LENNDEVOURS

"Green" is Not a Logical Prerequisite for Good Wine

By Jason Feulner, Finger Lakes Correspondent

Sometimes, seems like we are in the midst of a green invasion, rather than a green revolution.

The term is used all over the place nowadays and has cropped up in several Finger Lakes stories lately:

• Democrat and Chronicle staff writer Karen Miltner discusses green grape growing here
• In a special report to the Democrat and Chronicle, freelance wine writer Thomas Pellachia outlines the effect of global warming on Finger Lakes vintages (Pellachia is also the author and publisher of the Vinofictions blog). 
• The Finger Lakes Weekend Wino has also unearthed this report on Finger Lakes green space from MPNnow's Bryan Roth.

My first attempt to gather some thoughts on this topic came off like an expository essay, which I quickly abandoned with the assumption that there is enough preaching going on in the green movement already. The crux of it, from my perspective, is that like many trends "green" is largely a good thing. But within the discourse there is plenty of bad as well.

The good is easily recognized, of course.

In terms of agriculture, the advent of the motor took farms that were previously run like artificial but efficient ecosystems and allowed for faster, less-expensive work, thereby producing more waste. Better transportation spurred the development and distribution of chemical treatments that could be delivered cheaply, creating a dependency on these methods.

Green, on some level, is the acknowledgment that efficiency has been lost from the system, and that farms of any kind can benefit from careful planning and a dedication to allowing the natural systems and by-products to work with one another to keep the farm clean, sound, efficient and sustainable. It just makes sense, doesn't it?

The bad part of green is a little more complex, but is also obvious to many observers. Those who espouse "green" the loudest run the risk of hypocrisy since the reality of what is possible with current technologies and market demands is never quite up to speed with the rhetoric.

In the wine industry, the wineries that have embraced "green" and market it like crazy sometimes seem to lose sight of their main purpose--creating the best wine possible. What if the best wine from a given year requires both conventional and green techniques? Those who want to buy wine based solely on whether it is green or not are not buying wine, but a concept that is emotionally satisfying. That is their right, but they are in the minority.

I am far more impressed with winery operations that go green because it makes sense but promote it as a secondary consideration. Green is not a logical prerequisite for good wine.  A sense of modesty about green indicates an acknowledgment of the challenges inherent in such a venture. Over-marketing of the term is simply tiring and serves to dilute the meaning of such a commitment.

Is It Any Wonder Why I Love Her?

Yesterday, I wrote about our visit to Hunt Country Vineyards, but I forgot to include one of my favorite pictures from the entire trip, the one of Mrs. LENNDEVOURS lugging our case of wine out to the Jeep.

I had the little guy on my back in our nifty new wine-tasting back pack at the time. Okay, it's not really for wine tasting, but it's perfect for visiting wineries.

Anyway, hands off guys, she's mine. You've gotta love a woman who will throw a case of wine up on her shoulder for you, no?

Paumanok Vineyards 2007 Sauvignon Blanc (North Fork of Long Island)

Someone has finally put the screws to Long Island wine—screwcap closures that is.

As I reported over the summer, Paumanok Vineyards has invested in the Stelvin closure equipment and bottled its 2007 whites without corks during January and February of 2008. I tasted the lot recently and will be writing about all of them over the next couple of weeks.

Today, we'll focus on the Paumanok Vineyards 2007 Sauvignon Blanc, a varietally correct rendition of a wine that is gaining momentum on the North Fork. I normally don't mention varietal correctness, but it was the first thing I thought of when I tasted this wine, even if it isn't exactly what I expect from Long Island sauvignon.

It has all of the aromas and flavors you’d expect from an American sauvignon though—grapefruit, kiwi and tropical fruit—along with nice acid structure and a faintly minerally finish that lingers just a bit.

I was amazed when I saw on the back label that this wine weighs in at a hefty 13.9% ABV. For lovers of California wines, that may seem typical, or low even, but it's the highest alcohol level ever for a Paumanok white. Don't worry though, it's all in balance and there isn't even a bit of alcohol heat on the finish.

While maybe not a great value at $28, it's still tasty.

Grape(s): 100% sauvignon blanc
Producer: Paumanok Vineyards
AVA: North Fork of Long Island
Price: $28
Rating:  (3 out of 5 | Recommended)

 

A Visit to Hunt Country Vineyards

For our second day of wine touring around Keuka Lake, Nena, Jackson and I were joined by my parents. We headed for the western side of the lake, starting at Hunt Country Vineyards.

