New York Cork Report

A Cab Franc Lover's Guide to Niagara USA Wines

By Bryan Calandrelli, Niagara Contributor

Whether you are a wine geek who can differentiate the sub-appellations of the Loire Valley or just a happy-go-lucky daytripper winding along a New York State wine trail, you've probably experienced cabernet franc.

Long Island got me hooked some years back and I know I'm not the only one who marches up to tasting bars and skips ahead to this variety. Luckily for me, the Niagara USA region is starting to realize the potential of cab franc too as its young vines begin to produce. And, if you're a cab franc lover planning a visit to the area this season, good examples can be found at several Niagara wineries.

Of the 12 active wineries here, about half of them have released varietal bottlings of cab franc. Of course, because some of these wineries don't have producing vineyards at the moment, you don't find many estate bottles -- but they're out there.

Schulze Vineyards and Winery is just about to release its second estate CF (2007); their 2006 vintage sold out last fall. Freedom Run Winery has a 2005 for sale, a bold wine sourced from Long Island in barrel from 2006 and a silky smooth 2007 in barrel from its estate vineyards. Arrowhead Springs Winery harvested cab franc grapes from its young vines this past fall and Leonard Oakes Winery planted some but is currently blending it into a red table wine.

Honeymoon Trail Winery and Niagara Landing both have cab franc sourced from other New York vineyards, and don't plan to plant any soon. Finally, Chateau Niagara, which is in the early stage of building, has planted some franc along with a few other growers that don't have plans for a full scale winery operations at this point.

Then there's Eveningside Vineyards, the Biehl family's micro-winery in Cambria, NY. I've been a fan since the winery opened four years ago. Owner Randy Biehl's 2006 cab franc is his first released from estate vines and it shows great promise for the grape in this region.

In a style that mimics Ontario's, it's dark in the glass with jaw-dropping aromas of blackberry, cherry, black pepper and anise. Its lively acidity dances on the tongue while begging for game, grilled pork or red meats. The finish is its weakest link as it doesn't linger for too long, but in no way does it subdue my excitement for this wine. Indeed, Eveningside is a must-try for any cab franc enthusiast.

Overall, the release of the hot 2007 vintage of cab francs here should begin to reveal the grape's potential on Niagara terroir. If they start showing as they do in Ontario, their style will fall in between the bright style of the Finger Lakes wines and the bigger bodied Long Island Cab Francs, providing a happy middle ground for my palate.

Sparkling Pointe 2004 Brut (North Fork of Long Island)

I first heard about Sparkling Pointe several years ago when Howard Goldberg wrote a piece about them for the New York Times. At the time, I shot off an email to the owners, but never heard back. I didn't think much of it at the time, to be honest. But, a month or two ago, their winemaker, Gilles Martin, sent me an email and let me know that he'd be dropping off some samples (he lives about a mile from us), and sure enough, the wines were at my house that very evening. But, we went away for a week, my tasting queue got crazy and I didn't get to them for a while.

Now, I could have tasted these for the first time at their public debut -- at Brookyn Uncorked -- but I have to admit that I really didn't want to. It had nothing to do with the wines themselves though. It had to do with the way they were presented at the event... poured by a crew tuxedo-clad guys men who really didn't know that much about the wines. I understand making a splash, but it seemed a bit silly to me, and it perpetuates the misconception that sparkling wine is a high-end, celebration-only beverage. But I digress, it wasn't that big of a deal. It just rubbed me the wrong way and seemed out of place at the event.

I did taste them in a weekly tasting though, and I came away enjoying both. Today, we'll talk about the 2004 Brut, which retails for $29 and really reminds me of the Bruts that Gilles made for Martha Clara Vineyards when he was there, which is a good thing. I always enjoyed those... especially at $20.

Pale straw in color it has aggressive, frothy mousse that fades perhaps a bit too quickly. Clean apple dominates the nose with some toasty yeast white flowers in the background. Straight forward and refreshing, the palate isn't overtly dry and offers similar apple and yeast flavors. The finish lingers nicely and invites another sip — or another bite of food. This is a good sparkler, but not a great one.

Grape(s): N/A
Producer: Sparkling Pointe
AVA: North Fork of Long Island
Price: $29
Rating: (2.5 out of 5 | Average-to-Recommended)

(About LENNDEVOURS' Ratings)

June 6: Cask Night at DEKS, Troeg's HopBack Amber Ale

Our usually intrepid beer writers Donavan has been busy lately with some of his fiction-writing projects, so I'm going to hop (pun intended) in here today and let you know about the next Firkin Friday Cask Night at DEKS restaurant in Rocky Point, NY.

