet, seeking out information about New York wine and read what to others are saying about it, I see some pretty amazing and curious things. One of the most mind-boggling is the contention by some that Finger Lakes rieslings are over-priced. That's just silly and barely merits discussion, so I will just assume those folks must be very happy drinking a lot of Pacific Rim and Covey Run rielsings from the West Coast and move on. This wine, the Lamoreaux Landing 2010 Dry Riesling, is $13 at the winery and I've…

Some Finger Lakes Wineries Favor Synthetic Corks for Their Best Wines; Should They?

By Evan Dawson, Managing Editor, and Tom Mansell, Science Editor Serious wine consumers are not, generally speaking, fans of synthetic cork. Most recoil at the sight of a plastic cork being pulled from a bottle they had otherwise been excited to open. Is this bias unfair? Maybe. Companies are working to improve the quality of synthetic corks. We'll get to that in a bit. But there's no denying that synthetic corks make a clear statement to the serious consumer, whether intended or not. "Cheap," said one of the many tasters on the evening of the recent Finger Lakes Riesling Hour.…

Heart & Hands Wine Company 2009 Reserve Riesling

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor Tom and Susan Higgins, owners of Heart & Hands Wine Company on the eastern shore of Cayuga Lake, have worked tirelessly to build a reputation for making what may be New York's best pinot noirs. It's clear that pinot is their passion and it shows in the bottle and throughout their entire operation. But, with wines like Heart & Hands Winery 2009 Reserve Riesling ($29) Tom, who makes the wines, proves that he's not a one-trick pinot pony. This is the Finger Lakes after all, where riesling rules and it seems silly not to make…

Heron Hill Winery 2008 Blaufrankisch

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor Though on the oakier — and pricier — end of the Finger Lakes Blaufrankisch spectrum, the Heron Hill Winery 2008 Blaufrankisch ($35) is worthy of a taste when you visit their tasting room with stunning views of Keuka Lake. Not content making a juicy, fruity, peppery wine, the folks at Heron Hill always push the envelope with this grape. At first, the nose seems like it will be dominated by chocolate and smoky oak, but those aromas don't completely obscure those of red cherry, cranberry, black pepper, clove, tarragon and mint. Hefty on the palate,…

Mud, Sprays, and Compromise: Veteran Lakewood Grower Explains How He Handled a Tough Vintage

 By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor Dave Stamp, the vineyard manager at Lakewood Vineyards on Seneca Lake, wears shorts every day during harvest, which he says "might be tradition, and it might be just stupid." If it's the latter, then it's one of the only stupid things Dave does in the vineyard; everything else is carefully considered and based on 25 years of experience. That doesn't mean he makes the right call every time, and it doesn't mean every other grower will agree with his decisions. But it does mean that there are few people more qualified to tell the story…

Lamoreaux Landing 2010 Yellow Dog Vineyard Riesling

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor There are other single-vineyard riesling programs in the Finger Lakes, but Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars was among the first wineries to enact one. It's a part of their portfolio that I always find fun and educational to explore and topping at out at $20 per bottle, it's probably the most affordable site-to-site exploration available. Lamoreaux makes three labeled single-vineyard rieslings and their reserve riesling comes from another single vineyard. Lamoreaux Landing 2010 Yellow Dog Riesling ($20) comes from one of the winery's youngest vineyards, planted in 2007, and opens with aromas of grapefruit, peach and…