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.

Know Valvin Muscat? Hunt Country Vineyards Does.

By Jason Feuler, Finger Lakes Correspondent

Last weekend I attended a reception at Hunt Country Vineyards on the northwestern tip of Keuka's left branch to celebrate the first available vintage of Valvin Muscat. This hybrid is, like the name implies, a genetic relative of the ancient and prolific muscat grape which is grown the world over, but usually in warmer climates.

The few muscats I've had in the past were aromatic, food-friendly whites with good balance. How does its cousin compare? Actually, quite well. The Valvin Muscat I tried at Hunt Country left me with most of the good impressions of a muscat and the mid-palate did not suffer from the same flatness that plagues many hybrids. Overall, it was very good white by any standard.

Chris Wirth, the winemaker, is pleased with his creation. "We had some experimental rows planted for the last few years, and they were turning out very nicely. It didn't take long for us to decide to release a vintage of this grape."

Valvin Muscat is known genetically as 62-122.01 and was first developed in 1962 by the Cornell Experimental Station in Geneva. "When the Cornell folks test the drinkability of wines they don't filter and prepare them for general consumption," explains winery owner Art Hunt, "so sometimes good grapes can seem a little rough. When I first tasted the Valvin it was great, and I knew that this would be a good grape to experiment with and produce."

Art's wife and co-owner Joyce Hunt took the opportunity of the Valvin Muscat's release to ask local restaurant Snug Harbor in Hammondsport to prepare some dishes to pair with the new wine. The result was a pleasing buffet of spicy shrimp, smoked lake trout salad, and white truffle macaroni and cheese. All the dishes were fantastic on their own and each paired with the Valvin Muscat very well, showing both the skill of Snug Harbor's chef and the flexibility of muscat in general.

Hunt County has been a winery since 1981, but it is in fact a six-generation family farm that stretches back well into the 19th-Century. The tasting room has one of the best patron-friendly setups of any Finger Lakes winery and the hospitality extends to the warm personalities of Art and Joyce who graciously introduced me to as many guests as possible. The premier of Valvin Muscat was a fun and informative event.

Hunt Country is not the only Finger Lakes winery to have bottled Valvin Muscat, but they are one of only a few and their efforts have produced a food-friendly, drinkable white that should appeal to both lovers of vinifera and those who seek out wines for casual summer sipping.  Hunt Country's Valvin Muscat will retail for $14.99.  I am curious to see how the public responds to this varietal and whether or not other Finger Lakes wineries will begin to produce it as well.

 

Savor Syracuse: An Accidental Riesling Tasting

By Jason Feulner, Finger Lakes Correspondent

Last night, my parents-in-law graciously invited my wife and me to a Syracuse charity event that raises money for the Food Bank of Central New York. Savor Syracuse, as it is called, was held last night at the Hotel Syracuse, an early 20th-Century gem that is no longer functioning as a hotel but serves as a tremendous event venue with a fantastic decor.

The event is simple: local restaurants and other institutions prepared and served food at various stations, and you go around and taste.

We went to this event two years ago and at that point it was heavy on the food and had maybe one or two wineries pouring wines. The rest of the drinks at that event were beer or from wine sales reps who were pushing their client's wines from California, Australia, etc. Basically, there wasn't much going on in the local drink department.

Much to my surprise, when I walked in this year,  I saw more wine than food and it was all Finger Lakes wine! 

Here before me were wineries like Standing Stone, Lamoreaux Landing, Fulkerson, Heron Hill, Dr. Frank's, Prejean, and several more. It was something akin to a tasting event that was not even labeled as such and so I quickly took advantage of the circumstances and started the rounds.

I was not equipped to take detailed notes, but I'll leave you with some of my overall impressions. 

Do I Hear a 90? Going once...

By Jason Feulner, Finger Lakes Correspondent

As Lenn wrote last week, Wine Spectator just released scores for a list of 2006 Finger Lakes rieslings as tasted by James Molesworth. Many thanks to our friend over at Finger Lakes Weekend Wino, who has summarized these results in two posts here and here.

The wines on the list represent some great wineries to be sure, and while I respectfully disagree with some of the relative comparisons between these tastings (the 2006 Ravines is, in my opinion, one of the best Finger Lakes wines I've ever tasted and deserves a higher score) it is encouraging to see that these wines are showing a great deal of consistency across the board. 

2006 was a great vintage for rieslings, and many different producers are creating competitive wines that are true ambassadors for the region as a whole.

