LENNDEVOURS

The New York Cork Club

It's been some time since I've written anything about the New York Cork Club here on LENNDEVOURS. I used to mention it once a month as we were sending out the wines, but I stopped because I wasn't sure if non-members cared. Actually, I doubt they did.

But you know what? I love this club and it's something I'm really enjoying working on. And, it's something that I'd like to see succeed, because there really isn't another club like it.

There are some other lesser New York wine clubs out there, but they seem to sell their members end-of-vintage wines and wines that are available at least somewhat widely. The NYCC is different. I'm scouring the state for the best, most interesting and most unique wines available. Many of these wines aren't available anywhere but at the wineries themselves...or through the New York Cork Club.

I know that several of you have thought about joining but weren't sure about it. If you're not sure, give it a shot for a month or two and see what you think. If you don't like it, you can cancel at any time. If you do like it, I hope you stick around for a long while. And, we're offering these wines at lower prices than buying them direct from the winery now, so that's a bonus.

I can't tell you what wines we're sending in April yet (though I can tell you that one is from a new Finger Lakes winery and one is from a tiny little Long Island producer), but I highlight some of the most interesting ones from recent shipments:

• Osprey's Dominion 2005 Pinot Noir: Quite Possibly the best NY pinot I've ever tasted...and only available in the tasting room until now.
• Raphael 2002 First Label Merlot: I don't think I've tasted a better Long Island merlot at the price.
• Paumanok 2004 Grand Vintage Assemblage: Though still young, a great blend that will age well
• Medolla 2002 Merlot: They only make 500 cases of this (their only wine) and it's a steal. Classic Long Island merlot.
• Rooster Hill 2006 Semi-Dry Riesling: This was a new winery for me and even though I usually prefer dry rieslings from the Finger Lakes, this one was awesome with Thai.

Now, I'm working with some of New York's best known producers to dig deep into their libraries and pull out some older vintage wines that aren't even available at the wineries anymore. Stay tuned for those.

Sign up today. I think you'll dig it.

We have a Wine Chick now...one of the originals

If you've been dipping your toe in the wine blogging pool for very long knows "The Wine Chicks,"one of the most irreverent wine blogs around. You may have also noticed that The Wine Chicks seem to have flown the coop -- the blog has been on hiatus for a while now.

Jay, one of the founding chicks, has let me know that it will be revived in the future, but in the meantime, I'm happy to report that she will be joining the LENNDEVOURS team as a special contributor. I know that Jay has a lot of fans out there, so this is a bit of a coup for this lil wine blog.

What will she be covering? I don't know yet! She's a woman of many interests and skill sets, but you can bet it will focus on the food and wine scene in her new home of Buffalo, NY. And something tells me that organic and sustainable will be themes as well.

Duncan Ross Interview at AppellationAmerica.com

So what have you heard about the wines coming out of the Niagara Escarpment? Isn't it way too cold up there to grow grapes?

Actually no and I didn't know much about the region either until I really started to research the region as I prepared for my interview with Duncan Ross, founder of and winemaker for Arrowhead Spring Vineyard.

It turns out that the Escarpment itself--the geological feature, not the region--is the very reason why they can ripen grapes fully so close to the Canadian border. In fact, it's the second warmest region in New York state. Long Island is the warmest.

Arrowhead Spring is scheduled to open their tasting room and release their first wines next spring. But, you can learn all about Duncan, the unique terroir of the region and his new vineyard over at Appellation America.

Check it out.

New NY Wine Blog: NiagaraEscarpment.net

Have you heard about the Niagara Escarpment wine region in Western New York?

I have, but I'll admit to not knowing a whole lot about it or its wines. Very few of the wines make it to Long Island and, so far, very few wineries that I've dealt with have much interest in publicizing their wines in this part of the state.

But, that might be changing. Duncan Ross, of not-yet-opened Arrowhead Springs Winery, and I just did an interview together that will be published over at Appellation America soon--and I learned a ton about the region. It's really an incredible geological phenomenon. But more on that when the story is published.

In the meantime, I wanted to tell you about a new blog, NiagaraEscarpment.net, run by Bryan Calandrelli. You know Bryan already if you read many wine blogs. He's the founder of Water Into Wino. He's also a a fellow cabernet franc lover.

He's recently moved up that way (and has even planted a couple grape vines with plans for more in the future) and he has already proven to be the online resource for the wine and wine country.

Check out the new blog.

WTNs: Vetter Vineyards' Current Releases (Lake Erie)

I obviously taste--and write about--a lot of different New York wines. The vast majority come from Long Island, but there are a lot of wines from the Hudson River Valley and Finger Lakes regions that pass my lips too.

