Browsing CategoryOp-Ed

Op-Ed: It’s Time for Gender Equity in the Cellar (by August Deimel, Winemaker, Keuka Springs Vineyards)

Photo credit: Meg Tipton (Editor’s Note: The following op-ed was written by August Deimel, winemaker at Keuka Springs Vineyard) Last month I attended an event celebrating the contribution of alumni from my undergraduate alma mater, St. John’s College, to the wine industry. During a panel discussion that was part of that event, a woman in the audience asked a question that seemed to catch the panel very much off guard. She asked why, of the seven people who were being featured that weekend, there was not a single woman. The panel searched half-heartedly for an answer, but the questioner went…

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Op-Ed: Contract Brewing Just Isn’t Craft Brewing (Greg Doroski, Greenport Harbor Brewing)

These opinions are mine and don’t necesarily reflect those of my employer, Greenport Harbor Brewing, but I take great pride in brewing craft beer for a living. I take comfort in brewing beer at Greenport Harbor Brewing, where we made the decision to reject the opportunity to have another brewery brew our beer. While it might seem obvious that a business that calls itself a brewery should actually brew beer, there are far too many “breweries” that brew little, if any, of their own beer. Although the Brewer’s Association trade group reported an overall drop in contract brewing in 2012, the…

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“My Response to Wine Spectator” by Kareem Massoud, Paumanok Vineyards

During our summer recess/hiatus last week, Ben O’Donnell wrote a blog post titled “The Big Grapple: Can Long Island Wines Get Some Respect?” If you’re at all intersted in Long Island wine — or most any emerging region, really — I’d encourage you to read it. Because it’s part of the Wine Spectator’s blog, you needn’t be a subscriber to access it. I read it while I was away — and honestly didn’t think much of it. I’m not familiar with Mr. O’Donnell or his previous work, and the topics he covers are generally known (most for many years). In…

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Op-Ed: A Fork in the Road: Sustainability and the Politics of Pleasure (Neil B. Miller, Farmshed CNY )

As the owner of a technology start-up dedicated to promoting local foods, I suppose I should have been offended by the remarks made last week by chefs Thomas Keller and Adoni Luis Aduriz in their New York Times interview with Julia Moskin. In the interview, which is excerpted in Moskin’s article, Keller and Aduriz, the award-winning executive chefs, respectively, of The French Laundry in Yountville, California and Mugaritz in northern Spain, disclaim any responsibility for supporting local farming or sustainable agriculture. In one passage, Keller questions whether it is his responsibility, given the small number of people he feeds, “to…

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Op-Ed: Some Thoughts on Local Terroir (by Jim Silver, GM, Peconic Bay Winery)

As the head of a winery, I am very frequently asked about terroir. Does the concept really exist? Is it real? Of course it is, I answer, but it’s difficult to understand. But, it has actually helped me to define myself while I strive to better my knowledge of wines. Finding terroir in wine is an existential and personal study, and very rewarding. For me, it sharpens the mind — here your senses are tested along with your memory, as you try to find nuances in a wine, and categorize them. While you sniff and swirl the glass, you are…

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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…

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7 Things You Need to Know About Regional Wine (Jeff Siegel, Wine Curmudgeon)

  Editor's Note: It's Regional Wine Week and while it's difficult to make this website any more locally focused, I wanted to draw some attention to the effort. As a member of the Drink Local Wine board of directors, I wanted to re-publish this post by DLW president, Jeff Siegel. I think it captures the essence of what DLW is all about.  By Jeff Siegel, The Wine Curmudgeon This is DrinkLocalWine's fourth annual regional wine week, which means all sorts of goodies and festivities at DrinkLocalWine.com, including the 47-word essay contest and voluminous links to regional wine stories, photos and…

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From Lieb Family Cellars: A Special Statement Regarding the 9/11 Memorial Wine Project

From Lieb Family Cellars Having lost friends and colleagues in the tragic events of September 11, 2001, we at Lieb Cellars feel strongly that it is everyone’s responsibility to support the 9/11 memorial. In 2004, we were approached by Monica Iken, a widow of September 11th, about the opportunity to get involved with the September’s Mission Foundation (and, later, the 9/11 Memorial Foundation), and we have been appreciative of the opportunity to serve these fine causes. Over the course of the past seven years, that involvement resulted in a special series of wines created for these two organizations. In that…

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Op-Ed: “Expectations for New York Wine Are Higher Than Ever – Are We Ready?” Jim Silver, GM, Peconic Bay Winery

In a 2004 speech on his educational programs, President Bush decried the “soft bigotry of low expectations” by the opposition party. The worthy phrase resonated with many. I wondered about such expectations in regard to New York wines, and how our wine industry would react if a mirror were held up to its wines and the reflection said “it’s great…for what it is…” That stinging phrase, “for what it is…” is the comment that sinks and supplants the “world class” argument every time, and I’ve tried to count how often I’ve heard it over the years. As if further…

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Op-Ed: The Horrifying Trend That is “Wine on Tap” (Jim Silver, Peconic Bay Winery)

 By James Silver, General Manager of Peconic Bay Winery, Nautique Wines and True Believer Cider  Photo courtesy of Dr. Vino I was recently asked by my distributor to put Peconic Bay wines into kegs for sale in Manhattan, to accounts you would no doubt recognize, who have embraced this curious new “wine on tap” (WOT) service system.  I never recoil from a sale, but the idea of presenting our wines in this pedestrian manner immediately began to weigh on my sensibilities.  The defense of WOT is so amorphous, and chanted with a religious zeal, while the drawbacks, in my mind…

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