Almost a week later, I still have purple stains under my finger nails and my back still spasms a bit if I stand just so. It’s simple math, really — take a 6’3″ out-of-shape guy, make him bend over a sort...

I think my Niagara-based colleagues here at the NYCR would agree that their home region has yet to hone in on a ‘signature variety.’ Many grapes have been consistent performers, including chardonnay, pinot noir an...

Despite what casual observers or even some writers will tell you, a hot, dry growing season doesn’t automatically mean the best — or the most exciting — wines. When a local red wine captures the ripeness and i...

I’m probably being a bit unfair in the title of this post. After all, some of the region’s top producers make a cabernet franc ice wine. And on occasion, it’s nicely made, drinkable. The problem is that too of...

With a nose that shows black cherry, dried cranberry, savory herbs and a subtle hint of grilled mushrooms, the Martha Clara Vineyards 2009 Cabernet Franc ($23) shows both nice varietal character and Long Island-ness. On the pal...

I’ve said it before, but it is worthy of a reminder — in your excitement to taste Long Island’s 2010 reds, don’t skip over or dismiss the 2009s. A dry, warm autumn rewarded those growers patient enough...

I’m not even going to ask, because I know that most of you have never heard of the Noiret grape. Developed by Cornell University, it’s one of the newer hybrids out there (it’s a cross between NY65.0467.08 and...

I first tasted this wine last summer at The Winemaker Studio during a rare childless wine country jaunt with my wife and friends. As winemaker Anthony Nappa poured it and I first put my nose in the glass, I knew this was a wine...

It had been two years since I last tasted the Damiani Wine Cellars 2007 Cabernet Franc, and I was down to my last bottle. On release, it was an impressive wine with depth, if a tad besmirched by oak. I liked it enough to buy th...

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor When Ben and Kimberly Peacock took over the wine portion of Tousey Winery's business in 2009 — Kimberly is founder Ray Tousey's daughter — the portfolio was focused on hybr...