The next edition of this monthly beer gathering will be June 6, starting at 6:00 p.m. and the beer is Troegs Brewing Company's HopBack Amber Ale, their flagship product, and a beer that I tried for the first time over the holiday weekend.

I'm a lover of well-hopped beers, a "hop head" as they say, and I enjoyed this one quite a bit and I look forward to tasting it from the cask next week. It's not over-the-top hoppy, but it is certainly more hoppy than most amber ales. I have to say, I've tasted several of Troegs' beers and I haven't tasted one yet that I didn't really like.

So, come out and join us on June 6. The cask is usually gone by 10 p.m. or so, but DEKS has more than enough fine beers on offer to get you through the rest of your night. I hope to see you there.

5 Things I Loved About My Memorial Day Weekend

This Memorial Day weekend, we decided to host a big (for our house/yard) party. All told, we had nearly 20 people come, plus their kids and a great time was had by all. It's not easy to narrow this down to 5 things because there was a lot to love about the long weekend but here it goes:

1. My smoker's 2008 debut. Take two pork butts, rub/marinate them for 12 hours, smoke them for 15 hours over charcoal and mesquite and what do you end up with? Tender, flavorful, porky deliciousness.
2. Southampton's Double White Ale. Beer goes better with real barbecue, I know. But I still wanted to drink local and you'll never see me resort to serving mass-produced, corporate beers. So, I turned to Spencer at Southampton Ales & Lagers, who hooked me up with a 1/6 keg of their Double White Ale (and the CO2, jockey box, etc.). It was absolutely perfect on a warm pre-summer day with grilled fare. Best of all, everyone loved it -- the craft beer lovers as well as the Bud Light drinkers.
3. Watching the kids play together. Yeah, it's cheesy but seeing Jackson playing with the other kids was a lot of fun. He makes me proud every day, that kid.
4. Late night cards with M & T. Before Jackson came along, you could always count on me, Nena, M and T staying up late after any sort of party, drinking a little more and playing cards. Sunday night's brief visit to our past life was fun. The reality of Jackson awake at 6 a.m. the next morning brought us back to reality.
5. Finishing the weekend with local wines. I tasted a delicious local riesling to close out the holiday weekend. I may stray to beer on occasion, but I always come home to you, vino.

The Grapes of Roth 2007 Riesling (Long Island)

“Why the heck don’t you make riesling?”

It’s a question that German-born winemaker Roman Roth has been asked endless times in his 15 years making wine on Long Island. In some ways, it’s an obvious inquiry—some of the best Riesling in the world is made in the country where Roth started his winemaking career at the age of 16.

But, since 1992 Roman has been focusing on varieties like merlot, chardonnay and cabernet franc at Wolffer Estate, where he serves as winemaker, and other wineries like Scarola Vineyards and Roanoke Vineyards, where he also makes the wines. His wines are some of the region’s most celebrated and sought after. They just weren’t Riesling.

Then, in late 2007, Roman found the inspiration—and fruit—he needed to make his first Long Island Riesling, bottling it under his negociant label The Grapes of Roth.

“(The fruit) is from a beautiful vineyard in Greenport called Split Rock Vineyard, just east of the Shady Lady Restaurant. The grapes looked great when I first saw them with a low yield of two tons per acre,” he said.  Split Rock, owned by Michael Kontokosta and managed by Long Island Veteran Charles Flat, is situated on the far eastern end of the North Fork where cooling breezes help preserve natural grape acidity levels while allowing the grapes to ripen fully.

Once he found it, it didn’t take Roman long to decide to turn this “amazing-looking fruit” into the first Grapes of Roth 2007 Riesling ($24). “I jumped at the opportunity,” he told me in an email.

Tasted last weekend, this Riesling pours a brilliant pale yellow with a few tiny bubbles clinging to the inside of my glass. The nose is intensely floral at first with orange blossoms and honeysuckle aromas. Behind the fresh flowers, there are scents of fresh peaches, apricots and lime. Extremely faint hints of petrol emerge as the wine warms a bit.