Yes, I know that I've only posted about one winery on the eastern side of the lake, but I'm going to switch it up a little bit. We'll get back to the eastern shore again soon

There's a little more off-the-main-road driving involved when touring some areas of  FInger Lakes wine country and Hunt Country is a little off the main drag. Still, after reading Jason's post a few weeks ago, I knew that I wanted to taste my way through their wines.

Even though the vineyards at Hunt Country don't offer the typical lake views, they are picturesque none the less. We were amazed at just how beautiful the entire region is throughout our trip. It really is absolutely beautiful.

The wines at Hunt Country, on the whole, were okay, but there were a few wines that stood out for me and my family.

I've downplayed Finger Lakes reds plenty in my time writing about New York wines, and those comments were backed up here. I didn't care for the reds much, though I picked up one bottle of their newly Alchemy ($14), a non-vintage blend of 45% cabernet franc, 40% cabernet sauvignon and 15% Noiret (a hybrid developed at nearby Cornell). It was medium bodied, smoky and a little peppery.

I was a little disappointed in the dry riesling, but Nena really enjoyed the newly released 2007 Semi-Dry Riesling ($14), which was decidedly sweet, but balanced with just enough acidity. The flavors were much more tropical and ripe than many Keuka Lake rieslings we tried with peach, pear and a little pineapple.
 

I also really enjoyed the wine that brought me to Hunt Country to begin with, the 2007 Valvin Muscat ($15). I'm a sucker for interesting, unique wines, and this floral, melony white with just a little residual sugar (and nice acidity) fall into that category. You'd think that more wineries in New York would grow and bottle muscat.

When we left Hunt Country, with a case of wine between us, we headed to perhaps New York's best-known winery, Dr. Konstantin Frank. But that's another post for another day.

 

Exploring Finger Lakes Riesling @ the Astor Center (May 8)

You'd think after almost a week in the Finger Lakes, I'd be ready for a break from their riesling. You'd be wrong though. This Thursday, I'm taking the train into Manhattan to attend a media and trade tasting hosted by the Finger Lakes Wine Alliance at the Astor Center.

Joshua Greene, editor of Wine & Spirits magazine will lead a guided tasting of 10 2006 Finger Lakes rieslings and discuss the effects slate, snow and deep-water lakes had on the wines. The 10 wines will be those from Buttonwood Grove, Treleaven/King Ferry, Dr. Konstantin Frank, Standing Stone, Chateau Lafayette Reneau, Red Newt Cellars, White Springs, Fox Run, Hermann J. Wiemer and Sheldrake Point.

There will also be a walk-around tasting of twenty-two Finger Lakes wineries showcasing their 2006 and 2007 Rieslings.

The 2007 harvest, which everyone's favorite wine magazine, Wine Spectator, scored an A-, is one of the best vintages in history for the Finger Lakes. The additional wineries featured in on Thursday include Ravines, Anthony Road, Lakewood, Wagner, Fulkerson's, Atwater, Rooster Hill, Casa Larga, Swedish Hill, Thirsty Owl, Hazlitt's, and Glenora. Four of the Finger Lakes top chefs from the Inn at Glenora Wine Cellars, Fox Run, Red Newt Bistro, and Simply Red Bistro will be preparing Riesling-friendly foods including locally raised pork, rabbit, venison, beef, ramps and cheese.

It should be a fun event. And yes, I know that I'm behind on my Finger Lakes postings...but they are coming. I promise.

Eric Asimov Enjoys Long Island Wine Too

Eric Asimov of the New York Times has written several times about how much he enjoys Long Island merlot. And who can blame him -- at least if you're talking about the North Fork's best bottles.

But as he says today on The Pour, Long Island white wines don't get nearly as much attention. Specifically, he focuses on Paumanok Vineyards' chenin blanc, the only such wine (I think) in all of New York. As coincidence would have it, I tasted the new 2007 vintage of this wine last week and will be writing about it soon here.

Let's get back to Long Island white wines, though. That's why we're here today.

There is an ocean's worth of chardonnay made out here, from steel-fermented wines with crackling acidity all the way to rich, buttery barrel-fermented ones...and every style in between. Most are just okay, some are good and there are a few that transcend. In general though, they aren't very exciting.

Riesling, my favorite of all white grapes, can be good here too. But again, these aren't wines that I'm typically excited about. The same is true for Gewürztraminer, unless we're talking about the one from Corey Creek Vineyards. That's a wine I always enjoy.

The white wines that get me going the most fall into two categories: sauvignon blanc and those made by Chris Tracy at Channing Daughters Winery.

