LENNDEVOURS

Three Quick Sips

I have a few things to catch up on here on the blog today. There always seems to be more going on than we have time to write about, doesn't there?

First, on a personal note, I'd like to wish our little guy, Jackson, a happy first birthday. A year ago today, at 5:17 p.m., he joined our budding family and life will never ever be the same again. All the sleepless nights, diaper changes, food spit up on clothes, etc. has been more than worth it. Seriously. He's what keeps me going when I don't feel like staying up late to write.

Next, I'd like to congratulate Jim Waters of Waters Crest Winery. He sent me an email earlier this week letting me know that his 2004 Private Reserve Cabernet Franc was chosen to be on the wine list at Alain Ducasse's newest restaurant, Adour. You might remember that this was one of my 12 Wines of Xmas late last year.

Last, I also have an update on the Wine Blogging Wednesday Logo Contest that I announced almost a week ago. The prize pack for the winner is really starting to come together. So far, we have:

• A Catavino Pack of Portuguese wines from Domaine547 (thanks Jill)
• Two items from the Oenoline catalog (thanks Wilfried)
• Two bottles of wine from Twisted Oak Winery (thanks Jeff)
• One dozen Austrian-style cookies  (thanks Jif)

We have a handful of submissions for the logo contest already, but I expect that we'll see many many more roll in as time goes along.

Am I a Professional Wine Writer?

"Where did you go to journalism school?  And what are your credentials as a 'wine critic'?"

That interesting little excerpt comes from and email I received a couple weeks week from the well-respected and well-regarded president of a New York wine organization. Someone who has done a great many great thing for New York wine over the years.

This was in an email telling me, more or less, that he didn't want to answer the questions I asked him.

It is his right, of course, to refuse my interview questions. He doesn't have to speak to or email with me.

But for him to attack my right to ask them, which is essentially what he's done, just shows that he is woefully behind the times and, frankly, ignorant to the way wine media works these days.

To be fair, he started in his current post while I was still in grade school. He is obviously most comfortable with traditional media and I'm sure that he's not alone. I'm sure that he's not alone, particularly in the New York wine world.

I make no claims to any formal wine education. I learn by popping corks (or cracking Stelvin closures), tasting, pondering, and tasting some more. I talk to winemakers. I talk to fellow wine lovers. I am a (I hope) respected member of a tremendous online wine-writing community. Do I need to have a Masters of Wine or several dozen wine judging gigs under my belt to write about wine and know what I'm talking about?

Clearly, the publications that I write for outside of LENNDEVOURS don't think so. No, I'm not writing for Parker or Shanken, but I have made a few extra bucks writing about wine for "real" newspapers and magazines too.

If the question this guy really wanted to ask was "Are you really a professional journalist?" I'd answer with an emphatic yes, and my credentials are as follows:

• I've written over 1,300 posts here on LENNDEVOURS, the vast majority about wine.
• I taste, I'd guess, at least 99% of the wine made on Long Island every year.
• I have an ever-growing and passionate group of readers.
• I get invited to events, shipped wine samples and sent press releases based solely upon this blog. Most don't even know that I write for "old media" too.

Perhaps the strangest thing about the email exchange that sparked this post is this ... why would this guy react this way to me in the first place?

Yes, I've questioned some of the things his organization has done over the years, but I've never attacked him personally. Maybe it's because the New York wine industry is used to getting good press or no press at all (more on this another time, maybe).

You'd think that I'd be seen by people in the New York wine industry as a positive. I write about them and their wines more than anyone else. Actually, most people in the wine industry do see me as a good thing.

It's just a handful people who have been in power for a long time who don't like when anyone questions their ideas or practices.

Guess what? You're not perfect. You're not above question. And in some ways, you're falling behind in a region that is moving forward...with or without you.

This isn't the only post sparked by my experience with this guy. Ryan over at Catavino did a post about this topic. As did Tom over at Fermentation too.

Long Island Wines in the Blogosphere

Yeah yeah. I'm the Long Island wine blogger. You come here expecting to read about Long Island wines — the good, the bad and the ugly. But, it's not like I'm the only wine blogger writing about Long Island wines.

This week, two other blogs have trained their tongues and keyboards on Long Island wine.

First, Ruuari over at Grape Thinking tastes and blogs about Wolffer Estate Vineyards' 2005 La Ferme Martin chardonnay. Who knew he could even get Long Island wine in Georgia? I'm glad he could, and of course appreciate the tip of the cap towards my blog as inspiration.