But, western New York state has proven a tough nut to crack. For one, I can't get any of their wines locally. And two, few of them seem very press savvy. I've emailed all of them on numerous occasions asking for press kids and for a list of places where they sell their wine in the NYC metro area. Usually my emails go ignored.

But one winery in Westfield, NY on the shores of Lake Erie--Vetter Vineyards on the Chautauqua Wine Trail--did get back to me. They even sent me some wines to taste.             

As a youth growing up in Western Pennsylvania, my family had a three-season cottage on Chautauqua Lake. And, with teachers for parents, we used to spend a lot of time there during the summer. But we never knew anything about any local wine industry. We were too busy enjoying the first-rate wings at a place called The Casino on Bemus Point.

From the sounds of it, Vetter Vineyards hasn't always focused on quality over quantity. But, current owners Mark and Barbara Lancaster--who bought the wine estate from the Vetter family in 2003 are out to change that.

Mark has over 20 years experience in the wine industry and he hopes to produce smaller batches of               quality wine that can be made from the grapes they grow on their own land, including pinot noir, shiraz, merlot, pinot grigio, riesling, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc. The Lancasters want to make               Vetter the region's premier boutique winery.      

Unfortunately, after tasting four of Lancaster's wines, I think they have a ways to go to accomplish that goal--at least by Long Island wine standards.

My blind tasting started off well enough, with a simple-but-well made dry riesling. So pale that it is almost colorless, it's a clean, well-balance white. The nose is fairly aromatic with grapefruit, lime and other citrus mingling with just a little mineral character. Somewhat Alsatian in style, the wine has medium body and flavors that closely match the nose with a stony, minerally finish. After tasting this one, my hopes were sky high for the rest of the Vetter wines.

Unfortunately, the chardonnay suffered from a complete lack of fruit. New, raw oak dominates the nose and while there is some nice creaminess and vanilla in the flavor profile, the oak just seems too heavy handed here, masking any fruit character that was there to begin with. Maybe chardonnay does better in this region when made without barrel fermentation and/or aging.

Next was an extremely intriguing wine, a Traminette. Never heard of that grape? Don't worry, it's not that well known outside of central and western New York. A hybrid grape created at Cornell University, it was made by crossing gewürztraminer with sevyal blanc. The result, at least in this bottle, seems tobe a wine that is strongly reminiscent of gewuerztraminer, but has some of the cold-hardiness of seyval. The nose is intense with flowers, lychee and pineapple. The palate, while a little sweet and lacking acidity, has bold flavors and a little spiciness. Overall, the balance is off here, but the potential seems to be there. Don't turn your nose up at this hybrid.

The only Vetter red wine I was able to taste, a 2005 pinot noir, is barely drinkable. I wish I could say that the bottle was corked, but it definitely wasn't. Maybe it  was just a bad bottle, but the flavors reminded me of a red delicious apple that you bit into and then leave on the counter--you know, the way it browns--and then bite it again. There's a little stewed black plum there too, but this is clearly not what I expected. I wish I had a second bottle to try, really.

These wines aren't available in any local shops that I know of, but you can visit their website for more information.

WTN: Ste. Chapelle 2005 Winemaker's Series Riesling (Idaho)

You read the post title right--this wine is from Idaho. In fact, I toyed with the idea of naming this post "Who Da Ho? I Da Ho." but thought better of it.

It's been a long time since I have made a tour stop in my 50 States. 50 Wineries. project, but I stumbled upon this wine at a small little wine shop in upstate New York. It was nestled in a display rack next to several Finger Lakes rieslings, and for $11 bucks, I thought "It's worth a shot."

And indeed it was.

Of course, most people think of potatoes when the think about Idaho, but apparently there was quite a wine industry there pre-Prohibition. And, with the success of wines from Washington and Oregon--Idaho's western neighbors--it shouldn't be surprising that wine is making a comeback.

Having never been there myself, I don't have any first-hand experience with Idaho's weather, but apparently, Idaho has very cold winters, but a moderate growing season, with a combination of cold nights and warm days. Warms days lead to ripe grapes and cold nights preserve acidity.

Sounds good to me, and while this wine isn't on par with the best U.S. rieslings I've had, it's far better than many that I have tasted.

In fact, if you like the off-dry style of many Pacific Northwest rieslings, this is a great value at 10-12 bucks a bottle.

The nose is somewhat faint, but offers subtle peach, apricot and citrus zest aromas with a little minerality in the background. The palate is fruity and somewhat soft, but the 2+% residual sugar is pretty well balanced by acidity. This isn't a racy, tense riesling (those are my favorites) but, again, if you like the softer, fruiter style of many U.S. rieslings, this is a nice example and a solid value.