Despite this success, I continue to be discouraged by the gentleman's B+ that Wine Spectator always seems to designate for the top crop of Finger Lakes wines. I am not implying that Finger Lakes rieslings deserve scores well into the 90s or even approaching the magical classic status of 95+, but it has been apparent to me over the last few years that no matter the quality of the group of rieslings tasted by Wine Spectator, the very best always hit a celing at 88-89.

Richard, a LENNDEVOURS reader and publisher of his own blog Passionate Foodie, was kind enough to supply me with the text of a James Molesworth subscription blog post that explains the taster's feelings about New York wine:

To Drink or To Blog?

By Jason Feulner, Finger Lakes Correspondent

Jamie's recent post about being a little "sick" of wine grabbed my attention, not only due to the fact that she chose to reveal the private nature of her own wine-related thoughts, but also because she hit upon a chord that I see reverberating throughout the wine blogosphere.

I'm nowhere near the wine blog reader that is the guru Lenn, but I've noticed in my own limited searches that many blogs seem a bit, well, down recently, and some writers are making sentiments known that mirror Jay's.  One blogger who I have come to respect for his level of knowledge recently offered the dour query as to whether there is anything new or exciting about wine being talked about on the internet.

I've kept these observations in the back of my mind, only to have them resurface when I came across a notice on a Rochester newspaper website announcing the creation of a new blog and interactive user's forum dedicated to Finger Lakes wine. To herald this new online forum, the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle has begun feauturing the "Riesling Rebels," two experienced wine women who are now in the employ of the paper's online site.

A wine blog run by a newspaper? Rebellious indeed.

I have absolutely no reason to suspect that the aforementioned bloggers will be anything but entertaining and enlightening, but I have to admit that the whole idea of a multitude of virtual wine communities is beginning to wear on me a bit. Lenn and I recently came across a Finger Lakes tourism site that was running a so-called blog that was nothing more than a cut-and-paste job featuring some of my LENNDEVOURS work without permission.

Letting the Grapes Speak: An Interview with Anthony Road's Johannes Reinhardt

By Jason Feulner, Finger Lakes Correspondent

Johannes Reinhardt came to the Finger Lakes from Germany, yet it is his varied work experience which sets him most apart from many other winemakers. 

He has honed his craft in the ancient family wine business, at an organic winery, at a large-scale commercial winery, and now finds himself the sole winemaker at Anthony Road Wine Company on Seneca Lake. Johannes brings a European perspective to a winemaking region in which he sees a great deal of potential.

The Reinhardt family, from the tiny village of Neuses Am Berg in northern Bavaria, was awarded a royal crest in 1438 and given dominion over grape growing and the wine trade in part of what was then called Franconia. Despite this close involvement in the wine business, the Reinhardt family did not officially produce its own wine label until the 1950s. Johannes, after learning the craft from his father, seemed destined to inherit the expanding family business.

Johannes earned his Master's in Viticulture from the Bavarian Institute at Veitshoechheim in 1991. He worked for the family winery from 1992-1995 and then abruptly decided to leave to expand his horizons. From 1996-1999 he worked at an organic winery near Stuttgart.

In 1999, Johannes saw an ad in a German wine journal for a winemaking position at Dr. Frank's in the Finger Lakes. Although Johannes had never heard of the Finger Lakes and had only basic English skills, he decided to take a chance and applied. He arrived at Dr. Frank's at the same time as Morten Hallgren of Ravines, where the two spoke more German than English in the cellar.

Viewing his year-long experience at Dr. Frank's as educational in nature, Johannes returned to Germany where he took a prestigious job at a large commercial winery. Disillusioned with the money-focused nature of that business, Johannes welcomed an unexpected phone call in the summer of 2000 from John Martini, owner of Anthony Road, who wanted to hire a winemaker of Johannes' caliber.

Johannes Reinhardt, with a limited command of the English language and few connections here, decided to bring his career back to the Finger Lakes.

Finger Lakes Wineries Win Gold in Riesling Competition

By Finger Lakes Correspondent, Jason Feulner

The Finger Lakes continues to earn recognition for its outstanding rieslings. Last week, at the 10th Annual Riesling du Monde tasting competition in Strasbourg, France, five Finger Lakes wineries placed in the gold medal category amidst a slew of riesling entries from prestigious German and French wineries. These Finger Lakes wineries include Chateau LaFayette Reneau, Dr. Konstantin Frank, Fox Run, Glenora Wine Cellars, and Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards.