Secondly, Alder of Vinography — the wine blog — finally got around to tasting a bottle of Raphael 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon I gave him two summers ago. And you know I wouldn't point you to it if he didn't dig the wine.

I know that it can be frustrating for people outside of New York (or even in New York) to get their hands on these wines, but I hope these types of posts prove that they can be worth the effort.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game...With Wine?

It's impressive to me how Long Island wines, on the whole, have improved over the past few years. Sure, there are still plenty of clunkers to be tasted, but it seems like the middle-of-the-road wines are better and the regions best wines are that much better lately.

But good juice is only part of the package. To sell improving that wine, Long Island wineries need to market and promote themselves. Wine isn't a "build it and they will come" sort of industry.

Local producers do seem to be getting better at building relationships with their customers and attracting new ones. I'm seeing more events that go beyond the tried, true and boring "come to our winery, drink some wine and listen to some mediocre band" events. Several local wineries have upgraded their websites of late too--a welcome and long overdue bit of news.

Speaking of new strategies, Palmer Vineyards is using America's past time to reach out to a new group of people who may or may not remember that there are world-class wines made so close to home.

In early August, Palmer signed on as the official winery of both the New York Yankees and New York Mets Radio Networks for the rest of the current season--making it the first winery ever to sponsor a Yankees or Mets radio broadcast.

The arrangement builds upon owner Bob Palmer's idea to win over the largely beer-drinking sports crowd--an effort that began earlier this year with a deal to be the only wine sold at New York Islanders hockey games at the Nassau Coliseum.

Palmer, a veteran advertising executive, told me in a recent email that "As a long-time sports fan, I have always been convinced that wine had a place in beverage selections while enjoying sports. I thought that if we could make a go of it with hockey, the least likely "wine friendly" sport, then we could expand to other sports venues."

And expand they have. By inking the deal with both local baseball teams, Palmer's name will be reaching millions of people with each broadcast. The Yankees draw an estimated 1.8 million to 2.1 million listeners per game through their flagship station WCBS (880 AM), according to Wax. Mets broadcasts reach 1.3 million to 1.5 million listeners through flagship station WFAN (660 AM).

Talking about the success he's had with the Islanders, Palmer said "[We've] had frequent visitors to the winery who have told the staff that they came because they had the wines at an Islanders game."

Certainly, Palmer is trying something different here, and this sort of creativity isn't always prevalent in local wine marketing efforts.

And he knows he's trying something different that other wineries may not see value in.

"I do not expect other wineries to join this effort. That is not the point. If, in the future, maybe, just maybe, if all of the industry starts the think 'outside the box', we can expand wine consumption beyond its current boundaries.

Only time will tell just what impact this "wine and sports" effort will have. But at the very least Palmer Vineyards is trying something new. I'm not sure that it's exactly what the region needs to make it to the next level, but the region definitely needs more new ideas, not just more of the same.

                                        

Anthony Nappa Joins Shinn Estate Vineyards

As reported here on LENNDEVOURS a little over a month ago, Juan Micieli-Martinez is leaving Shinn Estate Vineyards to join Martha Clara Vineyards.

And now, I can tell you who will replace him at Shinn. His name is Anthony Nappa and he brings a diverse winemaking background to the North Fork. Most recently, Nappa worked at Monterey Wine in California, but prior to that he worked in Italy, Massachusetts and New Zealand.

I've only tasted wines from two of his previous stops, Westport Rivers in MA and Goldwater Estate in NZ, but it should be interesting to see how he applies his knowledge and experience at Shinn Estate.

Welcome to the North Fork.

I'm Still Thinking About the New York Food & Wine Classic

You may have noticed that I've been getting a little heat in the comment section of my recent post on the 2007 New York Food & Wine Classic. You might think that I don't like those sorts of comments, but the exact opposite is true. They are one of the many things that are great about the blog medium. If that piece had been published in a newspaper or magazine, people could have emailed me or sent a letter to the editor, but there wouldn't be an actual discussion going.

And, the great thing about discussions like this one are that they make you think, and I've been thinking a lot more both about the Classic and the New York Wine & Grape Foundation over the last couple of days.

I've admitted, publicly, that I shouldn't have used some of the language that I did in that original post. I edited the post accordingly. But let's remember one thing about the NYWGF:

No matter how great Jim Trezise has been for the wines of New York, the foundation he run is not perfect or above questioning.

And neither is the way that the New York Food & Wine Classic is run. If it were, Red Barn Winery wouldn't have won "Winery of the Year."