Light bodied and vivacious, Roth’s riesling delivers a vibrant initial burst of peach, lemon-lime and Bartlett pear fruitness. There is some residual sugar (14 g/l) here, so it’s a little sweet, but there is plenty of balancing, mouth-watering acidity, which keeps it from feeling heavy or cloying. As it crosses over your palate, that fruity fruity burst mellows a bit, becoming more citrusy than peachy, with minerally and wet stone flavors. The finish, which is lengthy, ends on a citrus zest note that invites sip after sip.

Roth has dedicated this wine, which was made at Wolffer Estate, to his mother, Rosa Roth, who is pictured on the label. Her motto is “Life is too short to drink bad wine.” Truer words have never been uttered.

Grape(s): 100% Riesling
Producer: The Grapes of Roth 
AVA: Long Island
Price: $24
Rating:    (3.5 out of 5 | Very good-to-Delicious)

About LENNDEVOURS Ratings)  

The Fifth Season Has Moved to Port Jefferson

Because we don't have any family nearby for babysitting, Nena and I have gotten a bit out of the North Fork dining scene. We did make it to Jedediah's and North Fork Table last year, but there was one more North Fork restaurant we wanted to try -- The Fifth Season in Greenport.

So, I was really disappointed over the winter when I heard that it has closed. Co-owner and chef Eric Orlowski is stringently dedicated to local ingredients (and wines) and his ever-changing menu has gotten rave reviews from critics and LENNDEVOURS readers. It seemed, however, that we'd not get to taste Orlowski's food.

This afternoon, that changed as Nena, Jackson and I walked around Port Jefferson village. There, across the street from the marina was a restaurant called The Fifth Season in a space that has played host to several restaurants in recent years. Could it be the same restaurant and owners? A quick Internet search revealed that yes, it is.

Turns out that Chef Orlowski and his wife have reopened The Fifth Season -- and a whole lot closer to our house. They are at 34 East Broadway, and are open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner and for brunch on Saturday and Sunday, http://www.thefifth-season.com

And, now that Jackson is old enough for non-family babysitters, it's going to be great to have them so close. Port Jefferson is a beautiful little Long Island Sound-side village, but the restaurants tend to be more underwhelming. Now, we might have one of Long Island's best restaurants 10 minutes away. That's definitely a good thing.

Long Island Wine News and Notes

Long Island wines have been getting a lot of coverage lately, so I thought I'd point out some of the best and most interesting coverage of late.

• Pindar Vineyards' winemaker Les Howard (formerly of Jamesport Vineyards) was just featured in the Daily News. The story, which talks about how Les worked his way up in the local wine world is a nice one and Les is deserving of more attention. He did some really great things at Jamesport and it will be interesting to see what he does with the extra 60+ thouseand cases of wine he'll be making.
• Howard Goldberg of the New York Times has written about what he tasted at Brooklyn Uncorked a couple weeks ago. He has some different favorites than I do, but it's hard to argue with the wines he highlighted, save maybe calling Palmer's sauvignon blanc "world class." It's good, but that borders on hyperbole I think.
• Brad Coelho, a blogger a bit in the Alice Feiring model, has written about Long Island wine over at Unidentified Appellation. I'm not sure where he gets "a soil type that vines have no earthly business being in" and his attack on Raphael is out of bounds and seems way too personal, but the rest of the piece has some good information. I don't know Brad at all, but he does lose some credibility with me because his commentary turned personal here.
• Wolffer Estate's 2007 Rose was rated 2 and a half stars in the San Francisco Chronicle, the highest rating of any U.S.-made rose. I gave it an extra half star.

June 14: Drink Local with canvas Magazine (and LENNDEVOURS)

Today I have another event announcement here at LENNDEVOURS, one that we're co-hosting on June 14 from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m.

I've coined the series of events I'm helping canvas Magazine with "Drink Local with canvas Magazine" and this one, much like the last, will focus on Long Island wine, with live music and delicious food from Whole Foods Market.

This time around, we have four local wineries coming to pour: Medolla Vineyards, Martha Clara Vineyards, Roanoke Vineyards and Wolffer Estate Vineyards. I'm excited about this one because these are some of my favorites and we have at least one winemaker coming this time, which is always fun.

We should have the food and wine pairings finalized within the next week or so, but I know the wines that are coming and there are some great ones.

Tickets are available online and are $30 pre-paid and $40 at the door. I think everyone who attended the last one would agree that it was a lot of fun and I expect to see a lot of repeat attendees.

Get more details and to buy your tickets today. I hope to see you there.

