New York Cork Report

Heard Through the Grape Vine: Jim Silver Leaving Bedell Cellars for Peconic Bay Winery

For now, this qualifies for the "strong rumor" folder, but I've heard that Jim Silver, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Bedell Cellars, will be leaving soon to take over as the new general manager at Peconic Bay Winery.

Jean Partridge, currently Bedell's wholesale account executive, will become the VP of sales and owner Michael Lynne's son, Jonathan Lynne will join the team as Executive VP of Sales.

Peconic Bay Winery's current GM, Matt Gillies, is leaving on "great terms" and is planning his new future "quite enthusiastically." Matt brings a wide array of winery and vineyard experience to the table, so I have no doubt that he'll find himself back in the game very quickly. In an email, he told me that "A little more time for life is going to be the most appreciated element in my departure -- that's for sure."

Jim, who I met for the first time in person a couple weeks ago, has vast experience in selling wine, both as a sommelier and from the winery side. He's a man with great ideas for the region and where Long Island needs to go. I think he'll be good for Peconic Bay Winery as it looks to its future.

Fresh-Pressed: John Levenberg Out as Winemaker at Bedell Cellars

I have emails in to my contacts at Bedell Cellars/Corey Creek Vineyards, but the latest rumor on the North Fork is that John Levenberg has been fired from his winemaking duties there.

His name (thought not his picture) have been removed from the website, so I'm inclined to think that this one is true.

This is a surprising development given his resume and the recent success he's had at Bedell, but it takes more than good wine to keep your job, right?

For the short term, it would seem that Bedell will move forward with assistant winemaker, Kelly Urbanik,  consultant Pascal Marty and founding winemaker Kip Bedell at the helm.

I'll share more information as I can dig it up.

 

I have emails in to my contacts at Bedell Cellars/Corey Creek Vineyards, but the latest rumor on the North Fork is that John Levenberg has been fired from his winemaking duties there.

His name (thought not his picture) have been removed from the website, so I'm inclined to think that this one is true.

This is a surprising development given his resume and the recent success he's had at Bedell, but it takes more than good wine to keep your job, right?

For the short term, it would seem that Bedell will move forward with assistant winemaker, Kelly Urbanik,  consultant Pascal Marty and founding winemaker Kip Bedell at the helm.

I'll share more information as I can dig it up.

 

Exciting News: Screwcaps Coming to Long Island Wine

A little birdy has informed me that a well-known and well-regarded Long Island winery is preparing to make the leap into screwcap closures for some of it's 2007 white wines.

Care to guess which winery?

Okay, I'll just come out and tell you. It's Paumanok Vineyards and I think it's great that they are pioneering the use of screwcap closures here on Long Island. Kareem Massoud, who makes the wines with his father Charles, told me in an email today that:

"...we are currently planning to start bottling wine under screw cap with our 2007 whites, that does not necessarily mean that all the 2007 whites will be bottled under screw cap.  Given that it is a new piece of machinery, there is always a learning curve, not to mention sourcing the correct bottles and screw caps.  Obviously, before we do it we want to make sure that quality control has been perfected.

It's about time that someone made this leap. And the best part is that it's one of the best wineries, not one of the makers of cheap, sweet plonk.

Juan Micieli-Martinez Heading to Martha Clara Vineyards?

Thanks to a reader tip (thanks John) and an email sent to David Page at Shinn Estate Vineyards, I've learned that Juan Micieli-Martinez, formerly of Pellegrini Vineyards, is now formerly of Shinn Estate Vineyards as well. Or he will be by mid-August.

"He has done a great job for us at Shinn during his time with us. Barbara and I wish him the best," Page told me in an email.

He's been offered the winemaker position at Martha Clara Vineyards. I haven't heard from Juan yet and I have no idea at this point what is going on with Gilles Martin, who at least had been the winemaker at MCV.

Stay tuned for more information. And, congratulations to Juan on the new position. He has experience at Premium Wine Group, the custom-crush facility where MCV's wines are made, so perhaps this is a bit of a homecoming.

Heard Through the Grape Vine: D'Latte Vineyards?

I've heard an unconfirmed rumor from a couple different unnamed sources that the owner of D'Latte Uncorked, an upscale deli/wine bar in Greenport, is planning to plant a vineyard on the North Fork with tight row spacing, build a winery on the premises and use a local winemaker as a consultant.

Does anyone know anything about this?

I'm going to call the deli when I get home tonight, but I'm wondering if any of my "insider" readers have heard anything about this endeavor.

Either way, check back soon for more information--I hope.