New York Cork Report

Video: Leonard Oakes Estate Winery 2011 Icewine Harvest

By Bryan Calandrelli, Niagara Region Editor

This short film is a combination of harvest images I shot in January and a recent interview with Leonard Oakes Estate Winery winemaker Jonathan Oakes about the progress of this 2011 Icewine of Vidal Blanc.

Video: Evan Dawson on Local Wine Lists -- in Barbaresco and in the Finger Lakes

Video: Riesling Bubble from Atwater Estate Vineyards

Video courtesy of Atwater Estate Vineyards

Video: Dégorgement and Dosage at Chateau Frank

Video courtesy of Chateau Frank

Sparkling Pointe Winemaker Gilles Martin Demonstrates Sabrage

Video courtesy of Cicilicious

Video: Finger Lakes Rieslings on Vine Talk Episode 2

Video courtesy of Vine Talk

You may have already heard that Finger Lakes rieslings will be featured on episode 2 of Vine Talk with celebrity host Stanley Tucci.

In this first video clip, Ray Isle of Food & Wine introduces the region and talks about the influence the lakes have on the vines and wines.

Video: Making Ice Wine at Standing Stone Vineyards

By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor

There are a handful of ways to make ice (and ice-style) wine, but to make it great, you've got to start with high-quality fruit. I'm reminded of that every time I taste a Standing Stone example. There are four, all priced at $24.99 per bottle: vidal, riesling, gewurtraminer and chardonnay.

The Standing Stone Vineyards 2008 Riesling Ice was the NYCR Finger Lakes Dessert Wine of the Year. Like its siblings, the Riesling Ice is rich and pure, always clean and focused. And winemaker/owner Marti Macinski, along with her husband Tom, are committed to getting their ice wines to customers at affordable prices.

"We know that $25 is not cheap, but it's nowhere near the price of some other dessert wines on the market," Marti told me on a recent visit. "That's extremely important to us. At $50 or $60 a bottle, the world drops off. We want our customers to be able to afford our wines for more than just a special occasion." 

And yet drinking a Standing Stone ice wine just might create a special occasion. The Macinskis choose to pick the fruit and then store the grapes in commercial freezers for several months. In the video above, you'll see the action on press day -- and you'll hear exactly how much sugar remains after this process. 

In the video they're pressing Vidal, which nearly snuck in to the NYCR Wines of the Year flight. Each Standing Stone dessert wine is distinctive, appealing to many tastes. That's another part of the plan for the Macinskis, who bring a thoughtful approach to all aspects of their operation (especially when to spend money, and when to seek cost-effective solutions, as you'll see in the video).

Video: Sheldrake Point Vineyards Winemaker Dave Breeden Discusses the Art and Science of Winemaking

Stumbled upon this video by Stephanie Warren and Ritchie King, posted on the Sheldrake Point website.

This video is provided by Scienceline, a project of New York University's Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program.

Video: Red New Cellars Rieslings from MyWineWords.com

From time to time, we stumble upon some really outstanding New York wine-focused videos, and the latest from Peter and Allie over at MyWineWords.com certainly qualifies.

In this episode, they taste a selection of rieslings from Red Newt Cellars. Check it out above and I encourage you to check out their blog, which is extremely well done.

Video: The Promise of this Hillside: Ravines Wine Cellars' Next Vineyard

By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor

Tom Petty once mused that the waiting is the hardest part, and perhaps no one knows that better than a winemaker. A great vintage can require years before it can be enjoyed. And planting vines, well, pull up a chair. It's going to be a while.

Morten Hallgren, owner and winemaker of Ravines Wine Cellars, is hoping that the wait will end in the next couple of harvests. He planted a vineyard behind his tasting room, but only after re-working the site and carefully considering the property. The six acres of vines now planted extend like an index finger high up the hillside. 

This short video shows you how Ravines got its name, and Hallgren explains what the site is made of. I also jokingly use the "T" word; Hallgren grew up in France but is hesitant to talk confidently about terroir in the Finger Lakes. That's not because he's not a believer. It's because he's a patient man, wanting to search and evaluate and monitor before making grand proclamations.

That patience is serving him well with this vineyard. 

Shinn Estate Vineyards On NBC Green Week

Stumbled upon this video this weekend and thought I'd share.

Sometimes the organic and biodynamic vineyard practices at Shinn Estate Vineyards are controversial and polarizing, but you certainly cannot take issue with their alternative energy initiatives.

