Posts Tagged“red tail ridge”

Red Tail Ridge Winery 2012 Good Karma

It is a pleasure to write about wines like Red Tail Ridge Winery 2012 Good Karma ($14). Created in 2009 by winemaker and co-owner Nancy Irelan, Good Karma benefits regional food banks, with 10% of gross profit per bottle donated. Originally, the money went to Foodlink, a regional food bank that serves a ten-county area in the Genesee Valley and the Finger Lakes region. Starting with the 2012 vintage, however, that’s changed a bit. In an email, Irelan said “Wee have expanded our reach with Good Karma. Foodlink has agreed to redistribute the funds to the state in which it is…

Red Tail Ridge Vineyards 2011 “RTR Vineyard” Semi-Dry Riesling

  With aromas of gun flint, pear and green melon, the Red Tail Ridge 2011 “RTR Vineyard” Semi-Dry Riesling is a wine that will appeal to casual sippers and riesling-lovers alike. Juicy with good-not-great acidity, the palate delivers a forward fruitiness that combines melon, citrus and pineapple. The finish lingers a bit, is nearly dry and shows a sprinkling of talc. Producer: Red Tail Ridge Winery AVA: Finger Lakes ABV: 12% TA: 7.4g/L pH: 2.97 Residual Sugar: 15.7 g/L Production: 630 cases Price: $16*| Buy now from Empire State Cellars   (3 out of 5, Very good/Recommended)    

Red Tail Ridge Winery 2010 “RTR Vineyard” Teroldego

I don’t have a lot of experience with the teroldego grape. In fact, the first one I ever tasted was the sparkling rendition Nancy Irelan makes at Red Tail Ridge Winery. So, it was with a completely blank slate that I approached Irelan’s Red Tail Ridge Winery 2010 Teroldego ($35) — this time the still version. Color fetishists will no doubt appreciate the dark, almost inky color of this wine, but I’m more interested in its other attributes. Blueberry preserves and ripe strawberry aromas are joined by notes of fennel, Chinese Five Spice and hints of toasty vanilla. Round and…

Red Tail Ridge Winery 2010 Blaufrankisch

Red Tail Ridge Winery 2010 Blaufrankisch ($23) is another wine that supports the case for Blaufrankisch in the Finger Lakes, even if it’s completely different from the one I reviewed yesterday. Made from fruit grown just up the road in the Martini Family Vineyard (the Martini family owns Anthony Road Wine Company), this wine is a standout because of it’s purity and and freshness. The nose shows floral high notes backed by intense, distinct aromas of red cherries and just-crushed red raspberries. Medium-light bodied and crunchy at the edges, the palate shows more of that clean red, brambly fruit and…

Why Don’t Finger Lakes Wineries Offer Riesling in Magnum?

The other day I picked up a magnum of Hermann J. Wiemer 2008 Dry Riesling in magnum. It had me thinking: Magnums are so sexy. How come almost no one in the Finger Lakes offers riesling in magnum? I was going to say that no one in the Finger Lakes bottles their wine in larger formats, but of course that’s wrong. You can find Red Cat in magnum. Fox Run’s Ruby Vixen, , Arctic Fox, Chardonnay perhaps. Some of Bully Hill’s offerings, I’m sure. But why not riesling? After all, the world’s finest riesling ages gracefully for many years, and…

Reminder: #TasteNY with Red Tail Ridge Winery on June 6

#TasteNY — our series of Twitter-based virtual New York wine tasting events — returns next Wednesday, June 6 at 8 p.m. ET and will feature the wines of Red Tail Ridge Winery. During the event, which can be followed using the #TasteNY hashtag on Twitter, wine lovers from across the country will be discussing four of Nancy’s wines: 2010 Dry Riesling 2010 Semi-Dry Riesling 2009 Blaufrankisch 2010 Pinot Noir Winemaker Nancy Irelan and other members of the Red Tail Ridge team will be on Twitter during the tasting to answer questions and discuss not only the wines but viticulture and winemaking…

#TasteNY: June 6 with Red Tail Ridge Winery

I’m excited today to announce the return of #TasteNY — our Twitter-based virtual New York wine tasting events. The next edition will take place on Wednesday, June 6 at 8 p.m. ET and will feature the wines of Red Tail Ridge Winery, a 32-acre vineyard and winery located on the western shore of Seneca Lake in the Finger Lakes, owned and operated by the husband and wife team of Mike Schnelle (vineyard manager) and Nancy Irelan (winemaker). During the event, which can be followed using the #TasteNY hashtag on Twitter, wine lovers from across the country will be discussing four of Nancy’s…

Red Tail Ridge Winery: A Different Kind of Investment

By Jason Feulner, Finger Lakes Correspondent While the basic strategy for opening a functional winery differs from region to region, in the Finger Lakes the trend seems to follow a path that calls for the opening of the tasting room first with production facility and vineyard coming later. While this might be a generalization of sorts, it makes sense in many respects. Nearly 75% of wine sales in the Finger Lakes occur on site; many larger wineries lease production space; and a vineyard takes quite a few years to produce grapes. A winemaker or entrepreneur can purchase grapes, make wine at a different…