My affection for local sauvignon blanc is well documented on this blog, so I won't go into it too much. I'll just list some of my favorite producers: Shinn Estate, Raphael, Macari, Jamesport and Osprey's Dominion. And of course Channing Daughters too -- and they make two wines dominated by sauvignon blanc.

The folks at Channing Daughters do things a little differently, starting in the vineyard. They grow unique-to-the-Island grapes like Tocai Friulano, Aligote, malvasia bianca, and muscat ottonel. Take those grapes, add chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio, pinot bianco, and put them in the able hands of Tracy and you end up some of the best, most food-friendly, whites you'll ever taste. Keep an eye out for more on some of his latest releases.

Now I want to know, what are some of your favorite local white wines? Leave them in the comments.

Snug Harbor Restaurant & Inn (Hammondsport, NY)

As soon as we booked our trip to Keuka Lake, I started asking around for restaurant recommendations. They came from far and wide, but one of the first ones came from Lisa Hallgren, co-owner of Ravines Wine Cellars.  She recommended Snug Harbor Restaurant & Inn, so I made a reservation for our first night there.

What a great find in the region's off season. If they had been open on Monday, we would have gone back.

From the location, to the service, to the food, it was one of the best experiences we've had in a long time. We felt more than comfortable with Jackson (this is by far the nicest restaurant he's been to) and the heavily local wine list was impressive. Jackson's macaroni and cheese was so good that we ate some of it too.

The only thing that wasn't spot on was Nena's tilapia, which was just okay compared to the rest of her entree. But our salads were fresh, well balanced and flavorful. My Thai curry noodles were great (though they could have been spicier) and the banana creme de caramel was terrific.

Soon, I'll tell you about our worst meal in the Finger Lakes (and maybe ever), but let's stick with the positives today. I'd recommend Snug Harbor to anyone.

Diploma Dispatches: Loire

By Sasha Smith, New York City Correspondent

I used to get annoyed at wine writers who seemed to have a knee-jerk reaction against big, high-alcohol, ripe wines. I saw it as nothing more than a kind of elitist (to invoke the word of the week) pose against wines that were simply made to appeal to a broader audience.

And then I started taking this course. It’s not so much that my wine evaluation skills have improved (although I like to think that they have) as a question of volume. The more wine I taste/drink, the more I crave refreshment – or, at the very least, wine that doesn’t stain my lips and teeth dark purple after one sip.

This week’s class, then, was just what the doctor ordered. There are few regions that offer as much food-friendly refreshment as the Loire, and it’s always been one of my favorites. To my mind, acidity is the most underappreciated component of wine, especially for the casual drinker, and no place does acidity quite like the Loire. Sancerre, Savennières, Saumur-Champigny…the names alone are mouth-watering. Granted, in some vintages the acidity can be a little overbearing, and I have yet to fall in love with Pinot Noir-based wines from here, but overall, I’m a pretty big fan.

Tuesday’s tasting was one of the best we’ve had. The Domaine de la Pepière ‘Granite de Clisson’ Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine Sur Lie had some of that pretty creaminess that comes from lees contact but without any of the aggressive yeastiness. The Domaine François Chidaine ‘Les Argiles’ Vouvray was a great Chenin Blanc combo of apricot, honey, and wet wool. (Or, as our instructor Mollie Battenhouse – my favorite so far – charmingly put it, “did you notice any sheep leaping out at you?”) The Domaine du Closel ‘Clos du Papillon’ Savennières was young, but with a very promising future. My favorite though was the Charles Joguet ‘Cuvée de la Cure’ Chinon, which hit all the right Chinon notes: firm tannins, good acidity, wild strawberries, pencil lead, ash, earth, dried herbs, great balance…all for a whopping $22.

In fact, all of the wines we tasted were under $30, definitely a first. For all of my talk about acidity and refreshment, I am not ruling out the possibility that I love the Loire simply because I’m cheap.

The Edible East End Spring 2008 Issue is Out

Edible East End is probably my favorite local print publication. Each of its five issues each year are packed with great stories and information for lovers of all things local on Long Island.

Unfortunately, my column "East End Oenophile" is no more, but fear not, I'll be writing feature stories for them instead, which is much more interesting anyway.

For this month's issue, my lone contribution is some tasting notes from a visit to Bluepoint Brewery's tap room, which run along side a nice piece by James Held.

This issue also welcomes Channing Daughters Winery's winemaker Chris Tracy as a regular contributor with his "Winemaker Wonderings" column.

