By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor
Photos courtesy of North Fork Patch and Roanoke Vineyards
With events like The Judgment of Riverhead and its "Smackdown" series, Roanoke Vineyards has been putting on some of the North Fork's more interesting winery events for a while now. These are events that are easy to appreciate and enjoy -- for both the creativity behind them and the fact that they aren't all about Roanoke Vineyards wines.
On Saturday, sixteen local wine lovers -- including fellow bloggers/journalists -- Henry Powderly and Michael Gorton -- competed in the "March Madness Smackdown Tournament" a bracket-style blind taste-off for a seat on the expert panel at the April 2, 2011 edition of Smackdown. If you're unfamilar with the Smackdowns, they are an hybrid event-contest that asks a panel of Long Island winemakers, vineyard owners and experts to taste a series of wines blind and try to identify them. The person able to identify the most, wins, but non-panel attendees simply get to taste the same wines as the experts.
The winner of the tournament was Andrew Rockwell, Laboratory Director at Premium Wine Group (pictured right), who also happens to be crafting a 2010 cabernet franc of his own -- but that's another story for another day.
Andrew will join a panel that already includes Kareem Massoud, winemaker at Paumanok Vineyards, Kelly Urbanik, winemaker at Macari Vineyards, Tracy Ellen-Kamens of Grand Cru Classes and Louisa Thomas Hargrave, who co-founded Long Island wine country with Hargrave Vineyard.
The 3rd Smackdown will take place April 2 at 6 p.m. in the Jedediah Hawkins Gallery with food by chef Keith Luce from Luce-Hawkins. You can get the details online, or call the Smackdown Hotline at 631.727.4161
I'm hoping to attend myself...with a big "GO ANDREW" sign in tow.
How about a note about the best "amateur".. 2nd place finisher Randi Schneider!!!
Posted by: Jay Schneider | March 21, 2011 at 01:50 PM
Jay, PLEASE pass along my congratulations to Randi...I wasn't at the event obviously, so I didn't get into details of who places where, but I have heard from several people that she rocked!
No surprise though, is there?
Posted by: Lenn Thompson | March 21, 2011 at 01:51 PM
I would have rocked that competition :)
Posted by: Bryan | March 21, 2011 at 02:20 PM
I'll never wear stripes again!!!!
Posted by: Adam Ehmer | March 21, 2011 at 07:09 PM
Looking forward to this event, Andrew good luck against the big guns!
Posted by: Roxanne Browning | March 22, 2011 at 01:37 PM