New York Cork Report

Empire State Cellars Wine Club: May 2012 Selections

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor

The May shipment of the Empire State Cellars Wine Club won't ship for a few weeks, but from now on, we're going to announce the selecitons at least a few weeks beforehand. That way, if you're not already a member but want the wines, you'll have time to join!

If you're not familiar with the club, you can learn more here.

"Hello New York" Wines

Channing Daughters Winery 2010 Scuttlhole Chardonnay: I prefer my chardonnay unadorned and clean -- usually the less oak the better. Winemaker Chris Tracy makes an array of chardonnays, but this one is my favorites -- all steel with ample fruit, a minerally vein and juicy acidity.

Medolla Vineyards 2007 Merlot: You may not know this one-wine winery, but Medolla is a name to know when it comes to value merlot on Long Island. Pure and expressive, this merlot is ripe, but not too ripe, showing restrained oak and good length with gently grippy tannins.

"Getting to Know New York" Wines

Lieb Family Cellars 2010 10th Anniversary Pinot Blanc: Complex with layers of almond, white pepper and candied orange peel sprinkled over juicy pears, this wine -- made for the first time to celebrate the winery's 10th anniversary -- balances richness with juicy acidity, resulting in a beautiful mouthfeel.

Lenz Winery 2007 Estate Selection Merlot: Eric Fry's winemaking is decidedly low-tech, and that hands-off approach lets this wine shine. Plump and juicy -- with little noticeable oak -- this is a wine that over-delivers with it's aromas and of red and black cherry, plums and a bit of blueberry compote. 

"New York Wine Trail" Wines

Paumanok Vineyards 2011 Chenin Blanc: The Massoud family has a cult following for this wine, one that expresses vintage variation as much as any on Long Island. While the 2010 was rich with sweet tropical fruit, this edition is more citrusy and saline with hints of melon. Local oysters dream about this wine.

Arrowhead Spring Vineyards 2010 Syrah: Think Rhone rather than Australia with this wine from Niagara. Though young -- an hour or two in a decanter, or a few years in your cellar wouldn't hurt -- it shows beautiful, rich fruit, peppery spice and the kind of heft you want to heartier meals.

"Excelsior" Wines

Anthony Road Wine Company 2009 Martini-Reinhardt Selection Riesling: Really only available in the Anthony Road tasting room, we were able to procure a small parcel of this pure, complex and lengthy riesling that is absolutely delicious today but will reward those patient enough to cellar it. Simply stunning.

The Grapes of Roth 2005 Merlot: Veteran winemaker Roman Roth's personal label built its reputation on merlot. This elegant, nuanced merlot comes from Sam McCullough's vineyard and features cherry, licorice, tobacco, subtle dried herbs and graphite aromas and flavors. Again -- you can drink it today or park it in your cellar.

If you haven't signed up for the club yet, fear not. You can still get in on this first shipment. Email Katherine Jaeger, Manager of Wine Clubs, at [email protected] and she will take good care of you. And remember, you can customize your club to include just red or whites wines too if you'd like.

Across the Border: The Quest For the Holy Grail -- Ontario Pinot Noir

By Bryan Calandrelli, Niagara Region Editor

Perhaps it’s fitting that the first all-pinot-noir flight at this year’s Expert’s Tasting at Brock University’s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI) was named after Monty Python’s classic film. If transcendent pinot noir is indeed the life-giving juice that flows from a cup then there are many out there spending their lives and fortunes looking for it across the globe and on both sides of the border in Niagara, even though most everyone else already thinks it lies in Burgundy.

Luckily my own quest to attend this year’s tasting was fulfilled, and I sat down with winemakers, wine writers, sommeliers and industry supporters to take a journey through several flights of pinot noir in hopes of finding the subtleties of the Niagara region’s terroir — and how distinctive that terroir is when compared to other regions in a blind setting. Having tasted what Niagara USA has produced since 2007, I was also looking forward to tasting where our pinots stood with their Canadian cousins.

The aforementioned aged pinot flight set the tone for the day. Presenter Rob Powers of Creekside Estate Winery, who by his own words is not “all-in in the pinot game,” compared the work of his pinot-making colleagues in Niagara to watching them “climbing Mount Everest” as students of CCOVI poured the wines.