Paumanok Vineyards 2007 Festival Chardonnay (North Fork of Long Island)

Stainless steel-fermented chardonnay is one of Long Island's great wine pleasures. They are always affordable and refreshing, rarely offensive and sometimes absolutely delicious. In being made without oak barrels (or other oak chunks, stave, dust, etc.) these wines allow the true character of locally grown chardonnay grapes to come through.

I know that it's hard to believe, but these wines allow you to actually taste chardonnay, not the winemaker's manipulation of chardonnay.

We drink a lot of 'steel chardonnay' around our house and, as I said, they are rarely offensives. Sometimes, they do miss the mark however.

One 2007 white from Paumanok Vineyards stood out in my tasting, because it didn't match the quality of the other wines. That wine?

Paumanok Vineyards' 2007 Festival Chardonnay ($12). It's a wine that I've enjoyed in previous vintages, but this one just didn't do it for me. And trust me, for $12, I really really wanted to like it.

It has all of the typical citrus and apple flavors one would expect, but the acidity is a little overwhelming -- instead of crisp and refreshing, it’s a little harsh right now. There is a subtle minerally note towards the end of the short finish, but the acidity lingers too... and not in a good way.

This is still an extremely young wine, so maybe later in its lifetime it will mellow just enough to let this wine round out, but right now, it's out of balance.

Grape(s): 100% chardonnay
Producer: Paumanok Vineyards
AVA: North Fork of Long Island
Price: $12
Rating:    (1.5 out of 5 | Not Recommended-to-Average) 

(About LENNDEVOURS Ratings)  

Why Drink Local Beer?

In case you haven't given it a listen, head over to our very own Donavan Hall's beer podcast, Radio Beer Hall. I'm not always good about listening, in fact I usually forget for weeks and then have to catch up, but his latest podcast focuses on a topic that is near and dear to my heart -- drinking local.

Always a thoughtful, insightful guy, Donavan talks about about the dangers industrial beer, capitalism in the beer world and, of course, why you should drink local.

I'm also enjoying hearing about his Wit project, where he's making numerous small batches of Wit ales in the hopes of perfecting the recipe this summer.

Anyway, give it a listen. If you're into beer at all, it's a fun listen.

Can't Wait for our Garden of Eve Organic Farm CSA to Start

I don't think I've mentioned it here (not lately anyway) but our local grocery stores are awful. Pitiful really. They are particularly pathetic when it comes to the produce departments. The produce rarely looks fresh and it tastes great even less often.

That's just one of the reason we can't wait for our summer vegetable, fruit and egg shares to start at Garden of Eve Organic Organic Farm. It starts in a couple weeks, and our goal is to avoid the chain stores as much as possible for the 22 weeks of the program.

And, because I can't help but get involved in things I'm into, I've signed up to be a 'core member' and we had our first meeting with Eve last night to discuss event planning, member communication and volunteer programs at the farm. Our very own Donavan Hall, and his wife Denise, are core members as well. In fact, during the meeting, I got to taste some of his home brew (delicious) and even sampled some of their homemade mead, which was also good.

We talked about a lot of cool ideas last night -- chefs doing demonstrations with lesser-known produce, themed potlucks for members, a new blog and email newsletter program. It's going to be a lot of fun, but for me the real draw is the terrific produce we're going to get every week. AND, it will be good to have an excuse to drive out to wine country every weekend. I have to get our share, don't I?

Brooklyn Uncorked: The Best Long Island Wine Event of the Year

Brooklyn Uncorked was a lot of fun this year. And I mean a lot of fun.

How could it not be? You have 30 Long Island wineries, a half dozen breweries, a couple cheese shops, several restaurants and a lot of great, food-beer-and-wine-loving people in a great space in Brooklyn. Can it get much better?

Well, I guess they could have actually intermingled the restaurants and other food vendors among the wineries so you didn't have to go downstairs to get most of the food, but that's a minor complaint in the grand scheme of things.

Even though this was only the second edition of Brooklyn Uncorked, I'm comfortable saying that it is already the best Long Island tasting of the year. There isn’t a better way to taste over 100 Long Island wines in a matter of a few hours.

With so many great drinks and eats, it’d be silly of me to try highlight all of the ones that I enjoyed, but here are a few of the best and most interesting finds.

Ever heard of Bouke’ the North Fork’s newest producer? Neither had I until I spotted their unfamiliar labels from across the room. Don’t feel bad though, Bouke’s founder, Brooklyite Lisa Donneson used Brookyn Uncorked as her label’s coming out party, pouring a dry rose and white table blend. She expects to release her lone red, a blend, in the winter. Bouke’, pronounced the way bouquet is, aims to make affordable wines that can be opened any night of the week, and we dig that here at LENNDEVOURS. Donneson thinks that wine should be an “everyday pleasure for the senses.” Gilles Martin, formerly of Martha Clara Vineyards, makes the wines.