Each winery submitted its top 2006 riesling for review.

Fred Frank of Dr. Frank's Vinifera Wine Cellars is keen on entering competitions like the Riesling du Monde due to the high-quality judging standards present at such events. "We believe it is important to submit our wines in national and international competitions because the wines are tasted blind by a large group of professional wine judges, resulting in an accurate reflection of quality."

Dr. Frank's 2006 Dry Riesling has won 8 gold medals and 2 "Best of Class" awards at national and international wine competitions.

Glenora Wine Cellars produces their riesling from three different sites situated on the eastern and western slopes of Seneca Lake. "We blend it from all three sites," Glenora winemaker Steve DiFrancesco explains.  "It's sort of like a Champagne cuvèe method of winemaking." DiFrancesco is convinced that, despite riesling's versatility and ability to adapt to many regions, it excels in relatively few growing regions, the Finger Lakes among them.

Winemaker Tim Benedict of Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards could not agree more. "There has been a consensus here in the Finger Lakes for a while now that our rieslings can stand toe-to-toe with the best rieslings in the world."  Benedict believes that the unique micro-climates of the Finger Lakes are perfectly suited for riesling production and that Finger Lakes rieslings belong in prestigious competitions like the Riesling du Monde.

The 2006 vintage was very kind to Finger Lakes rieslings, producing crisp and acidic wines that make an impression on the palate. While I am not at all surprised that these five wineries were able to win gold medals at an international event, I am convinced that several Finger Lakes wineries that likely did not enter submissions would also be worthy of such an award. Yes, the 2006 rieslings are that good, and the more I've been fortunate enough to taste, the more I'm convinced of that fact.

Grab those 2006 rieslings off the shelf while they are still available!

Finger Lakes Harvest 2007: Excellent for Reds, Hopeful for Whites

By Finger Lakes Correspondent Jason Feulner 

"The intense flavors just burst in your mouth," explains Phil Davis of Damiani Wine Cellars, describing the qualities of the red vinifera grapes he harvested and tasted in the fall of 2007. "The juice is dark and complex and shows a lot of potential."

Davis is one of many Finger Lakes winemakers who are extolling the virtues of the 2007 harvest, which they claim may lead to one of the best Finger Lakes vintages in many years. The weather certainly was unique. A dry spring led to a very dry summer; the growing season extended far into September and even into October with several 80 degree days arriving after Columbus Day.

"The weather speaks for itself," Steve Shaw of Shaw Vineyard states succinctly. "This harvest exceeds 2005 and is probably better than 1981 for the development of varietal character."

Many Finger Lakes wineries struggle to register more than 19 or 20 Brix in their red varieties any given year. This year, Shaw was able to record 23 Brix for his merlot crop, 24.2 for cabernet franc, and 24.7 for cabernet sauvignon. "I would have waited and gotten even higher Brix," Shaw jokes, "but the migrating birds saw the potential and were eating my grapes like crazy."

Despite the obvious benefits the hot, dry weather added to the red crop, white grapes -- including the esteeemed riesling variety -- may not fair as well or as evenly. While the Finger Lakes terrior often adds a nice acidic backbone to its rieslings, the hot weather sapped many clusters of their acidic character. For some wineries, acid will have to be added to the riesling batches post harvest to help balance the flavors of the grapes.

Both Davis and Shaw are life-long grape growers who have turned to winemaking only in recent years. They point to low yields as the secret to surviving problems with drought, low acidity and even sour rot. "I kept my yields as low as possible," says Davis. "Those who tried to exceed four tons an acre probably had more problems."

Another winemaker who did not want to be identified was even more direct: "This vintage will vary in quality depending on the skills of the winemaker and vineyard manager and how they evaluated the yields and other conditions on their site. Some rieslings will be excellent, while others will be a disaster. It's that type of year."

Ironically, 2007 may be a great year for red varieties, for which the Finger Lakes are not well known, and an uneven year for riesling and other whites, for which the Finger Lakes are highly recognized. Only time will tell, but as the wines begin to develop in barrel and in tank a consensus may soon develop over the 2007 vintage and what its hot, dry weather has wrought.

If critics and consumers respond favorably to Finger Lakes reds and find uneveness in the whites, it will be a strange vintage indeed.

The Politics of New York Wine

By Finger Lakes Correspondent Jason Feulner

My educational background is in public policy, which does occasionally mix with talk of wine, although not often.