Video: In Search of Great Tasting Room Experiences

By Evan Dawson, Managing Editor  

We're always searching for the best tasting room experiences, from the obvious and grand to the subtle and special. One place that tends to get rave reviews is Billsboro Winery on Seneca Lake. In the video you'll see why.

In particular, I enjoyed meeting the customer featured in the video who complained about visiting tasting rooms on Seneca Lake and finding "people in uniforms all over the place." 

What do you look for to create a good tasting room experience? What are your favorite wine tour stops? 

TasteCamp EAST 2010 Video: Sam Argetsinger Shares the Iroquois Tale of the Thundering Voices

By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief

As part of TasteCamp, one group of attendees visited Argetsinger Vineyard with long-time grower Sam Argetsinger.

During the course of an hour-plus walking the vineyard with Sam, he shared many insights into how he manages his vineyard as well as several Iroquois tales, including this one about the Thundering Voices -- which was absolutely appropriate given the thunderstorm that had rolled through the night before.

Ramps and (Shinn Estate Vineyards) Rose -- From Our Former NYC Editor, Sasha Smith

Leading up to our rose and riesling endeavor for May, I thought I'd post this video from our former NYC editor, Sasha Smith. If only she'd done a few of these for us, eh? ;)

Video: Gotham Project Riesling (from Lamoreaux Landing) at Terroir Tribeca

Video courtesy of Terroir

This video is a little long, and definitely not rated G, but we think it's a lot of fun and shows just how excited these wine-loving folks at Terroir are about having a Finger Lakes riesling on tap. Yes, on tap.

Winter Pruning in the Niagara Wine Region Part 1

By Bryan Calandrelli, Niagara Regional Editor

There are certain things you can learn from drinking wine and reading about winemaking or wine science.

In my experience though other aspects like viticulture and canopy management can really only be grasped working hands-on the vineyard. I’ve gained some basic knowledge in the last few seasons here but there is so much more for me to learn before I go planting a small vineyard.

My idea behind this video and future videos is to demonstrate basic methods of vine management during the season with at least three wineries using different trellis systems. Each has their benefits and drawbacks and I hope I can shed some light on each.

This first video includes Randy Biehl from Eveningside Vineyards winter pruning his VSP cane-pruned system. Biehl was trained in the vineyards of Cave Spring Winery and he was taught that this system is best for cold climate vines.

Kurt Guba of Freedom Run Winery also demonstrates some winter pruning with their VSP spur-pruned technique. Guba’s method is obviously faster and I hope readers will chime in with the drawbacks and positives of cane versus spur pruning.

Finger Lakes Rieslings on WineIsSeriousBusiness.com

By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief

Late last week, I stumbled upon the above video from WineIsSeriousBusiness.com, an online wine show that I found very interesting, charming even.

Sure, I was mostly interested because I saw three Finger Lakes rieslings on the table in front of them -- Dan and Chas that is. But what I liked most was that they seemed like two people very much like myself. Sure, they are clearly wine enthusiasts, geeks maybe. But at the same time, they are real people with real, honest passion for fermented grape juice.

They aren't hawking wine for a wine shop. The videos are simple and straightforward. These are the kinds of guys I'd like to hang out with I think.

Anyway, I thought it was worth sharing, even if it's a bit longer than I'd usually post.

And, after emailing with Dan a few times, I can safely say that you'll see some more New York coverage from these guys. We're already talking about swapping some New York wine from my cellar for some Oregon wine from their cellars. Should be fun.

Wagner Vineyards Video: 2009 Riesling Harvest

Applewood Winery Video: Pressing DeChaunac

Video: Paumanok Vineyards Goes Solar

Video courtesy of the Suffolk Times

Video: Wolffer Estate Vineyards and Winemaker Roman Roth on the Today Show

Hudson Valley Wine Video: 2009 Hudson Valley Wine Competition Winners Dinner

Glenora Wine Cellars Video: The Music of Fermentation

NYCR Video: Pressing Pinot Noir With Duncan Ross at Arrowhead Spring Vineyards

Bryan Calandrelli, our man on the ground in the Niagara region, is finally going to start doing some video content for the New York Cork Report. It is what he does for a living after all.

Fox Run Vineyards Video: Checking for Ripeness in the Vineyard

This is one of the better New York wine videos I've seen in a while. 

Fox Run Vineyards' winemaking team, Peter Bell and Tricia Renshaw walk through the vineyards together checking the ripeness levels.