So how did these wines hold up after a handful of years? Surprisingly enough, I found the oldest in the lineup, a 2002 Speck Family Reserve from Henry of Pelham, to be the most compelling argument for a Burgundian comparison. Its sweet red fruit with aromas of chocolate and loam was supported by extremely fine tannins and a graceful finish, hinting at an Old World origin. Flat Rock Cellars 2007 Reserve Pinot Noir was just as impressive. Although more youthful, its big cherry fruit and cola aromas resembled a more New World style yet it also finished with seductively fine tannins.

The ringer in the flight, a $60 Terlato Family Vineyards 2007 Pinot Noir from the Russian River didn’t seem too out of place, but its candied fruit aromas and feeling of residual sweetness on the palate made much more sense when the wines were revealed.

The 2009 vintage in Ontario has been referenced as the best for pinot noir many times over thanks in part to a long cool growing season. The title of its flight was appropriately named “The Perfect Storm.” Out of the seven flights we tasted, this one showed the most diversity.

My favorite of the group was Malivore Wine Company’s 2009 Niagara Peninsula Pinot Noir. My notes on this wine were limited to “gorgeous fruit, great balance and powdery tannins,” and to barrow a line from that old fairy tale, this one was just right.

The rest of the pinots were not as comfortable in their two-year-old shoes. Some showed a bit of youthful bitterness and somewhat disjointed herbal notes while others just seemed a little thin for my liking. On the opposite end of the spectrum, A Foreign Affair’s 2009 showed such darker fruit and so much more tannin that it was pegged by many including myself as a ringer only to find out 40% of its grapes were dried out by the appassimento process.

The actual ringer of the 2009s -- and a damn fine one at that -- was Domaine Daniel Rion & Fils Nuits Saint Georges. Surprisingly this wine did not really stick out as not being Niagara as the fruit profile was not far from what you’d expect but its youthful ripe and ready fruit made it much more easy drinking than most Niagara pinot noirs from this vintage.

Winemaker Thomas Bachelder led the popular “Wine Options” flight – which was basically a pop quiz in sub-appellations and terroir. In previous years this flight has been a multiple choice audience participation competition between tables. This year was more intense with the speaker asking for descriptors and ultimately guesses into each wine’s origins – ultimately putting each of us on the spot.

The Niagara selections of this flight were limited to bench fruit from Beamsville, Twenty Mile and St. David’s – and to be honest, it wasn’t easy to tell them apart. While this crowd is expected to be able to pick out a more general comparison of bench versus lakeshore fruit, these smaller sub-appellations were not easy to peg. The last three of the flight were all Twenty Mile bench wines and the crowd didn’t seem to find an obvious common thread in them either.

What was most compelling, though, was the ringer from Gevrey Chambertain by Nicolas Potel. Although I did scribble the words Burgundy and “high-class oak” in my notes, there really wasn’t all that much of a difference in this wine in comparison to the rest of the flight, and it wasn’t even my favorite because I tagged Rosewood’s 2009 Twenty Mile Bench as being so.

What does all this say about Niagara’s quest? For all the work that’s been done in the last 20 years in Ontario, the sub-appellations and the winemaking within cannot be easily disseminated for even the most experienced tasters. The soils, aspects and micro-climates within each is too diverse to confidently stereotype specific terroir in such a small sampling of wines.

But a subtle yet perhaps more important lesson I took from the afternoon was how difficult it was for us to pick out the ringers in each flight as the Niagara pinots did not stick out as being out of place with quality Old- and New World versions - and for young regions like Niagara Ontario and New York, the fact that its pinots can stand their ground with New Zealand, Russian River Valley and even Burgundy in a blind setting says that the quest for outstanding pinot is on the right path.

New York Drinks New York -- Reader Feedback: Len Dest, Former Director Long Island Merlot Alliance

Editor's note: Our own Tracy Weiss attended New York Drinks New York yesterday at Astor Center in Manhattan, and we'll have her story ready to go either later today or tomorrow. In the meantime, we have issued an open invite to any readers who attended to send us their thoughts. This is the first in what we hope is a series of posts.