The rose ($15), a blend of cabernet sauvignon and merlot, is satisfying and certainly seasonally appropriate. The white ($18), a mélange of chardonnay, pinot gris, sauvignon blanc and Gewurztraminer is floral and citrusy. It seems best suited to ocean- or pool-side duty. Full reviews are coming once I taste them blind here at LENNDEVOURS HQ.

Another wine that impressed for less than $20 was Martha Clara Vineyards’ 2007 Pinot Grigio ($16). Fresh, clean and citrusy, it’s a darn near perfect summer sipper. Just don't think too hard about it (it's not that kind of wine) and don’t expect the same boring lemon-water flavors of cheap Italian pinot grigio. This one has more depth and mouthfeel. New winemaker Juan Micieli-Martinez’s attention to detail—both in the vineyard and in the winery—is on display in this, his first release at Martha Clara. His 2007 Viognier isn’t released yet, but it’s a definite improvement on the last vintage as well.

One of the more interesting wines of the afternoon came from Roanoke Vineyards. Their 2005 Blend One won’t be released for a while, but it features 52% Malbec (the 04 bottling is heavy on cabernet franc). That Malbec dominates the nose with plum and anise, but by blending it with merlot, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc, some of the heavy, tar-like flavors sometimes associated with Malbec are smoothed out. Red production was a little low for Roanoke in 2004, but this is a wine worth keeping and eye out for.

Two more reds from 2005, a meritage-style blend and a merlot, were also impressive at the Osprey’s Dominion Vineyards table.

I also enjoyed, in no particular order: Shinn Estate Vineyards 2005 Cabernet Franc, Macari Vineyards 2007 Sauvignon Blanc, Paumanoke Vineyards 2007 Late Harvest Riesling, Long Island Meadery Pear Ceyser, Wolffer Estate Vineyards 2005 Reserve Merlot, Southampton Publick House Abbott 12, Sixpoint Craft Ales Righteous Rye, Sixpoint Craft Ales Nuthouse Brown, everything at the Channing Daughters table, Bedell Cellars First Crush Red.

If you didn't make it this year, you should really try to make it in 2009. It's a great, fun event.

In Memoriam: Robert Mondavi

We don't speak much of wine from the 'other' coast here on LENNDEVOURS, but today we have to look to California, saddened by the news that Robert Mondavi has died at the age of 94.

Whether you like the wines he was responsible for or his methods of promoting them doesn't matter. Without him, the American wine industry wouldn't be what it is today... and I mean that in a good way. He was a great popularizer of wine and a champion for California and the United States.

Those in the wine industry who try to appeal to the masses but still make high-end wines too can and probably should look to Mr. Mondavi for inspiration and as a model.

Cheers, Mr. Mondavi. Rest in peace. You will be missed.

Rendezvous with Riesling

By Jason Feulner, Finger Lakes Correspondent

Last week, I was fortunate enough to attend the Second Annual Rendezvous with Riesling event at the New York Wine and Culinary Center in Canandaigua, New York. As the name implies, this event brings together sampling of New York wineries, mostly from the Finger Lakes, to showcase their most recent riesling offerings.

I highlight some individual wines below.

This event also served as my first visit to the Wine and Culinary Center. While I had always assumed that it had something to offer, I'll admit that I was a bit dismissive of a centralized Finger Lakes venue. If I happened to be in the Finger Lakes, why not just spend my time visiting the wineries at their own locations?

Frankly, I was blown away by the overall quality of the Wine and Culinary Center. It was laid out wonderfully, the decor was inspiring, and the staff was friendly and courteous. This places simply exudes excellence in wine and showcases a regional pride. And, as this event demonstrated, the advantage of a centralized venue is that one can sample a variety of wines from different areas without the burden of extensive travel.

I highly recommend the Center to all LENNDEVOURS readers. If you are planning a Finger Lakes trip, make sure to check out the website and see what is being featured during your stay. The Center is a time-saver but it is just as beautiful and fun as many other tasting rooms in the Finger Lakes. Plus, some of the events add dimensions to wine education that most tasters cannot gather from a winery visit alone.

