LENNDEVOURS

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.

Bedell Cellars 2005 Musée Launch Party Report

By Sasha Smith, New York City Correspondent

If you’re going to name your prestige wine Musée and put a Chuck Close daguerreotype on the label, where better to launch it at The Modern? Last night Bedell Cellars hosted a party to officially introduce their newest, top-of-the-line cuvée. A blend of 78% merlot, 17% cabernet sauvignon, and 5% petit verdot from the Wells Road and Bedell Estate vineyards, the wine is aged for 15 months French oak, half of it new.

Soft and supple with well-integrated oak and notes of plum and cocoa, the wine is incredibly easy to drink. (The alcohol comes in, thankfully, at a moderate 12.9%.) I only wished the wine had some more structure and presence. I’m all for subtlety, and on one hand, it was delightful to stand around sipping this wine for an hour, accompanied by the occasional wild mushroom puff pastry canapé.

On the other hand, at $65 I’m looking for something that stops conversation and makes me think. We all have our dollar threshold above which we demand that sit-up-and-take-notice quality. Mine is probably a lot lower than that of last night’s party-goers (including Michael Lynne, Bedell’s owner and Co-Chairman and Co-CEO of New Line Cinema, Hamptons magazine publisher Debra Halpert and restauranteur/all-around mensch Danny Meyer), but I’d guess not so different from that of the average well-informed Long Island wine lover and LENNDEVOURS reader.

It’s not going to displace the gutsier Reserve Merlot as my favorite of Bedell’s consistently strong offerings.

I chatted with the director of operations at a private club who said he could easily sell the wine to his upscale clientèle. We thought it would be particularly successful by the glass, given its mellow fruit and very soft tannins.

In fact, that’s exactly what The Modern has in mind. The restaurant’s energetic wine director, Belinda Chang, says they’re putting it on their tasting menu to accompany a squab dusted with cocoa powder, a smart pairing that would no doubt bring out the best in the wine.

Finally, I hate to bring the snark – and I’m only mentioning it because Bedell obviously took a lot of care on the label – but am I the only one who thinks these two look oddly similar?

Farm to Chef, Field to Table at the Astor Center This Thursday (1/31)

I get invited to a lot of wine and wine-related events. Many of them are in New York City, so I can rarely attend them, and frankly, few of them are interesting enough that I'm going to take off of work and hop on a train.

Then there are events like the one the Astor Center is hosting the evening of Thursday, January 31: Farm to Chef, Field to Table: An Intimate Dinner with Chef Michael Anthony and Peter Kaminsky.

I'm excited about this event because it was designed to celebrate the great bounty of our particular corner of the world, bringing together farmers, chefs, writers and activists.

It features a five-course dinner prepared by Chef Michael Anthony of Gramercy Tavern with additional canapés and hors d'oeuvres prepared by Mary Cleaver of The Green Table and The Cleaver Company at Chelsea market. Long Island's Channing Daughter Winery will be pouring their wines along side.

I've long been a fan of Kaminsky's writing, so I wish I could go if only to meet him in person.

It's not cheap, at $175 per person, but it promises to be a spectacular evening.

If you're interested you can learn more and buy tickets online.

Brooklyn Oenology Debuts

By New York City Correspondent Sasha Smith

This fall I went to the launch party for BOE, a winery housed in a converted warehouse in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. (BOE is short for Brooklyn Oenology.) Founded by engineer-turned-winemaker Alie Shaper, BOE released its first wines this fall, a 2005 Chardonnay and a 2005 Merlot. While the fruit comes from the North Fork and the wines are made in Mattituck at Premium Wine Group, the rest of this endeavor is thoroughly Brooklyn-based. Alie says that the winery was created “in the spirit of Brooklyn’s artisanal resurgence,” and points to the many artists and artisans that populate the borough, from graphic designers to brewers.  In fact, her wine labels showcase the work of Brooklyn artists Tracy Silva Barbosa (Chardonnay) and Bert Esenherz (Merlot). 