By Len Dest, Former Director of Long Island Merlot Alliance

We participated in the New York Drinks New York on Monday 12 March at the Astor Center in Manhattan. The event was a great success with significant “to the trade” activity in the afternoon and, for the 350 lucky members of the public (sold out) in the evening, a great sampling of the wines of New York. Approximately 40 wineries from each region of New York participated in the pours, with strong participation from the Finger Lakes producers.

In discussions with both owners and winemakers from the Finger Lakes region, it is clear that the overall campaign by the New York Wine and Grape Foundation is having a very major positive impact on establishing new merchant channels and overall increased distribution lines for these upstate wineries. 

While mass events such as New York Drinks New York make it difficult to develop in depth understanding of any winery's wine, they does provide for an overall assessment of the general winemaking approaches and perhaps evolving trends.

As expected, lean wines with lower alcohol levels which are typical of New York wines, are being featured based upon current national and international trends. 

Some Observations:

1. The Long Island wineries were in general very conservative with what they poured. The 2007 100% merlot Tuthills Lane Vineyard from Paumanok Vineyards was and is a powerhouse red. However, few of the big 2010 reds were being poured. The exceptions and highlight was Channing Daughters. Larry Perrine and Chris Tracy were pouring some amazing wines; 2010 Blaufrankisch Mudd West Vineyard (well balanced flavors and acidity), 2010 Due Uve (spectacular red blend) 2010 Sylvanus (amazing flavors), and three of their rosatos. A bright star in the event.
2. From the Hudson River Valley, Millbrook’s 2010 Pinot Noir made from Finger Lakes fruit is very interesting; light and lean but with considerable fruit benefitting from the warm 2010 season.
3. Rare to find 2011 Gewürztraminer from Thousand Islands Winery and 2010 Cabernet Franc from Leonard Oakes Estate from the Niagara Escarpment.
4. Scores of outstanding Finger Lake wines including; Dr. Konstantin Frank’s wonderful sparkling wine the 2006 Chateau Franc Blanc de Noirs made with 96% pinot noir, a delightful 2010 100% pinot gris from Sheldrake Point, wonderful Riesing from Fox Run , Lamoreaux Landing, and Red Newt; interesting 2008 Gewürztraminers from Standing Stone and Red Newt (Curry Creek Vineyards), and some very interesting and enjoyable Finger Lake reds including 2009 Lemberger from Fox Run, 2008 76 West blend from Lamoreaux Landing and the red blend 2008 Eclipse Red from Herron Hill. 
5. The absolute star from the Finger Lakes -- and probably the overall event -- were the wines from Johannes Reinhardt at Anthony Road. We had the distinct pleasure of Johannes pouring and describing for us each of the wines served; 2009 Spontaneous Riesling, 2009 Martini-Reinhardt Riesling, the 2010 semi-dry Riesling, 2011 Rose of Cab Franc and an outstanding -- but still young -- 2010 Cabernet Franc/Leberger that capture not only Johannes' style but a strong European influence that makes his wines outstanding.

It was a great event celebrating New York Wines. Kudos to Chris Tracy and Johannes Reinhardt for making a promotional event something special.

The Most Important Store in the State: Buzz Growing for Empire State Cellars

By Evan Dawson, Managing Editor

It is unusual for a single wine store to become such a focus for an entire state. More unusual still when the store is not located in New York City. Since returning home from the Wines of the Year weekend on Long Island, no fewer than three wine industry professionals from the Finger Lakes have asked me, "Did you go to Empire State Cellars?" Or, "What was it like?" Or, "Was it as cool a place as I'm hoping it is?" They are intrigued by the idea of the only wine store in the state that offers exclusively New York products.

This is more than the story of a wine store in Riverhead, Long Island. Lenn has covered the opening of Empire State Cellars already, and the store is the supplier for the new and expanded Empire State Cellars Wine Club. Rather, this is a look at an experiment. And, to be frank, it's an experiment that the New York wine industry desperately needs to succeed.

That's because there is doubt about whether the locavore movement ought to include wine. Empire State Cellars is not at the heart of the locavore movement, but it will serve as a crucial kind of test: Will consumers gravitate toward New York wines, and will they keep coming back? Lenn has written extensively about the local movement in restaurants. Wine Spectator's James Molesworth wrote about the disconnect between local food and local wine last summer, concluding, "It's time for sommeliers and retailers to show some support for the efforts of these growers."