Winners From the New York Wine and Food Classic

This week, Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard's 2005 Dry Riesling ($16) defeated 702 other New York wines to win the Governor's Cup, awarded to the events best wine. Dr. Konstantin Frank’s Vinifera Wine Cellars was named New York's "Winery of the Year" based on the number, and level, of medals its wines won.

Sponsored and run by the New York Wine and Grape Foundation (NYWGF), a nonprofit statewide trade organization based in the in newly opened New York Wine and Culinary Center.

Howard Goldberg reported in the New York Times, "The wine industry and influential wine periodicals treat the contest as the broadest, most representative index of the quality and styles of New York’s expanding wine industry." And, while probably true, I think it important to point out that not every winery (including some of the best) even send wines to this event.

But, the tasters can only taste what is put in front of them. The wines are tasted blind and by professionals, so the results are legit.

The winners by category for 2006 can be seen below. I only have a couple questions -- again because the panel can only taste what is put in front of them. I can't complain that some of the states best red wines weren't included, even though I think most people familiar with them will agree that New York's best cabernet sauvignon does not come out of the Finger Lakes. So:

Why isn't there a sauvignon blanc category? My guess is because outside of Long Island, no one is growing or making it. But, on Long Island, no one is growing stuff like Niagra or Cayuga either. In fact, there are very VERY few non-vinifera vines here.

A Finger Lakes bias? Maybe. I've heard grumblings of that locally. I think there should at least be an "Other White Vinifera" category like there is "Other Red Vinifera."

What is the difference, for this event, between "Late Harvest" and "Ice/Iced Wine"? I only ask because Wolffer's late harvest chardonnay is made from grapes that are frozen in a commerical freezer, so wouldn't that put it in the "Ice/Iced Wine" category? Maybe. Maybe not. I'll have to see if I can find out.

Buffalo-Area Baco Noir -- Another Reason to Drink Local

Jay of the Wine Chicks and also a fellow Wine Sediments contributor recently relocated from the NYC metro area to western NY -- Buffalo in fact.

The Buffalo area is apparently much more than chicken wings and beer.

Baco Noir a variety I don't know all that much about, is leading to some good wine from that area, particularly one from Peller Estates. Jay, a Long Island native, believes in drinking local I think...and you all know how I feel about that.

New Blog Find: East Coast Wineries

A friend of mine at Macari Vineyards just put me on to East Coast Wineries a blog that is new to me, but looks like it's been around at least a short while.

Some great content here, but Carlo makes it impossible to contact him. He doesn't offer an email link and doesn't seem to allow comments on the blog.

Maybe we can convince him to change all that and join the rest of us!

New York Wine Country Coverage Survey

For those of us who love New York wines, it can be frustrating to find good, in-depth information about them -- particularly if you live in the Finger Lakes and want Long Island information (or vice versa). Each region has it's own publications that cover wine (some very little, some quite a bit) but all of the wine-focused publications are 100% ad supported (often filled with ads paid for by wineries).

I had the idea recently to create an extension of LENNDEVOURS that will cover ALL of the wines and wine regions of New York and deliver them to you in one, neat package. Oh, and it will be independent...no winery ads accepted.

Now is your chance to let me know is this is a good idea. Please take a couple minutes and fill out this survey.

Fill Out the Survey, Today

New York Wine & Culinary Center Names Executive Director

Alexa Gifford has been named executive director of the not-yet-open New York Wine & Culinary Center (NYWCC). She joins the not-for-profit organization after more than five years with the Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance, most recently as the organization's president. Under the direction of the NYWCC's board of directors, Gifford will manage the Center's operations and lead a staff of full- and part-time personnel.

"The excitement is building for the opening of New York Wine and Culinary Center, and naming an executive director is an important step," said Rob Sands, COO and president of Constellation Brands, and chairman of the NYWCC board. "Three months after breaking ground on the site, it is wonderful to begin to assemble a dedicated team of professionals to lead the Center. The Board is looking forward to working with Alexa and is excited about what she brings to the table in the realm of tourism, community and government relations, as well as her overall enthusiasm about the center."

The New York Wine & Culinary Center, a $7.5 miilion gateway to New York State food, wine and agriculture, will open next summer in Canandaigua, N.Y. Constellation Brands, Inc., Wegmans, Rochester Institute of Technology, and the New York Wine & Grape Foundation partnered to establish the not-for-profit organization, which will be housed in the new 19,475 square-foot facility. The Center will provide a positive and measurable impact on the region, with additional job growth in hospitality, agriculture, tourism, wine, food, health and nutrition.

Osprey's Dominion Vineyards Named NY's Top Winery at New York Wine and Food Classic

Osprey's Dominion Winery was voted "New York Winery of the Year" at this year's New York Food and Wine Classic, held in the Finger Lakes August 9 & 10.

Howard Goldberg of the New York Times offered more results in his column yesterday and it's worth a read.