Congratulations to Red Barn for doing so well with the wines that it submitted, but should a winery that appears to only make dessert and fruit wine from purchased juice, really deserve to be "Winery of the Year" in one of the nation's emerging wine regions? Probably not, and I don't think so.

Nothing personal against Red Barn, heck, the owner is my wife's uncle (well, not any more because of a divorce in the family), but the formula that the Foundation uses to choose the "Winery of the Year" clearly needs to be updated. In past years, the formula has worked out okay, but this year should prove to people that a change is needed.

And for people who think that I'm wrong to question the sanctity of the Classic, just remember that there is a reason that some top wineries don't submit wines to the competition. Actually, there are probably a few reasons, but they do exist. If the Classic were a perfect operation, everyone would want to be a part of it I think.

My guess is that next year there will be a few more wineries who don't participate, and the next year a few more, unless things are improved.

I've always felt that part of my role as a blogger covering the New York wine industry is to not settle for the status quo and challenge everyone to improve and do things better. And sometimes I say things that no one else will (even if they think it) but remember, no one or thing is perfect or without room for improvement. Not the NYWGF. Not the Classic. Not Jim Trezise. Not my commenters. And, not Lenn Thompson.

New Websites for Three Long Island Wineries

Two Long Island wineries have new websites, and I just wanted to point them out.

First is Scarola Vineyards, which is a producers you may or may not even know about. I did a piece that mentioned them for Hamptons.com and for Edible East End. The wines are made by owner Frank Scarola at Wolffer Estate under the watchful eye of Roman Roth. My favorite of Frank's wines is his chardonnay.

Waters Crest Winery has also (finally) revamped its website. I know that co-owner Jim Waters had quite a battle getting it completed (because some designers/developers didn't do him right).

UPDATE: Sean's comment is correct, Lieb Family Cellars has also updated its website.

I'd love to offer a full review of each site, but I caught a lot of flack for picking apart Channing Daughters Winery's new site a while back. Both of these sites are vast improvements and seem pretty solid overall. If anyone is interested in my full thoughts, shoot me an email and maybe I'll take the time to look at them more closely.

How Much is the Stuff in Your Refrigerator Worth? (AKA: The continued Sears saga)

So if you had to replace every single item in both your freezer and your refrigerator, how much would it cost you?

Sears seems to think, despite what we've told them, that $100 is more than enough to replace our lost goods.

Yes, the same company that took two weeks to tell us the dead refrigerator they sold us less than a year ago couldn't be fixed (the new one is being delivered today) has informed us that they will only reimburse us $100. This was after them asking us to put together a written estimate to replace the food because the refrigerator had to be replace and was obviously faulty.

Once again, Sears is screwing us. Do yourself a favor and steer clear of Kenmore/Sears appliances.

What Can a Foodie Do When Sears Screws Him?

We bought a new refrigerator about eight months ago. We had been very happy with it until died on us about a week ago. It started when we noticed that some things weren't freezing rock hard in the freezer. Then, day by day, stuff started to thaw and the refrigerator side started to get warmer and warmer as well.

After waiting a week for Sears to come fix it, they came last night around 6:30, well after the "between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m." window we were given (I took a day off work to accommodate) and said they couldn't fix it and that someone else would have to come. Nena called this "someone else" this morning and they can't come for yet another week.

So, we'll be without an operating fridge for a total of two weeks...or at least that's what it looks like now.

It's been an interesting week already. So I thought I'd put together a list of things that answer the question: What do you do when Sears screws you over?

• You throw away a couple hundred dollars worth of formerly frozen meat and other food that is no longer safe to eat.
• You buy ice every day so you can keep milk and food for your 5-month old son in a cooler.
• You cancel a weekend BBQ for 20 co-workers because you can't do any prep for it or keep anything cold.
• You drink more red wine that white because you can't easily chill whites.
• You learn to be creative with pantry staples like pasta, bread crumbs and beans.
• You eat out a little more.
• You use your blog to vent before your head explodes.
• You vow never to buy another Kenmore/Sears appliance again. Ever.

Pardon the interruption. Regularly scheduled programing will continue this evening with Wine Blogging Wednesday.

What wine would you pair with sour cream and onion potato chips?

We're still upstate visiting my in-laws, but I was thinking last night as I stuck my hand into a bag of sour cream and onion potato chips: What wine would go with these?

I didn't have my wine cellar at my disposal, so I wasn't table to test any theories, but I was thinking that gruner veltliner or sauvignon blanc would work. Both have the acidity to stand up to the greasy fried chips and the herbaceousness to complement the fake onion flavors.

What would you drink with these chips?