Success at Empire State Cellars has the potential to reach far beyond its store walls. Restaurants will notice. Other stores might be moved to increase their focus on New York wine. Success begets success.

It's early, but there are good signs. Jim Silver, who has brought the store from vision to brick-and-mortar reality, has invited winemakers from across the state to pour their wines and engage customers at weeknight and weekend events. Some events are inevitably sparsely attended, but that's to be expected for a new venture.

However, some events are exceeding expectations by any measure. Recently, Arrowhead Spring Vineyards from Niagara held what owner Duncan Ross calls "one of our best events ever, anywhere" at ESC. Consider that: A small winery from the far corner of New York state goes to the opposite end of the state, eight-plus hours by car, and blows the doors off. Duncan and his wife Robin were thrilled with the turnout -- and the quality of the interaction.

"The customers were fantastic," Duncan tells me. "We had a record crowd for our tasting, which made us feel so welcome. And it certainly made the long drive worthwhile. We had lots of great questions and interaction during the tasting."

The event offered Duncan and Robin a chance to see the store up close after hearing the hype. They were not disappointed.

"Just to be surrounded by so much great New York product was inspiring," Duncan says. "The layout of the store was superb, with educational materials and a wonderful tasting bar. The staff is obviously passionate about New York wines. It was a lot of fun talking with them."

That last point is key. Silver has worked hard to ensure a knowledgeable staff well versed in wines from all New York wine regions. On my visit, I was equally impressed. One employee smiled and told me, "One customer walked around for ten minutes before finally asking, 'Where are the Chilean wines?' But they're open to our suggestions, and we've already seen repeat business."

Peter Bell, winemaker at Fox Run Vineyards in the Finger Lakes, also made the trek to Riverhead on a recent weekend. "I loved the place," he says. "There is a great vibe there. They're obviously dedicated to the love of wine without being stodgy." More winemakers are preparing to visit this month: Red Newt Cellars will be pouring tomorrow, Atwater Estate Vineyards on Saturday, Dr. Frank on the March 17, and Peconic Bay on the 22. (Silver is the General Manager at Peconic Bay.)

From a purely aesthetic standpoint, the store is remarkable. It's among the nicest wine stores I've ever visited. Even more exciting is the fact that ESC offers hard-to-find wines; you can buy Hargrave Vineyard wines from the 1980s or you can pick up the sold-out Bloomer Creek Rieslings from the 2009 vintage. The options are almost overwhelming. This store is not about boosting New York; it's about promoting quality wines, period.

But Silver has to be a pragmatist. He won't offer Kendall Jackson Chardonnay, but he offers Red Cat, and it has already become a top seller. Perhaps Red Cat will be a bridge to finer New York wines, but at the very least, it will be a bill payer.

Ultimately, Empire State Cellars will only succeed if the local clientele embraces the concept while the rest of the state continues to support the effort. There are no sure things in business. The industry is wise to support this store. After all, many people have wondered if such a store were possible. In Riverhead, we're finding out.

The 2011 New York Cork Report Wines of the Year

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor

I think I can speak for my fellow editors and contributors when I say that our 2011 Wines of the Year tasting was a fun, challenging and inspiring day of 16 wine tasting flights.

I always come away with myriad story ideas swirling in my head after this tasting. This year is no different. Look for pieces from the team over the next few weeks. 

But today, we announce the winners -- including our first-ever New York Wine of the Year, Peconic Bay Winery 2007 Lowerre Family Estate.