The Wines
The wineries brought their rieslings to be sure, but many also brought other wines as well. There were a lot of good wines, but I will highlight a few that grabbed my attention that night. 

But first, a general riesling observation: the 2006 dry rieslings are excellent almost across the board, while the 2007s seem to excel in the semi-dry style and falter a bit in the dry. A select few wineries pulled off a good dry 2007, but I think the semi-dry is a safer bet for a blind grab off the store shelf.

Some highlights:

Christiano Family Vineyards 2004 Merlot

The local wine scene is dominated by some of its biggest producers, which only makes sense, I guess. I'm talking aobut places like Wolffer Estate, Lenz Winery and the Ps -- Pindar, Palmer, Peconic Bay and Paumanok. Each has a wide range of wines in its portfolio, but merlot is a constant. Each makes at least two different versions each vintage, sometimes more.

Those are the big fish in the little pond that is Long Island wine country.

But there are little fish too. Every vintage, it seems, welcomes new wineries. In fact, I learned about a brand-spanking new one last night at Brooklyn Uncorked, but we'll get to them later. Today, we're going to talk about Christiano Family Vineyards, one of the North Fork's newest labels.

It's owned by Claude and Barbara Christiano, and currently the wine is only available at the co-op Tasting Room in Peconic. Claude is retired now, but during his career as Vice President and Assistant Treasurer of Pfizer Inc, he traveled extensively, sampling wines from wine regions the world over. Along the way, he learned a lot about differences and similarities in grape growing and winemaking techniques. He is also a founding partner in Monte De Oro Vineyards in southern California.

In much the same way that Medolla Vineyards' 2003 release tells the tale of that growing season, so too does Christiano's first release about the 2004 vintage. 2004 was a cooler, but relatively typical year and Christiano Family Vineyards' 2004 Merlot ($19) shows that with an understated nose with light black cherry, black plum and vanilla smoke aromas. The palate is medium bodied and elegantly textured with pleasing dark berry flavors accented by plum and just a little oak. Soft, integrated tannins bring just barely enough structure.

All in all, it's an approachable, nice wine at a decent price. Drink soon. I don't think this one will age long term.

 
Producer: Christiano Family Vineyards
AVA: North Fork of Long Island
Price: $19
Rating:  (2 out of 5 | Average) 

Getting to Know New Yorks' Newest AVA: Ontario Lake Plain

By Bryan Calandrelli, Niagara Correspondent

Last month, a giant step toward catapulting Niagara USA's Wine Trail into the future was taken by James Baker of Lockport, NY, when more than a year's worth of hard work and research finally came together in an official AVA (American Viticultural Area) proposal submitted to New York State's Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau Regulations Division.

Baker is calling it the Ontario Lake Plain AVA, and it's an area that includes the northern parts of three western New York counties just south of Lake Ontario and north of the Niagara Escarpment. The boundaries include the Niagara River to the west, the Genesee River to the east, and includes the area from Ridge Road (Rt. 104) north to the southern shore of Lake Ontario (see map). This area lies on a glacial geological feature called the Lake Iroquois shoreline, a prehistoric lake formed 13,000 years ago at the end of the last ice age by melting glacial ice in the Lake Ontario basin. The AVA is still pending, as the official approval has yet to be granted, but this is big news for our area indeed.

Niagara County's first AVA was granted to the Niagara Escarpment in 2005 after Michael Von Heckler, winemaker and managing partner of Warm Lake Estate, submitted and gained approval. The Escarpment area is about 30 miles long and half a mile wide with a total of 400 acres planted, only a small fraction of which are vinifera vines. With soils of clay over limestone, this area has been compared to Burgundy, with a similar growing season to boot. While there are just five wineries technically in this AVA, the Niagara Wine Trail now boasts 12 wineries, leaving the majority of wineries on the trail actually outside boundaries of the Niagara Escarpment AVA.

The rapid growth of the wine trail in this area can be attributed to many factors. Simply put, soil, climate and grape growing conditions here come together with affordable land cost and generous federal/state agriculture funding to meet -- and take advantage of -- the increasing demand for wine across the country.  And anyone who reads Wine Spectator, especially in the last few months, has no doubt seen the ads and editorials featuring Ontario's Niagara Wine Trail. With similar soils, climate and strategic location, that area is a good indicator of where we can be in ten to twenty years from now. The area within the proposed AVA is large and virtually untapped in terms of vinifera production although it seems I hear about a new planting once a week as more and more people take advantage of its ideal conditions.

