By Evan Dawson, Managing Editor For our next guest commentary in this series, we wanted to turn to the retail side of wine. Daniel Posner is very well known in the world of high-end wine and online wine discussion. He's not afraid to speak forcefully — and occasionally controversially. He's the owner of Grapes The Wine Company in White Plains, New York and his daily wine deal email is a popular list to be on. And, he runs WineTalk.com, a growing discussion board that focuses on wine in all of its forms. And you'll see, Daniel carries some New York…
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Op-Ed: Towns, Don’t Crush the Grape Growers (Ron Goerler, Jr. and Steve Bate, Long Island Wine Council)
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…" The famous opening line from Charles Dickens' classic "A Tale of Two Cities," set in 18th-century Europe, would appear to be an appropriate description of the opportunities and challenges currently facing wineries in the towns of Southold and Riverhead. On the one hand, the outlook for the Long Island wine region has never been better. Our producers are now receiving the recognition they deserve for creating wines of exceptional quality. Important critics are routinely giving our products high ratings. Last year a coalition of the most prestigious wine…
Guest Post: Save Stony Brook Southampton (Adam Ehmer, Roanoke Vineyards)
(Editor's Note: From time to time, we hear about projects and initiatives that we feel are better discussed and written about by those directly involved. In this instance, we've asked Adam Ehmer, who in addition to his duties at Roanoke Vineyards, also works as an instructor at Stony Brook Southampton, to write about his efforts to save the Southampton campus) By Adam Ehmer, Guest Contributor This spring, students at Stony Brook Southampton learned that they would not be returning to their campus at the start of the next school year. The president, Dr. Samuel Stanley, made an executive decision to…
Guest Post: A Drier Style of Riesling at Ravines Wine Cellars (Rick Van Sickle, Wines In Niagara)
By Rick Van Sickle, Wines In Niagara Photos by Morgan Dawson Reflecting back on what truly was a startling discovery of New York’s Finger Lakes wine region during TasteCamp EAST 2010, one aspect of the vino-soaked weekend that I will never forget was our visit to Ravines Wine Cellars. If I had to pick an experience that changed my mind about how I perceived Finger Lakes from what little exposure I’ve had it would be the very instant that Morten Hallgren (pictured at right) began talking to our group in his no-surrender tone in defense of his wines — not…
Guest Post: Heart & Hands Wine Company: A Passion for Pinot at Cayuga Lake (Richard Auffrey, The Passionate Foodie)
By Richard Auffrey, The Passionate Foodie It was Sunday afternoon, the final event of TasteCamp 2010, and palate fatigue ran rampant among the attendees. There had already been 200-300 wines available for tasting over the weekend and I was not sure I could handle any more. Snow flurries whipped through the air and I faced a six-plus hour drive home. Plus, my GPS couldn't seem to locate the Heart & Hands Wine Company. After a phone call, I was able to find the winery and join the rest of the TasteCamp crew. And soon, all of the troubles of the…
Guest Post: Hermann J. Wiemer Stands Out at TasteCamp 2010 (Remy Charest, The Wine Case)
Hermann J. Wiemer winemaker Fred Merwarth discussing his winemaking philosophy By Remy Charest, The Wine Case This may not come as that much of a surprise to those familiar with the Finger Lakes, but the region does make really great riesling. For participants in the second edition of Tastecamp EAST, however, this three-day, three-lake stint in the region was a great opportunity to confirm that the region indeed lives up to its reputation in that respect: just like merlot in Long Island – Tastecamp’s first destination, last year – the Finger Lakes' flagship grape consistently delivers. Throughout the weekend, we…
Op-Ed: Don’t Turn Up Your Nose at the Sweet White (Carlo DeVito, Hudson-Chatham Winery)
Story and photo by Carlo DeVito, Owner, Hudson-Chatham Winery The other day, my wife Dominique and I were sipping a lovely, chilled Vouvray Demi-Sec. A fabulous wine we shared over assorted cheeses and some sliced French bread. I especially liked the aged camembert, with its edgey, tangy finish juxtaposed to the sweet white wine. What a combination. I thought to myself. “This is heaven.” Another one of my favorite such combinations is Sauternes or a good Barsac or even a good sweet Jurancon with foie gras or pate. Maybe a little gooey brie thrown in for good effect, on a…
Op-Ed: Why NOT Chardonnay? (By Jim Silver, Peconic Bay Winery)
Story and photo by Jim Silver, General Manager, Peconic Bay Winery I have been around the wine business long enough (22 years) to have seen many wine trends and fashions played out in the public arena: Australia's incredible rise and stunning fall; Germany's reawakening; France’s fall from grace; pinot grigio’s leap from obscurity to most popular import from Europe; California wines at 12.5% and now at 15.5% alcohol. There are others of course, but today's topic is that curious love-hate relationship some of us have with chardonnay. When I was a young tenderfoot in the wine business, I was fascinated…
Guest Post: A Bottle’s 20-Year Journey Reflects the Wisdom of Patience, the Resilience of Friendship
Editor's note: We encourage guest posts and op-eds from any member of the New York wine community. We thought that Morten's story so strongly exemplified the power wine can have on our lives that it would make for a lovely guest post. By Morten Hallgren, Owner and Winemaker, Ravine Wine Cellars Back in 1990 while a graduate student in Boston, I purchased two magnums of Chateau Palmer 1981 (AOC Margaux). One bottle I put in my wine cellar for future consumption. The other bottle I gave as a birthday present to my friend, Hernan, from Mexico City. Months later, a thief broke into…