BOE is pretty much a one-woman show, and Alie’s energy and drive are truly inspiring.  I caught up with her after the launch party to find out more about her background and what it takes to start up a winery in the middle of Brooklyn.

After attending the event, I wanted to know a bit more, so I asked Alie a few questions.

November 7 -- Mario Batali: Roasted, Battered & Fried

Next Tuesday, Superstar chef  Mario Batali will be roasted by a diverse dais that includes some of my favorite celebs like Anthony Bourdain, James Gandolfini, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, Artie Lange and Sarah Silverman.

Proceeds from the event go to the Food Bank for New York City. The event begins  at Capitale (130 Bowery) with cocktails at 6:30 p.m. followed by dinner at 7:30 and the roast itself at 8:45.

Tickets start at $500, but it's a great cause and should be a ton of fun. Buy tickets online at the Food Bank for New York City.

LIMA Uncorks Merliance in Manhattan

 

On Monday, April 3, the Long Island Merlot Alliance hosted a press and trade preview tasting at Craft restaurant in Manhattan of its first co-produced wine – 2004 Merliance.

Formed last fall by Raphael, Pellegrini Vineyards, Sherwood House Vineyards, Shinn Estate Vineyards and Wolffer Estate Vineyards, the LIMA believes that merlot is Long Island’s signature varietal, and as such has dedicated itself to its advancement and continued quality in our region. In addition to the collaborative production of Merliance every year, the group plans to hold educational programs and sponsor research into exactly why Long Island is so well suited to growing merlot and growing it well year in and year out.

To make 2004 Merliance, which is 100% merlot, each member winery selected the two barrels from their own cellars that they felt best represented their own individual style as well as Long Island’s unique terroir. With ten barrels of merlot, five wineries and five winemakers with differing styles, the LIMA knew that creating a smooth, well-integrated wine would be a challenge, but their hard work shows in the wine itself.

This Weekend: My First Trip to the Opera

Some people find it hard to believe that I've never been to an opera. I guess they are surprised because Nena is a singer (in that style), but growing up in the culturally challenged town of Pittsburgh, PA, I had little exposure to opera growing up.

In fact, my first opera experience of any sort was in a freshman humanities class at Allegheny College. We studied Don Giovanni for a nice chunk of the term, reading, listening...and I'll admit that I went out and bought the CD. I really liked it. But that was the last humanities class I took outside of the writing arena...and I was a biology major so I didn't need much anyway.

Well, tomorrow night, Nena and I are headed to the Metropolitan Opera to see Die Fledermaus -- it's one of my gifts to Nena for Christmas. And as it turns out, it will be her first-ever trip to the Metropolitan Opera, which surpised me when I found out as she's been saying for years that she wanted to go. I assumed she'd been and wanted a return visit.

Anyway, she is beyond excited and I'll admit to sharing in her anticipation.

Do I know anything about the show? Nope.
Do I know a word of German? Nope.
But I hear there are subtitles in ever seat, so I should be fine.

Wanting to eat at a somewhat casual place nearby, I made us reservations at Arte Cafe, a neighborhood Italian spot that promises to be satisfying. In looking at their wine list, I see some interesting, reasonably priced stuff that I'm looking forward to checking out.

Anyone know of any wine bars in the area?

NYC Wine Classes by Dr. Vino

The good doctor, Dr. Vino that is, has just announced some new wine classes he's offering in Manhattan. Doc knows his stuff, so I'm sure they are all worth checking out:

January 25 at NYU (5 weeks)
Blending Innovation and Tradition: Old World Wine Regions
Register now

February 2 at NYU (6 weeks)
Becoming a Wine Expert: The Essentials of Wine Tasting
Register now

March 23 at NYU (5 weeks)
Blending Innovation and Tradition: New World Wine Regions
Register now