Our 2011 Regional Wines of the Year are:

White Wines

Hudson Valley White Wine: Oak Summit Vineyard 2010 Chardonnay
Finger Lakes White Wine: Hermann J. Wiemer 2010 Riesling Dry Reserve
Long Island White Wine: Paumanok Vineyards 2010 Sauvignon Blanc
Niagara White: Eveningside Vineyards 2010 Reserve Chardonnay

Sparkling Wines

Finger Lakes Sparkling: Chateau Frank 2006 Blanc de Noir
Long Island Sparkling: Lenz Winery 2005 Cuvee

Red Wines

Hudson Valley Red: Tousey Winery 2010 Cabernet Franc
Niagara Red: Arrowhead Spring Vineyards 2010 Pinot Noir
Finger Lakes Red: Billsboro Winery 2010 Syrah
Long Island Merlot: Paumanok Vineyards 2007 Merlot
Long Island Other Red: Peconic Bay Winery 2007 Lowerre Family Estate

Dessert Wines

Finger Lakes Dessert Wine: Atwater Estate Vineyards 2010 Celsius
Long Island Dessert Wine: Wolffer Estate 2009 Laica

After we tasted each of these flights, the style winners were re-poured and tasted together to choose state-wide winners -- but only if the voting wine editors were unanimous. That happened twice this year:

New York Sparkling Wine of the Year: Chateau Frank 2006 Blanc de Noir
New York Red Wine of the Year: Peconic Bay Winery 2007 Lowerre Family Estate

Then, after a lengthy discussion, we decided unanimously that the Peconic Bay Winery 2007 Lowerre Family Estate was deserving of being named the 2011 New York Cork Report Wine of the Year. We'll have a post later this week about the discussion and why we chose this year and this wine.

Congratulations to all of the winners -- and keep an eye on the site for most post-tasting coverage.

 

Video: Leonard Oakes Estate Winery 2011 Icewine Harvest

By Bryan Calandrelli, Niagara Region Editor

This short film is a combination of harvest images I shot in January and a recent interview with Leonard Oakes Estate Winery winemaker Jonathan Oakes about the progress of this 2011 Icewine of Vidal Blanc.

4 a.m. is the Right Time for Ice Wine

By Bryan Calandrelli, Niagara Region Editor

The landscape along the Lake Ontario shoreline-hugging roadway that stretches eastward to Orleans County – Route 18 – pretty much becomes desolate once you pass Olcott. And it only seems more desolate at four in the morning on the coldest day of the winter. Lyndonville’s distance from the center of the Niagara Wine Trail keeps me from making this journey as often as I’d like to, but on this morning there was no hesitation – it was Leonard Oakes Estate Winery’s annual ice wine harvest.

As I made my way through an apple orchard to the first few rows of grapevines in the dark of night, there wasn’t much that would indicate that this was one of the most important days of the year for winemaker Jonathan Oakes, who had been waiting for this day since bud break.

“I don’t feel relaxed until these grapes are off and we’re in with a long enough window to press it out and work with it,” said Oakes.

It was only after hearing the low rumbling tractor noise and following the faint glimmer of headlights at the opposite end of the pitch-black vineyard that I found the winemaker surrounded by a few winery staff and an army of volunteers.

“Can you see the look of relief in my face?” asked Oakes.

While many wineries have already celebrated the end of harvest with toasts and parties, a few Niagara region wineries don’t consider the season to be over until their vats are full of ultra-sweet vidal blanc juice.

With this winter’s unusually mild temperatures, the thought of a normal ice wine harvest seemed like wishful thinking. Yet Oakes reassured me that the weather window we were in was perfect, even going as far as to state that this was the easiest winter harvest for the winery since they started. The lack of snow accumulation in the vineyard made getting the tractors, equipment and people in easier and the huge amount of support they received from volunteers enabled them to get the grapes off the vine in record time.

“During the last couple of harvests, the idea of ice wine was new to our area and it was difficult to recruit people that would be willing to get out there and help,” said Oakes. This year things were different. “All the recent accolades and buzz about our ice wine has really helped to secure people that want to come out and participate,” he said.

It’s this excitement and interest, combined with the fact that the Niagara region has already proven it can consistently produce some of the world’s best ice wine, that leads Oakes to believe that the industry has a strong future in his backyard. 

“I look at the amount of plantable acres we have left, with a grape variety like vidal that can grow in a little more severe conditions, and I think there’s just unlimited potential in our area,” said Oakes.

Even in mild winters like this one. Mother Nature ends up delivering what local winemakers need. And while Niagara is certainly not the only region to produce this style of wine, it does benefit from the success of Ontario’s ice wine industry. Niagara USA needs only to look at their example across the river on how to distinguish itself from the rest.

