Browsing CategoryTasteCamp

With the passage of time we'll be able to give it a fuller evaluation, but for now, I'd vote for this photograph as the Best Picture Ever Taken. The man in the tuxedo, proudly displaying a magnum (what, no methuselah?) of Red Cat, is our Science Editor, Tom Mansell.  See, if you missed TasteCamp 2010, you might not have had the opportunity to join us for the Saturday night after-party on The Boat. Perhaps more will be said of this. Perhaps it should pass quietly into legend. But the bottom line is: We were on a boat, climbing buoys, in…

I haven't been to every lake-view vineyard in the Finger Lakes…but it's hard to imagine there is any vineyard in the region that is more beautiful to stand in on a sunny Saturday morning than Argetsinger Vineyard on eastern Seneca Lake. It's just a special place. One worthy of it's ever-growing legend. It doesn't hurt that Sammy Argetsinger is one of the more charming, interesting people I've ever met.

By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief The post-TasteCamp hangover has set in — a Meritage-style blend of relief, happiness and sadness, because it was such a great weekend with great people tasting great wines. I (along with Nena and Jackson) head back to Long Island later today after an evening here outside of Albany celebrating Mother's Day with my in-laws. Everyone drank Finger Lakes wine, of course, though I did focus a bit more on some beer. As my teeth enamel recovers from all that wine and I reflect just a bit on the weekend, I think the event was a tremendous…

 By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor This week, we'll have plenty to say about a fascinating and successful weekend here in the Finger Lakes. While our palates un-nuke and our brains re-solidify, we'll be posting occasional photos to illustrate the events and memorable locations. This shot shows Damiani Wine Cellars grower Phil Davis, leading a vineyard walk on Saturday morning. The photo fails to capture how steep this particular vineyard site is. It was an educational and physical workout.  Cheers, stay tuned, and rest well, fellow TasteCamp folks. 

TasteCamp attendees tasting Tierce riesling (and components of) at Red Newt Cellars yesterday evening. By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief Why am I up at 6 a.m. on a Saturday when I'm technically on vacation? Easy — I'm up early getting ready for what I'm sure will be an incredible day two of TasteCamp EAST 2010. Yesterday was a stunningly wonderful day in the Finger Lakes — one filled with the kind of passion and top-flight wines that makes the Finger Lakes a wine destination. I'm sure that we'll see a lot of blog posts come out of the weekend's events, but…

 By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief If the Twitter chatter is to believed, many of this year's TasteCamp attendees are either in the Finger Lakes already or are on their way. It's an exciting morning for me, Evan and all the Finger Lakes wineries who are taking part in this weekend's festivities. John Witherspoon (Anything Wine) and I kicked off the fun yesterday with a visit to Village Tavern in Hammondsport, not to eat, but to drink some older Finger Lakes riesling. After perusing the list for a long time (it's a long list) only to learn that our first choice (a…

By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief TasteCamp, the roving regional wine event that fully immerses wine writers and bloggers in a wine region is back for its second edition this weekend in the Finger Lakes region of New York. As you might remember, the innaugural TasteCamp was held here on Long Island last year (read all the posts) and it went so well that we decided to do it again in a different New York region. Most smaller and/or lesser-known wine regions in the world would love to get their wines in front new audiences, but it can be a challenge.  With…

By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief Evan Dawson, our Finger Lakes Editor, and I have been working hard to get all of the plans and details together for this year's edition of TasteCamp EAST, taking place May 7-9 in Finger Lakes wine country. The concept for TasteCamp is a simple one — getting enthusiastic bloggers together in a region that is new to them to taste as much wine as possible and speak to as many winemakers as possible over the course of a weekend. Most smaller, lesser-known wine regions in the world would love to get their wines in front of…

By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief  It's been almost two months since we announced that TasteCamp EAST 2010 will take place in the Finger Lakes region of New York, so I thought it was a good idea to mention it again here on the site.  I know a few bloggers missed the original announcement. With so much more ground to cover — literally — during 2010's event, we'll probably begin the formal programming Friday afternoon and extend it well into Sunday this year.  We already have 40 bloggers and spouses/significant others signed up to come, so if you're interested, make sure you…