Last month my interest was aroused by a news release from the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, the contents of which were shared on several websites and in print. Through the Agriculture Department a task force has been formed to address the regulations, research and promotion of New York State's wine industry.

To preemptively analyze this task force's mission before it even produces a word is perhaps foolish for observer and reader alike, and only an insider or an investigative journalist might find enough information to truly pose an opinion on whether or not this task force will be a colossal waste of time. There are some salient points that can be delivered, however, which neither condemn such an exercise nor put much faith in it either. 

I am going to keep these thoughts and others in mind as I observe the activities of this task force:

1. In New York State, none of these task forces are ever created without there being an existing (not necessarily hidden) agenda. Governor Spitzer would not have called such a task force into being for academic purposes, but is instead looking for justification for a future policy option. The conclusions of this task force will be used to add credence to any moves the governor's office wants to make with the legislature
2. By my count, there are 6 members of the task force with direct links to the Finger Lakes, 4 from Long Island, 2 from the Niagara Escarpment (surprising), 1 from the Hudson Valley and 1 from Lake Erie.  The chair is Kareem Massoud of Paumonok Vineyards. With this makeup, it seems like no one region will be able to form a veto-like majority. The Finger Lakes' representatives have extremely varied interests.
3. Some questions arise in terms of member interactions. What does Constellation Wines have in common with New York's farm and boutique wineries? Where do Constellation's interests intersect with smaller operations with regional markets and where do these interests diverge, espeically when it comes to distribution and labor policies? In addition, who does Jim Trezise of the New York Wine and Grape Foundation represent at this table and what are the Foundation's goals? Is the wine business in New York going to be based on what's best for production volume and sales or on creating a distinct and self-promoting industry?
4. Who brings the refreshments? I hope it's not Constellation.

One could come up with many more points or questions, but at this stage I am going to sit back and watch.  I'm curious to see the impetus behind the creation of this task force, which should reveal itself in due time. 

Old Apple Trees, Family Traditions and Apple Wine

By Jason Feulner, Finger Lakes Correspondent

"How old is that apple tree?" I asked Uncle Sam, pointing at the gnarled, sprawling specimen that towered over his small orchard. "Well, it's been there a long time. My father probably planted it before I was born," replied the 82-year-old.

I was helping Uncle Sam pick apples at his farm, aided by one of my wife's older cousins and his three-year-old son. I climbed up the trees to reach the highest branches upon which no ladder could lean and shook vigorously, dropping the ripe gems to the ground. The little guy giggled and ran about, picking up as many of the pie-bound Northern Spy apples as he could.

These Northern Spy apples, coming from very old trees, were really tasty. Most public orchards don't provide an opportunity to pick apples from such an old tree.

New York State is home to a wide variety of apples and apple-growing regions, ranging from Long Island to Lake Erie. The Finger Lakes region is no exception. Orchards of all shapes and sizes can be found in many locations between and around the lakes. The valleys west of Syracuse are home to a great deal of apple orchards, and on the plains north of the Finger Lakes, just south of Lake Ontario, can be found some of the largest commercial orchards in the state.

In addition to the picking done at the family farm, my wife Kathleen and I recently went to one of the Syracuse area's best public orchards, Beak & Skiff. This orchard is a Central New York institution and a fun fall trip for families. After we picked some fruit (Kathleen is pictured at right) we went into the orchard store where I was happy to discover that Beak & Skiff had recently renovated its apple winery tasting room down the road. 

Of course, I immediately headed downhill to see what was going on.

I am not a huge fan of fruit wines since most tend to be a little too sweet. Beak & Skiff's wine and cider selection, however, impressed me. The wines are made from different apple varieties and range from reasonably dry to sufficiently sweet. The ciders are crafted in a traditional manner with relatively low alcohol and a crisp, acidic taste.

Apple wine will never exhibit the complexity of grape wine, but apples are a far more accessible fruit to which we can all relate.  Most of us (with some notable exceptions) never get a chance to handle wine-bound grapes in the vineyard.  Apples are different. We eat them constantly, and nearly all of us can find a local orchard in which to experience the fall harvest.

Getting out there and picking the bounty of the land is always an invigorating experience. Apples are fun to pick, go great in pies, and, thanks to places like Beak & Skiff, even better to drink. I recommend giving their wine or cider a try.

I was told by the staff that Beak & Skiff will soon be offering vodka made from apples. I imagine I'll be duty-bound to return next year and see what apple vodka is all about.