“It’s going to rely heavily on who jumps out and makes a distinct claim as to what is what our region can be known for,” said Oakes.

Regional branding aside, it’s in the post-harvest moment where I’m standing around with the rest of the crew warming up appropriately enough with a glass of Canadian whisky celebrating an end to a frigid end of the season harvest where I get a feeling of how special ice wine is to have gotten so many people to brave the elements just to take part in its production.

As daylight broke leaving Lyndonville, my journey back home was not as isolated as the trip there. I noticed a few carloads of vineyard workers following me back to Burt, NY where Schulze Vineyards & Winery had just begun their own harvest.

The New York Cork Report 2011 Wines of the Year Finalists

The winners from our 2010 Wines of the Year tasting (Photo by Morgan Dawson Photography) 

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor

This is the third year of our New York Cork Report "Wines of the Year" program and over the past several weeks, my colleagues Bryan Calandrelli and Evan Dawson, and I have been tasting, re-tasting and re-re-tasting dozens of wines to , narrow and hone our lists of finalists 2011 Wines of the Year.

We don't pretend that we've tasted every single wine released during the 2011 calendar year, but we feel that we've tasted a more-than-representative sampling from each region. Each of these finalists was hand-picked by the regional editor for each region -- Evan Dawson (Finger Lakes), Bryan Calandrelli (Niagara) and myself (Long Island and Hudson River Region) -- and will be blind tasted by most of the  NYCR team in mid-February to determine the winners. While the team will attend and take part in the tasting, only wine editors will vote.

You will notice some variations in terms of categories and wines per category. Those decisions are left up to the regional editors.

Finger Lakes Region

Red Wines
Billsboro Winery 2010 Syrah
McGregor Vineyard 2007 30-Month Barrel Black Russian Red
Ravines Wine Cellars 2009 Pinot Noir
Red Tail Ridge Winery 2009 Teroldego
Rooster Hill Vineyards 2008 Lemberger Reserve

Riesling Wines
Anthony Road Wine Company 2009 Art Series Riesling
Bloomer Creek Vineyard 2010 uten Vineyard First Harves Dry Riesling
Hermann J. Wiemer 2010 Dry Riesling Reserve
Keuka Lake Vineyards 2010 Semi-Dry Riesling
Tierce 2009 Riesling
Standing Stone Vineyards 2010 Riesling

Sparkling Wines
Chateau Frank 2006 Blanc de Noir
Hermann J. Wiemer 2006 Blanc de Noir
 

Dessert Wines
Atwater Estate Vineyards 2010 Celsius
Ravines Wine Cellars 2007 Appasionata
Standing Stone 2010 Riesling Ice

Hudson River Valley Region

Red Wines
Hudson-Chatham Winery 2010 Casscles Vineyard Reserve Baco Noir
Oak Summit Vineyard 2010 Pinot Noir
Tousey Winery 2010 Cabernet Franc

White Wines
Hudson-Chatham Winery 2010 Estate Seyval Blanc
Millbrook Vineyards 2010 Tocai Friulano
Oak Summit 2010 Chardonnay

Long Island Region

Merlot Wines
Clovis Point 2007 Vintner's Reserve Merlot
Grapes of Roth 2005 Merlot
Lenz Winery 2007 Estate Merlot
Paumanok Vineyards 2007 Merlot
Wolffer Estate Vineyards 2007 Christian's Cuvee Merlot

Non-Merlot Red Wines
Jamesport Vineyards 2007 Sidor Reserve Syrah
Leo Family 2007 Red
Peconic Bay Winery 2007 Lowerre Family Estate
Roanoke Vineyards 2007 Blend 2
Roanoke Vineyards 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon

White Wines
Bedell Cellars 2010 Viognier
Channing Daughters Winery 2010 Mudd Vineyard West Sauvignon Blanc
Grapes of Roth 2009 Riesling
Palmer Vineyards 2010 Sauvignon Blanc
Paumanok Vineyards 2010 Sauvignon Blanc

Sparkling Wines
Bedell Cellars 2007 Blanc de Blancs
Lenz Winery 1999 Cuvee RD
Lenz Winery 2005 Cuvee
Sparkling Pointe 2001 Brut Seduction
Sparkling Pointe 2007 Brut