Medolla Vineyards 2003 Merlot (North Fork of Long Island)

Year-to-year weather differences affect every winery. But when you only make a single wine, like say merlot, each year, it has an even larger impact on your business.

Take Medolla Vineyards for example. Owned by John and Denise Medolla, this new procucer snuck up on me last spring their first release — a 2002 merlot.  2002 is considered by many to be an above average years for Long Island merlot and that wine is a classic North Fork merlot that, at $22, is one of the best deals in local vino. It straddles the line between Old and New World with a nose that offers tobacco aromas along with raspberry and cherry fruit. Medium bodied, the flavors are similar to the nose with some minty, eucalyptus nuances and well-incorporated, ripe tannins. Well balanced with a nicely long finish, it's still available and worth seeking out either online or at the co-op The Tasting Room in Peconic. 

Over the weekend, I got to taste a pre-release sample of Medolla Vineyards' 2003 Merlot ($15). If 2002 was a good year, 2003 was, generally, a bad one. There was a rainy period in October (after a good growing season) and two rounds of frost around harvest time. I've tasted a lot of downright bad 2003 wines, particularly reds, and while I wouldn't put this wine in that category, it definitely pales in comparison to the superb 2002.

A lighter, everyday-style red, this wine's nose shows lots of oak, which comes through as toasty vanilla aromas, with sweet red cherry fruit and tobacco as well. Medium-light on the palate, cherry is the primary fruit flavor here with tobacco, vanilla and some green pepper. It's no where near as rich or intense as the 2002. The fruit clearly just wasn't as good on its way into the winery. Overall, it's a bit of a let down, but with the lower price, the Medollas seem to have de-classified this wine in a way.

With relatively low tannins and nice acidity, it's best enjoyed with food.

Grape(s): 100% merlot
Producer: Medolla Vineyards
AVA: North Fork of Long Island
Price: $15
Rating:  (2 out of 5 | Average)  

 

Announcing WBC3: To Cork or Not to Cork

I don't have a lot of time for reading these days. Between a busy day job, a burgeoning freelance career and the exhaustion that chasing a 16-month old around causes, reading has fallen down the priority list lately. I still have the best intentions. I try to go to bed a little early so I can read for an hour or so before actually going to sleep.

Of course that just leads to me waking up a couple hours later with the book on my chest and the lights still on.

This might seem like a weird way to announce that I'm hosting the third edition of Wine Book Club, but I'm hoping that WBC will serve as added motivation to get back to reading more.

The book I've chosen for WBC is George Taber's To Cork or Not To Cork: Tradition, Romance, Science, and the Battle for the Wine Bottle.

The whole cork/Stelvin/Zork topic is one that I've found myself getting more and more interested in, so this is a good choice for me personally, and one that I hope you guys are interested in too.

So, join us on June 24 and post your review of To Cork or Not To Cork. And hey, if you don’t have a blog, you can sign up at our new Wine Book Club blog and post there.

Thanks to Dr. Debs for the original idea for WBC for allowing me to host. I'm looking forward to it.

The Wine Blogging Wednesday Logo Contest Semi-Finals

Before we get to the WBW Logo Contest semi-finalists or discuss the voting procedures, I just want to thank each and every person who submitted a logo or logos for consideration. There were dozens of great entries and it was difficult for the WBW advisors to narrow it down to the 6 you see below. I was planning to post all of the entries, but that would have been over whelming on many levels.

Take a look at the final 6 logos here or at Flickr account I've created for them.

Voting will take place over on the  Wine Blogging Wednesday website via the poll in the upper right corner. The semi-final round will run from today until May 31 at 11:59 p.m. Then, the top 3 vote getters will move into the finals. We'll update the poll and announce the final voting procedure in early June.

Paumanok Vineyards 2007 Chenin Blanc (North Fork of Long Island)

As we continue our look at Paumanok Vineyards' 2007 whites — all closed under screwcaps -- we get to a truly one-of-a-kind wine, Paumanok Vineyards 2007 Chenin Blanc ($28).

Chenin blanc is rare on the North Fork — no one else grows it actually — and this is a wine that can be difficult to get your hands on. They don't make much and it has a rabid following.   

The nose is complex and expressive, showing a fruit salad mélange of grapefruit, mango, pear, melon and orange blossom.

A medium-bodied palate starts off fresh and clean with melon, grapefruit and mineral flavors, but as the wine crosses over into the mid-palate, the flavors change a bit, becoming richer with pineapple and honey overtones. That honeyed fruit character carries through to the finish, which is long and delicious.