Other wine-related pieces include a one-pager on Corey Creek Vineyards' 2007 Gewürztraminer (always a LENNDEVOURS favorite) and an interesting feature article on Pindar Vineyards/Duck Walk Vineyards. It really speaks to some of the history behind Long Island's largest producer.

I also think that it might allude to some of the coverage I've given the winery in recent years, but that could just be my ego talking.

You can pick up a copy of EEE most anywhere out east, or visit their still-improving website.

Christopher Watkins' Book Now Available

I know that I should get cranking on all of the Finger Lakes-related posts that I have to write, but I wanted to take a moment to congratulate a friend on the release of his new book.

You might know him as the director of operations at Roanoke Vineyards. But, in addition to his duties as LENNDEVOURS' poet laureate, Christopher Watkins is a poet, musician and all around good guy.

So today, I'm happy and proud to announce that his book of poetry "Short Houses With Wide Porches" is now available for purchase.

Rumor has it that it's quite good and that he is also conspiring with a certain New York wine blogger on a project that will include some of his wine poetry.

The Family at Heron Hill Winery

I promise this will be the last picture I post without an actually post wrapped arond it. Just loved this one of the three of us at Heron Hill Winery with still-dormant vines and Keuka Lake visible.

More on Heron Hill next week when we're at home and I can catch up on all the writing I need to do.

Ravines Wine Cellars and My Riesling of the Moment

As you probably know, this week we spent four beautifully relaxing days at a lakefront cottage just south of Penn Yan, New York -- smack dab in the middle of the Finger Lakes wine region. It's the off season up here, so Keuka Lake is quiet, almost eerily so when compared with the chaos that is often Long Island, but the riesling is providing plenty of excitement for us

Much like merlot dominates Long Island, Riesling rules the wine landscape up here. And, during our first afternoon tasting along the east side of the lake, I found what is my Riesling of the moment: Ravines Wine Cellars 2006 Riesling ($17).

No, it probably isn't be the best Riesling in the world, but it might just be the best in the region. And, in this moment (when I wrote this) -- sitting out on the dock, my toes near numb as they dangle in the frigid water, sipping a lightly chilled glass as I type away on my laptop -- there isn't another Riesling I'd rather have in my glass.

Deliciously minerally, with lime, orange blossom and crisp apple notes it's the dryness (many Finger Lakes Rieslings are made in an off-dry style) and a focused electric jolt of acidity that bring structure and lift this wine to new heights. Medium bodied and lingers on the finish, inviting another sip or bite of your meal. This is Finger Lakes Riesling at its most elegant and food friendly. Best of all, it's a great value.

Winemaker Morten Hallgren is doing exciting things with other grapes as well.

Morten, raised in Provence on his family's vineyard, has a diverse winemaking background that took him from France to Texas, to North Carolina, and finally to the Finger Lakes, where he is best known for his six years as head winemaker at Dr. Konstantin Frank Vinifera Wine Cellars.

In 2000, Morten and his wife Lisa bought 17 acres of land on a glacier-carved hillside on the eastern slopes of Keuka Lake. This land is located at the widest part of the lake, which allows grapevines to receive maximum benefit from its temperature-moderating effects. It has well-drained soils and is situated between two deep ravines, which drain cold air from the land during the winter. These ravines are the namesake of the winery. When I visited, they had just plowed 6 acres behind the tasting room for planting later this spring with Riesling, chardonnay, pinot noir, cabernet sauvignon and petit manseng.

When I was there, I got to taste some of Morten's first vintages at Ravines-a Riesling, a chardonnay, a pinot noir and a cabernet franc. All impressed, particularly the pinot noir, which is really just coming into its own.

Of the current releases, the 2007 Sauvignon Blanc ($18) stood out-even if it was only bottled two days ago. And, for anyone who thinks that great wine can only be made with the classic grapes of Europe, think again. Ravines Wine Cellars 2006 Keuka Village White ($12), a blend of 80% Cayuga White and 20% Vignoles, was an affordable surprise that reminds me of the everyday blended wines from Alsace. The nose is fruity and fresh with loads of melon and peach with just a little floral character and minerality. Medium-to-light bodied, those same fruits dominate the palate with slightly tropical hints as well. There is a light sweetness to the wine, but more than enough acidity to bring balance.

I've said many less-than-nice things about Finger Lakes reds in the past, but Morten's 2005 Meritage ($25) deserves mention as well. I liked it enough to make it the only Bordeaux-style red that I bought the whole trip.

There are Finger Lakes wineries that are bigger and better known, but Ravines Wine Cellars is clearly one of the most exciting, with a great future ahead.