Dessert Wines
Jamesport Vineyards 2010 Late Harvest Riesling
Grapes of Roth 2009 Noble Roth Late Harvest Riesling
Paumanok Vineyards 2010 Late Harvest Riesling
Shinn Estate Vineyards 2009 Veil
Wolffer Estate Vineyards 2009 Laica

Niagara Region

Reds Wines
Arrowhead Spring Vineyards 2010 Pinot Noir
Arrowhead Spring 2010 Estate Syrah
Eveningside Vineyards 2009 Cabernet Franc
Freedom Run Winery 2010 Reserve Pinot Noir
Long Cliff Winery 2010 Pinot Noir

White Wines
Arrowhead Spring 2009 Reserve Chardonnay
Eveningside Vineyards 2010 Reserve Chardonnay
Freedom Run Winery 2010 Estate Chardonnay
Leonard Oakes 2010 Reserve Riesling
Schulze Vineyards 2010 Vidal Blanc 

 

Congratulations to all of the finalists. Keep an eye on this site for more information and results in a few weeks.

Vineyard Visuals: Leonard Oakes Estate 2012 Icewine Harvest

By Bryan Calandrelli, Niagara Region Editor

Jonathan Oakes and his crew were in the vineyard early this morning collecting frozen vidal blanc grapes for Leonard Oakes Estate Winery's 2012 Icewine of Vidal Blanc.

With a call time of 4 a.m. the crew got the last grapes into bins by 7 a.m. and have already begun pressing.

New York Cork Club Reborn as Empire State Cellars Wine Club

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor

It has been quiet the wine club front here on NYCR for the last few months. Trust me when I tell you that there's been a great deal going on in the background. 

We've found a new home and a new name.

Today I am excited to announce that our wine club, formerly known as the New York Cork Club, will be reborn on January 1, 2012 as the Empire State Cellars Wine Club, fulfilled by Empire State Cellars in Riverhead.

The ESC Wine Club will offer a variety of club options, options that offer flexibility and a variety of price point. But, as always I will still be picking all of the wines -- independently -- which is just one reason that ESC is a good fit for the club.

There are three tiers  to the club, each shipping every other month (rather than monthly). They are:

• Hello New York: Includes one white wine and one red wine in the $20-and-under per bottle price range.
• Getting to Know New York: Includes the "Hello New York" selections plus another red and white wine in the $30-and-under per bottle range for a total of four wines every other month. These wines will include a bit more off-beat or harder-to-get selections.
• New York Wine Trail: This tier and entitles the you to receive both the "Hello New York" and "Getting to Know New York" club selections, plus two selections in the $40-and-under range per bottle. This level will showcase some of the best wines made in the state, as well as rare and library wines.
• Excelsior: This tier gets you just the "New York Wine Trail" $40-and-under wines and can be purchased separately, or together with the "Hello New York" option.

If that weren't enough options, you can also request "All Reds" or "All Whites" in your membership.

Empire State Cellars will ship six (6) times per year beginning in January 2012, and the club will renew automatically. 

If you'd like to join the club, please call Katherine Jaeger, Manager of Wine Clubs, at [email protected]. 

The folks at ESC have also let me know that if you call before December 15 to join, they will send you two additional bottles of acclaimed New York wine with their compliments as part of your first shipment! 

This is going to be a lot of fun for me -- and for you too. I'm working on the January shipment wine picks now and there are some outstanding wines included!

Empire State Cellars to Open Tomorrow

Empire State Cellars will open tomorrow, November 4, morning at the Tanger Outlet Center in Riverhead, New York

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor

The wait is over. Empire State Cellars, a new wine shop and tasting room dedicated solely to New York State-made wine and spirits, will open tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. at the Tanger Outlet Center in Riverhead.

"It has been pretty labor intensive to say the least, and mentally draining, but the end result is worth all of the late nights and long hours. This is good for everyone," said Jim Silver, General Manager of Peconic Bay Winery, who is opening Empire State Cellars as second of it s five permissible tasting rooms under its Farm Winery license.

