Posts Tagged“ravines”

New York Cork Club: January 2016 Selections

Happy New Year! Our friends at the Cellar d’Or are packing up my January 2016 picks for the New York Cork Club this week, so it’s that time again — to tell you about the wines I picked. To kick off 2016, we’re thrilled to include wines from two of the Finger Lakes’ premier producers. Red Tail Ridge Winery 2014 Pétillant Naturel — A few of my friends have started calling me “Mr. Pet Nat” because I keep writing about them and putting them into the club — but I can’t help it. They are so fun and refreshing and a pleasure to…

Ravines Wine Cellars 2008 Argetsinger Vineyard Dry Riesling

By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief Often in the wine world certain wineries or vineyards are noticed by a writer or two and a huge mountain of hype ensues — sometimes warranted and sometimes not. If you've been paying attention to the Finger Lakes region for very long, you've heard the hype about Ravines Wine Cellars and winemaker Morten Hallgren. If you're a bit more of a geek, you've probably heard about Sam Argetsinger and his vineyard on Seneca Lake. In this case, the hype is warranted. If I were to start a winery in the Finger Lakes, Morten would be on…

Ravines Wine Cellars: Consistently Exceeding Expectations

By Lenn Thompson, Founder and Editor-in-Chief No matter how opened minded you are, you have expectations when you walk into a tasting room. Whether about the wines, the staff, the crowd, or the overall experience, you have expectations. You just do. In any wine region, it's the wineries that consistently exceed those expectations that separate themselves from the rest of the pack.Those are the standouts that get, and deserve, the attention. Ravines Wine Cellars, on the eastern side of Keuka Lake in the Finger Lakes wine region, is one such winery. Three years ago, I had only just heard about…

When it Rains it’s Poor: Challenging Weather, But a Silver Lining

By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor Photography by Morgan Dawson Photography Harvest is coming, and if any winemaker or grape grower tells you that things are right where they need to be in the vineyard, they're spinning like crazy.  In basic terms, most growers in the Finger Lakes are anywhere from 10 to 14 days behind ripening schedule. It's not just a lack of heat that has been a problem. The heavy and near-constant June rains put growers in a difficult spot, and July simply failed to dry it out and heat things up. In other words: No pressure, August,…

A Quick Tasting Tour of Finger Lakes Wine Country

Our view from the house on Seneca Lake. By Lenn Thompson, Founder and Editor-in-Chief The blog is going to be quite for the next couple of days, because Nena and I are in the Finger Lakes for a three-day post-Orlando vacation (with Jackson at my in-laws'). We're joined by our friends C&A who enjoy good food and wine as much as we do. We got to the region yesterday in the late morning and were joined by Evan and Morgan Dawson at Ravines Wine Cellars, where owners Lisa and Morten Hallgren spent some time with us. Lisa is an amazing…

Notes on Ravines and Wolffer at I Drink NY Astor Place Event

By Sasha Smith, New York City Correspondent Photo by Sasha Smith A few weeks ago I attended the first annual Winebow "I Drink New York" event at Astor Wines featuring Ravines Wine Cellars, Wolffer Estate Vineyards and Millbrook Vineyards. I focused on Ravines, which I knew little about (aside from the fact that Lenn's a fan) and Wolffer. A brief dispatch: A good wine is like a good thriller: it should hold your attention throughout and finish with a surprise. The Ravines Wine Cellars 2007 Dry Riesling fulfilled both criteria. The wine has a mineral and citrus fruit purity that’s…

Sneaking NY Wines Into the Lineup

By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Correspondent Few things put a hop in my step like a tasting of cabernet franc from around the world. Before heading out to Wine Sense, an excellent wine shop on Rochester's Park Avenue, I noticed that the tentative tasting list did not include any New York cab franc. The shop's owner, Kristin Vanden Brul, is a strong supporter of New York wines, and I called to ask if I could bring a bottle to taste blind. She happily agreed; it's rather common at Kristin's tastings for enthuastic guests to bring a bagged bottle from their…

Cautiously Raising a Glass to Single-Vineyard Finger Lakes Wines

By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Correspondent Some of the best winemakers in the Finger Lakes are now making vineyard-specific wines, providing consumers with more information about what they're drinking, and allowing consumers to compare the different qualities delivered by different sites. Sounds like exactly what the Finger Lakes needs, right? Well, to a point. First, the good news: Many of the single-vineyard wines released from the 2007 vintage are intensely distinctive, and they stand as the model for what single-vineyard wines should be. They come from a perspicacious trio, three winemakers who prioritize site selection. LENNDEVOURS readers already know about…

Job Posting: Tasting Room Manager at Ravines Wine Cellars

Ravines Wine Cellars, a boutique Finger Lakes winery is seeking an experienced tasting room manager for its location on Keuka Lake in Hammondsport, NY.  The candidate must have excellent communication, administrative and sales skills as well as a real passion for fine wine and food. The Finger Lakes is an incredibly exciting and growing viticultural area and Ravines Wine Cellars is one of only a handful of wineries specializing in fine, dry European-style wines. You can read about them in this month’s issue of Life in the Finger Lakes Magazine (the story written by LENNDEVOURS’ own Jason Feulner), Wine Spectator…

A Delicate Touch in the Finger Lakes: An Interview with Ravines’ Morten Hallgren

By Finger Lakes Correspondent Jason Feulner Morten Hallgren has an unusual background for a U.S. winemaker, especially one in the Finger Lakes.  He was born in Denmark and moved to Provence in southern France after his father decided to purchase an ancient winemaking estate founded in 1307.  Although Hallgren learned French winemaking techniques throughout his childhood, he decided to pursue science and attended university in the United States, majoring in astrophysics (yes, it seems that in this case it does take a rocket scientist to make wine). Eventually, Hallgren found his calling and enrolled in an oenologist program at the…