New York Cork Report

The Art of Balance: Day 2 Pictures

Day two of The Art of Balance was just as interesting and just plain awesome as the first day. I'm still working through how to share the NY-related information best, but in the mean time (again) here are some pictures from the day.

This one is of Juan Eduardo Micieli-Martinez (winemaker at Martha Clara Vineyards), Vinny Aliperti (winemaker at Atwater Estate and Billsboro Winery) and Richie Pisacano (vineyard manager for Wolffer Estate and co-owner of Roanoke Vineyards). At the time, they were discussing mechanical canopy trimming if I remember correctly.

Now Available: The Beer Hall Guide to Long Island

You've probably noticed that our resident beer guru, Donavan Hall, hasn't been contributing to LENNDEVOURS much lately. Well, he had a good reason for that. He was putting the finishing touches on The Beer Hall Guide to Long Island, one book that every beer lover on Long Island needs in his or her library.

Donavan knows more about beer on Long Island than anyone I know. Plus, he's one heck of a writer, so no one is more qualified to write such a book.

I haven't picked up my copy yet, but I will this weekend at the North Fork Craft Beer, BBQ and Wine Festival, where he'll be selling them.

About the book:

"This guide brings together the best that the Long Island craft beer scene has to offer. Anything listed in this guide is a top rated craft beer destination. All of Long Island's breweries and brewpubs are listed, as well as the top taprooms and beer stores. Each listing is accompanied by an informative (and entertaining) article.

By writing this beer guide, Donavan hopes that craft beer enthusiasts will learn more about the incredible and growing beer culture here on Long Island, and that you might find out about a place or two that you haven't visited yet. In addition to covering all of the best breweries, taprooms, and beer stores, you'll find information about amateur craftbrewing and about how to become more involved in local craft beer culture.

Donavan Hall regularly writes about beer, brewing, and pub culture on The Beer Hall. He is also the voice of Radio Beer Hall a twice monthly podcast about brewing and slow living."

Congratulations on finishing the book, Donavan. I look forward to raising a pint or five with you the next time we meet up.

You can buy the book over at Lulu if you can't make the beer festival this weekend.

Save the Date: LENNDEVOURS Wine Bar (October 19)

This event has been a long time coming, but I'm happy to announce that LENNDEVOURS and Roanoke Vineyards will be co-hosting an event on Sunday October 19 at Roanoke's tasting room in Riverhead.

The concept is a quarterly wine bar event that will include a preview of an unreleased Roanoke Vineyards wine, local wine celebs/speakers, light Mediterranean fare and discounts on wines by the glass. Best of all, proceeds from ticket sales will go to a different charity each time.

We'll also be inviting one or two other wineries to pour one of their wines as well.

And to make it a little bit more fun, we'll be doing some videos and blogging on-site for LENNDEVOURS during the event.

By the end of the week, I should have confirmed information in terms of what wine we're going to be previewing, how much tickets will be, and what the charity will be for this kick-off event.

In the meantime, mark down October 19th in your calendar/planner/Blackberry/iPhone.

I'm hoping to be able to sell tickets ahead of time online (at a discounted rate) too. Stay tuned.

The Art of Balance: Day 1 Pictures

Day one of The Art of Balance was great yesterday. Winemakers from Friuli, the Rheingau, the Finger Lakes and Rías Baixas. Lots of information was shared, the panel discussion in the afternoon (moderated by Paul Grieco, co-owner and sommelier, Hearth, Insieme, and Terroir in New York City was interesting (and a bit controversial at times) too.

I'll post more about the information in coming days. But for now, a few pictures:

"The Symposium" Starts Today

In about an hour, I'll be hopping into the car and driving out to Stony Brook University's Southampton campus for The Art of Balance: Cool Climate/Maritime Wines in a Global Context, a symposium that I hope will be as educational as it will be fun.
Looking at the agenda, which is filled with lectures, tastings and panel discussions led by prominent winemakers and vineyard managers from top cool climate/maritime wineries, I can't imagine that I'll be disappointed.

I had planned to do some live blogging on-site, but organizers weren't able to pull WiFi access together for me because I'm not a student at Stony Brook (annoying), but they have set up a "blogging area" in the back of the theater where I will be able to plug in. Now I just need to find an ethernet cable before I leave the house. I know that fellow LENNDEVOURS contributor Bryan Calandrelli got to the Island last night, and that Eileen from Cellarette will be attending but I'm curious to see what other bloggers will be there.

Sorry that the blogging has been so thin of late. Some of you know why, but things are returning to normal at LENNDEVOURS headquarters, so blogging will commence throughout the week.

New Finger Lakes Winery: Anyela's Vineyards

Keuka Lake, Seneca Lake and Cayuga Lake are the three Finger Lakes most wine lovers know about, but Skaneateles Lake, west of Cayuga, has it's first winery: Anyela's Vineyards, which will be hosting its grand opening tomorrow, August 2.

According the the winery's website, the vines, planted in 2001 by owner Jim Nocek and his family, are treated to some labor-intensive work every fall after harvest:

"Unlike other vineyards along neighboring Finger Lakes, we protect our vines from the cold after the fall harvest. One by one, we carefully remove them from the trellises and bury them in the rich earth to insulate the sensitive primary buds, which eventually become the fruit."

I've heard of wineries doing this in extremely cold states like Minnesota and Wisconsin but not in New York, where it's not usually necessary. Then again, every decade or so, Finger Lakes wineries deal with a cold snap that kills some of their vines.

Anyela’s Vineyard will be releasing varietal bottlings of chardonnay, pinot grigio, rose of pinot noir, riesling, Cayuga white, Petite Noir, cabernet franc and noiret, along with a couple blends.

Anyela’s tasting room will be open Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5 p.m.  Soon, their Friday hours will be extended for the busy summer and fall seasons.

Visit their website for further details.