Posts Tagged“hector wine company”

Uncork the Forks: 6 reasons for North Forkers to visit the Finger Lakes

I’m working on several stories after my recent trip to the Finger Lakes — but in the meantime, I wanted to share my latest column for the Suffolk Times, which can be found online on northforker.com Over the past several years, my family has fallen head-over-heels in love with the Finger Lakes region of central New York. It’s a stunningly beautiful part of the country that offers spectacular sunrises and sunsets, fishing, boating, wine tasting, great food and farmer’s markets, a relaxed pace and plenty of relaxation. In some ways, it’s a lot like the North Fork — except it’s…

Hector Wine Company 2012 Dry Riesling

Hector Wine Company is a Finger Lakes winery on the rise. Still a relatively new producer, the wines seem to improve with each vintage and this Hector Wine Company 2012 Dry Riesling ($18) stood out in a recent tasting. Fresh and citrusy, the nose is dominated by lemon and lime peel with notes of lemon cookie, ripe apple and lemon verbena (especially as the wine warms). More citrus and apple greet the palate — which is dry but not harsh or austere. There is a breadth to the palate that is deftly balanced by well-integrated acidity.  It finishes with a lingering…

Hector Wine Company 2012 Syrah

It’s easy to get caught up in all of the delicious white wines — not just riesling, mind you — coming out of the Finger Lakes and assume that the red wines just aren’t very good. Several folks charged with selling Finger Lakes wines of all styles lament this fact quite openly when you speak with them or interact with them on the interwebs. It’s a common misconception, but like many is based at least in part on facts. You can throw “cool-climate” around all you want — and many do — but if you’re working with the wrong varieties…

In the Finger Lakes, Finally, Female Winemakers are Becoming More Common

It was inevitable that women would conquer wine, and winemaking, as a small-but-not-unrelated stop on their way to conquering the top government posts that they have long been owed, in this country and others. Men have ruled for too long, and look where that’s gotten the world: on the brink of nuclear annihilation, or financial ruin, or The Singularity, or some such embarrassing way to ruin this improbable oasis in a heretofore barren universe. From the Russian satellites to Syria to the job markets to the pathetic level of political discourse, blame the men. We’ve proven ourselves incapable stewards. Anyway,…

Hector Wine Company 2012 Pinot Blanc

Don’t over-chill your white wine. That’s the lesson of Hector Wine Company 2012 Pinot Blanc ($20). Right out of the fridge, it’s neutral and nearly characterless. But as it warms the nose unfolds with notes of dried pineapple, lime peel, wet gravel and white pepper. Similarly, once a bit warmer, the medium-bodied palate shines with apple and pineapple flavors and a wonderful mid-palate mouthfeel that is somewhat is silky and fresh at the same time. White pepper and chalky earth flavors peek through toward the finish, which lingers just a bit and shows some bitterness at the end. If you…

5 Questions with… Alexandra Doniger, Hector Wine Company

The New York Cork Report likes to feature a great variety of interesting wine personalities throughout the state and with various roles and responsibilities in our “5 Questions With…” series. One of the younger personalities that captured our attention was Alexandra Doniger, Assistant Winemaker and Social Media & Events Marketing at Hector Wine Company. What Doniger may currently lack in experience, her passion for wine and eagerness to learn all aspects of the industry make up for in surplus. Doniger from Newton, CT made her way to Finger Lakes via a degree in Literature and Writing and a short tenure…

Hector Wine Company 2011 Essence (Syrah Blend)

Hector Wine Company 2011 Essence ($25) is a blend of 40% syrah, 40% cabernet sauvignon and 20% merlot. It shows many of the aromas you’d expect from a syrah blend made in cooler vintage. Aromas of black and white pepper, high-toned red fruits and just a bit of blueberry are joined by notes of American oak. Medium-light on the palate, more peppery spice notes and cran-raspberry flavors are overwhelmed a bit by barrel flavors — particularly on the finish. Tannins that I suspect are from barrel rather than skins/seeds are a bit rustic as well. Lacks fruit for balance. Producer: Hector…

Should More Finger Lakes Winemakers Travel to Europe? Q&A with Hector Wine Company’s Justin Boyette

An artist can only do so much without an understanding of art history. A filmmaker is limited if he or she hasn’t seen the great films of all time. And winemakers, we can assume, are holding themselves back if they’re not familiar with the great wines of the world — particularly the great wines made with the same varieties they’re using. With that in mind, I’m always surprised at how few Finger Lakes winemakers travel to Europe, or to other parts of the world. I’m even more surprised at how many Finger Lakes winemakers reply, when asked what they like…

The Strange Story of Syrah in the Finger Lakes

It’s easy to get confused about red wine in the Finger Lakes these days. Is there a ‘flagship’ red variety? Is it pinot in the hands of the right people? Is it cabernet franc, that workhorse that occasionally finds profundity? How about lemberger/blaufrankish? When did that bandwagon hit a massive pothole? And now here comes syrah. If you grew up on west coast syrah or Australian shiraz, syrah seems an unlikely choice for the Finger Lakes. But that ignores its happiest home, which happens to be the much cooler Northern Rhone. No, Cote-Rotie is not Seneca Lake, but nor is…