Posts Tagged“roanoke vineyards”

Weekly New York Wine News — December 21, 2015

Before we get to the regular news roundup, the NYCR team would like to extend its deepest condolences to the Pisacano family on the passing of Gasper “Gabby” Pisacano (pictured above). Anyone who has ever visited Roanoke Vineyards knew Gabby and loved him. He will be sorely missed by not only his family and the Roanoke Vineyards family, but also the Long Island wine community. Rest in peace, Gabby. NEWS Bloomberg – 12/9/2015 Channing Daughter’s Rosato Pet Nat makes the grade in this selection of best wines for 2015. Paste Magazine – 12/15/2015 The Finger Lakes of New York top this…

Roanoke Vineyards 2014 “NoFi” Rose

  There have been a lot of rosé reviews on the site this week. That may seem odd if you treat rosé simply as a summer sipper. At NYCR global headquarters, rosé is a year-round libation. We just drink different examples this time of year. Now that the weather has cooled, I find myself using my oven more, and whether I’m roasting a chicken, roasting some winter squash or cooking a pork shoulder for 10 hours like I did last weekend, richer, fuller-bodied rosés really fit the bill. They have enough weight to stand up flavor-wise, but are still fresh, with that lively…

Long Island Wine Press: Five Long Island Wines That Over-Deliver at Different Price Points

Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in the fall 2015 edition of the Long Island Wine Press It’s no wonder that from time to time you can see a chip on the collective shoulder of Long Island winery owners and winemakers. They pour time and money into their work and then they hear and read this with some regularity: “Long Island wines are over-priced.” Sadly, just about everyone in and around the local wine industry has heard that declaration – or some version of it – multiple times during their careers. Before we go any further, let’s clear up that misconception. …

Roanoke Vineyards 2012 Gabby’s Cabernet Franc

Roanoke Vineyards 2012 Gabby’s Cabernet Franc ($43) shows the ripeness of the vintage, but is a standout for its elegant intensity and early complexity. A blend of cab franc grown in a part of Roanoke’s estate vineyard known as “Gabby’s rows” because Pisacano family patriarch Gabby Pisacano manages them along with 17% merlot and 1% petit verdot, it offers a spicy and slightly herbal – in a good way – nose with layers of sweet black cherry and blackberry with subtle but distinct minty-licorice notes and high-toned floral aromas. Pretty and fresh on the medium-bodied palate, mixed berries lead the way…

News Brief: Roanoke Vineyards to Close Sound Avenue Tasting Room to the Public

Enjoy visiting the Roanoke Vineyards tasting room on Sound Avenue, but aren’t a member of their rabidly loyal wine club? You’d better enjoy it for the rest of 2015 — or join the club — because as of January 1, 2016, the winery’s original tasting room is closing to the public. Only wine club members will be able to go there. Roanoke is the first Long Island winery to make such a move — a move that flies in the face of the region’s new focus on agri-tourism and ‘good enough’ wine. From the press release: “With a tsunami in tourism…

Varieties and Varietals: It’s What Makes A Family

Say what you want about my infrequent visits out on the North Fork. Blame whomever you wish for the lack of attention I have given to writing about wine. Sometimes you need an excuse to get out there. And when you get that excuse and take advantage of it, magical things happen. It had been six months since I spent any real time at a vineyard or winery. It’s not important what the cause was or is. The important thing is that I made it happen. And used my wife’s birthday as the excuse to make it happen. Sure, we had family…

Roanoke Vineyards 2010 Cabernet Franc

Long Island merlot is often — and consistently — delicious. But when Long Island cabernet franc is done well — which is almost always the case at Roanoke Vineyards — it is much more distinctive and compelling. At it’s best, Long Island cabernet franc combines forward, ripe fruit with savory notes — often herbs but sometimes mushrooms or leaf tobacco — and restrained oak that frames rather than overwhelms the grape’s varietal character. Usually there is a freshness too, which makes it one of my go-to wines for the dinner table. Of the 2010 cabernet francs I’ve tasted, Roanoke Vineyards 2010 Cabernet France ($34) best exemplifies my personal local…

Empire State Cellars Wine Club: July 2014 Selections

Over the years that I’ve been curating this this wine club, it has been my distinct pleasure to share a great many classic wines from classic New York wineries. We have a bit of that this month, but as I was finalizing the selections, it quickly became apparent that we had a lot of new and not-yet-classic wines and wineries represented. We have New York’s only Trebbiano. We have sparkling wines — one red, one white — that are the first releases of two new labels. And we have two Finger Lakes wineries — Kemmeter Wines and Forge Cellars —…

Winter Vine Damage Not Widespread on Long Island — But it’s Out There

This past winter was a rough one across much of the northeast, with lots of snow and some of the coldest temperatures in recent years. As my colleague Evan Dawson wrote last month, those temperatures will have a not-insignificant impact on the Finger Lakes wine industry. On Long Island, the damage wasn’t nearly as severe or widespread, but with bud break’s arrival, Long Island growers can now better assess what damage was sustained, if any. Elevation matters, even here where many Long Island are seemingly flat. Little rises and dips matter because the coldest air pools in those low areas…

Roanoke Vineyards 2009 Cabernet Franc

When it comes to cabernet franc, Roanoke Vineyards is the rare Long Island producer that can be counted on — almost without fail — from year to year. Cabernet franc can be tricky. If it doesn’t get ripe enough, it can taste like green bell pepper. Too ripe and it loses varietal character. It can be a fine line to toe, but owner and vineyard manager Richie Pisacno deftly walks it. And winemaker Roman Roth carries it through in the cellar. Roanoke Vineyards 2009 Cabernet Franc ($34) delivers aromas of dark-roast coffee, roasted nuts, blackberry, black cherry and cola. On…