So here we are, the one-year anniversary of Wine Blogging Wednesday, the international blogging juggernaut that encourages bloggers (and some non-bloggers) worldwide to drink/review/post about a wine that falls into a different category each month.
This month, as we gather from all over the globe, I've asked each of you to look right down the street...to the vineyard/winery nearest your home. Drink Local -- Real Local...is the theme, which ties in beautifully with the 2005 Eat Local Challenge this month. It was completely coincidental, but I think it will bring even more WBWers to the fold.
Not long after I announced the theme, I was suddenly filled with dread. While I had a certain winery in mind when I came up with the theme (any excuse to drink their wines is a good one), I remembered a much lesser winery outside Long Island's main wine country. Was it closer?
A hurried check on both Google Maps and MapQuest and I was relieved...Roanoke Vineyards was still the closest by about four miles.
I've written about owners Rich and Soraya Pisacano, as well as their wine, before ( 1 | 2 | 3 ) and they finally got their due in the New York Times recently as well. I bought this bottle of Merlot when I was working on that first story about them...and it's been sitting, calling out to from our wine fridge ever since.
This was to be it's big coming out party...paired with grilled, black-pepper studded steak and a delicious tomato/mozzarella salad made with tomatoes from our own garden. Then...starting over the weekend, I knew I was in trouble when I felt the first twinge of a cold.
By Tuesday, I was in full-blown head cold mode...unable to breath or taste anything, let alone the elegance and nuance that I knew this wine to have. But, the missus and I plowed on...making that delectable dinner and drinking the wine -- taste buds be damned!
Nothing. That's what I tasted. And that's why I only had a small glass...and re-corked in hopes that tonight I'll again be able to taste. But, in the interest of WBW, here are my previous notes:
"100% merlot. Toasty and spicy. Lots of lush berry for a wine that spent 20 months in oak. Lingering, complex and layered finish with a little mint at the end. As good a merlot as I've tasted from L.I. making it a great value, even at this price ($38)."
I hope that the rest of you WBWers dodged the tastebud deafening affects of the common cold...and I look forward to reading all of your posts. The entries are already rolling in, so keep an eye out later this week (or maybe over the weekend) for the Wine Blogging Wednesday #12 Roundup.
Argh. A poorly-timed cold, indeed! By the way, you call it a good value, even at its price - but what IS its price? The price paid is of course intrinsically intwined in any discussion of a "value," so I'm interested...
Posted by: Steve-o | August 10, 2005 at 01:06 PM
Right you are...forgot to copy that from my old notes!
It's $38 a bottle.
Posted by: Lenn | August 10, 2005 at 01:15 PM
Perhaps you could indicate where this vineyard is on http://www.winerybound.com/
Posted by: Andrew | August 11, 2005 at 04:16 PM