The texture of this wine is faintly oily but it remains lively and clean because there’s plenty of balancing acidity. In France, Chenin Blanc has shown the ability to age beautifully, and I think this one might be long-lived too. It will be interesting to see how the Stelvin closure will affect that over time.

Grape(s): 100% Chenin Blanc
Producer: Paumanok Vineyards
AVA: North Fork of Long Island
Price: $28
Rating:    (3.5 out of 5 | Very good-to-Delicious) 

"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.

Is It Any Wonder Why I Love Her?

Yesterday, I wrote about our visit to Hunt Country Vineyards, but I forgot to include one of my favorite pictures from the entire trip, the one of Mrs. LENNDEVOURS lugging our case of wine out to the Jeep.

I had the little guy on my back in our nifty new wine-tasting back pack at the time. Okay, it's not really for wine tasting, but it's perfect for visiting wineries.

Anyway, hands off guys, she's mine. You've gotta love a woman who will throw a case of wine up on her shoulder for you, no?

Paumanok Vineyards 2007 Sauvignon Blanc (North Fork of Long Island)

Someone has finally put the screws to Long Island wine—screwcap closures that is.

As I reported over the summer, Paumanok Vineyards has invested in the Stelvin closure equipment and bottled its 2007 whites without corks during January and February of 2008. I tasted the lot recently and will be writing about all of them over the next couple of weeks.

Today, we'll focus on the Paumanok Vineyards 2007 Sauvignon Blanc, a varietally correct rendition of a wine that is gaining momentum on the North Fork. I normally don't mention varietal correctness, but it was the first thing I thought of when I tasted this wine, even if it isn't exactly what I expect from Long Island sauvignon.

It has all of the aromas and flavors you’d expect from an American sauvignon though—grapefruit, kiwi and tropical fruit—along with nice acid structure and a faintly minerally finish that lingers just a bit.

I was amazed when I saw on the back label that this wine weighs in at a hefty 13.9% ABV. For lovers of California wines, that may seem typical, or low even, but it's the highest alcohol level ever for a Paumanok white. Don't worry though, it's all in balance and there isn't even a bit of alcohol heat on the finish.

While maybe not a great value at $28, it's still tasty.

Grape(s): 100% sauvignon blanc
Producer: Paumanok Vineyards
AVA: North Fork of Long Island
Price: $28
Rating:  (3 out of 5 | Recommended)

 

A Visit to Hunt Country Vineyards

For our second day of wine touring around Keuka Lake, Nena, Jackson and I were joined by my parents. We headed for the western side of the lake, starting at Hunt Country Vineyards.

Yes, I know that I've only posted about one winery on the eastern side of the lake, but I'm going to switch it up a little bit. We'll get back to the eastern shore again soon

There's a little more off-the-main-road driving involved when touring some areas of  FInger Lakes wine country and Hunt Country is a little off the main drag. Still, after reading Jason's post a few weeks ago, I knew that I wanted to taste my way through their wines.

Even though the vineyards at Hunt Country don't offer the typical lake views, they are picturesque none the less. We were amazed at just how beautiful the entire region is throughout our trip. It really is absolutely beautiful.

The wines at Hunt Country, on the whole, were okay, but there were a few wines that stood out for me and my family.

I've downplayed Finger Lakes reds plenty in my time writing about New York wines, and those comments were backed up here. I didn't care for the reds much, though I picked up one bottle of their newly Alchemy ($14), a non-vintage blend of 45% cabernet franc, 40% cabernet sauvignon and 15% Noiret (a hybrid developed at nearby Cornell). It was medium bodied, smoky and a little peppery.

I was a little disappointed in the dry riesling, but Nena really enjoyed the newly released 2007 Semi-Dry Riesling ($14), which was decidedly sweet, but balanced with just enough acidity. The flavors were much more tropical and ripe than many Keuka Lake rieslings we tried with peach, pear and a little pineapple.
 

I also really enjoyed the wine that brought me to Hunt Country to begin with, the 2007 Valvin Muscat ($15). I'm a sucker for interesting, unique wines, and this floral, melony white with just a little residual sugar (and nice acidity) fall into that category. You'd think that more wineries in New York would grow and bottle muscat.

When we left Hunt Country, with a case of wine between us, we headed to perhaps New York's best-known winery, Dr. Konstantin Frank. But that's another post for another day.

 

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.