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Posts Tagged“traminette”

Palaia Vineyards 2011 “Hello my name is Irene” (White Blend)

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As you may remember, 2011 was a tough growing season in the Hudson River Region — mostly because of Hurricane Irene. Winemakers — like all people, really — deal with disasters differently. Jan Palaggi, owner/winemaker at Palaia Vineyards took what lemons she could find and made a bit of lemonade. When nearby Woodbury Creek flooded most of her vineyards, she most of her grape crop “Any grapes that were on the vine, rotted, or had to be cut off because the trellis either fell over or washed away,” she told me in a recent email. “People kept asking me if…

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The Bizarre Tale of Why the Government Opposes Honest Labeling — and how Fox Run’s New Wine was Born

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Imagine, for a moment, that McDonald’s was no longer allowed to sell French Fries because, by using the term “Fries,” the government decided that McDonald’s was luring people to over-eat and get fat. Nevermind the fact that the potatoes are, in fact, fried. Honest labeling is simply too alluring for customers. Penalizing them for honest labeling — wouldn’t that be ridiculous? So now try to imagine how the team at Fox Run Vineyards felt when the TTB rejected their chosen name for a new wine. That wine, a fortified white wine, was going to be called “Fortified No. 3.” That…

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McGregor Vineyard 2007 Traminette

As much as I love the Gewurztraminer grape, I've never tasted a Traminette (a cross of Gewurzt with the French-American hybrid Joannes Seyve 23.416) that I cared for. Yes, there is a lot of Gewurztraminer character in most, but something is always missing for me. This McGregor Vineyard 2007 Traminette ($16) showed great potential on the nose. It was floral, but reservedly so, with lychee and loads of spice character. Would this be the first Traminette to prove me wrong? Sadly, no. The palate shows nice, ripe pear, apple and more of that delicious gingery-spice. The flavors, on the whole,…

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Some Finger Lakes Wineries Hop on Hybrids

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I read an interesting little piece this morning from the Cornell Daily Sun that talks about hybrid grape varieties, their advantages and what some wineries in the Finger Lakes are doing with them. Apparently, in addition to being more resistant to the cold weather of the region, they are also less susceptible to the typical grape maladies, meaning that fewer pesticides are needed to grow them. It’s kind of an interesting way to "go green" no? I know that there are plenty of wine lovers out there who turn their noses up at hybrids, but I’ve found several seyval blancs…

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