Upon opening tomorrow, the store will have 400 different wines and spirits in stock, with the goal of expanding that to 600 in the very near future. "There are still dozens of wineries we want in the store but that haven't gotten back to us yet. Some have been too busy with their harvest to sell us their wines. Some are sold out of certain things we really wan to carry. But that said, we've got an absolutely astonishing selection from all over the state," said Silver.

Empire State Cellars will be open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week, and will offer tastings of several wines every day.

I've joined Jim and the Empire State team -- specifically manager Polly Brown and assistant manager Evan Ducz -- as they taste several wines they were considering for the store, and I can tell you that their enthusiasm for finding delicious wines from every corner of the state is obvious, even inspiring. Representing every region and as many wineries as possible is a priority.

"We really see this as a way to bring all of the state's wine regions together, to showcase their wines and, of course, sell them. The response has been amazing. Just about every winery we got in touch with is working with us."

When I asked Silver what wines he was most excited about stocking, his answer was so long that I almost had to cut him off: "There are some items that just blew me away with their quality and three of them were from Arrowhead Spring Vineyards in Niagara. I'm also happy to have gotten the Bloomer Creek Vineyards wines, some items from Mazza Vineyards in Lake Erie, neat sparkling wines from Swedish Hill Winery, new vintages from Waters Crest Winery and Palmer Vineyards, and single-vineyard wines from Keuka Lake Vineyards, Red Newt Cellars and Lamoreaux Landing. There are way too many wines to list that are very cool."

Personally, I'm nearly as excited about the selection of New York spirits, which includes items from Tuthilltown Spirits, Finger Lakes Distilling and Breukelen Distilling.

A grand opening celebration is in the works, but has not been scheduled.

I'm also excited to report that my wine club, formerly known as the New York Cork Club, will be re-born on January 1 as the Empire State Cellars Wine Club. With the shop's devotion to New York wines, and willingness to allow me to continue picking the wines independently, it was an easy decision to make. I'll tell you more about the new club tomorrow!

What We Drank (November 2, 2011)

Here's a sampling of what we've been drinking this week...

Dave Seel: Pellegrini Vineyards 2007 Chardonnay
I'm a big fan of finding good wine at decent prices. I'll literally spend almost an hour in a wine shop, scouring the regions and vintages trying to find that perfect balance of cost vs. quality. Of course, my definition of "a decent price" may be different from some. Of course, it's changed over the years. There was a time when finding an awesome wine for dinner at $16 was considered a good deal in my book. Don't get me wrong, I love a good $15-$20 dollar bottle, but as life has taken over, diapers and dog food have worn away at the old nightly wine budget. Now, I'm psyched if I can find something worth drinking for under or around $10 bucks. It's not an easy task and I've had to stomach some pretty unimpressive wines, but every once in a while I find a steal and the search is totally worth it.

Last week, I was on the search in a small neighborhood wine shop known for its quality of selection. Initially I was intrigued by a row of Portuguese wines, good for both their European flavors and price point. But then my eyes drew me elsewhere, just beyond a row of Merlot, was a perfect value gem. The 2007 Pellegrini Chardonnay on clearance...for only $6.99. I'd recently tried this Long Island chardonnay at the Winebar at The Portly Grape and new both the wife and I dug it.

It's a great wine to pair with seafood, chicken, or even a pork dish. We were having chicken soup that particular night and the chardonnay's tart apple, slight vanilla and nutty flavors paired nicely with my herb-tastic version of the soup. Even if you can't find it on clearance, it's a great example of a good Long Island white and is perfect on it's own or with food. I'm not giving away my secret stash, but if you scout out Long Island's North Shore wine shops, you may just find this gem, waiting patiently for you to take it home and prove to you that cheap doesn't always mean bad.

Mark Grimaldi: Billsboro Winery 2010 Syrah
I was off popping into some Seneca Lake wineries last weekend while we were up visiting family.  One of my stops was Billsboro.  Having been really impressed with their Riesling in the past I was excited to taste the current release.  What I wasn't prepared for was to taste their Syrah. 

MIND BLOWN. 

It wasn't blown because the wine was good, because I know Vinny Aliperti can make good wine, it was blown because I guess I was not expecting to taste that much fruit, with that much varietal correctness from a Finger Lakes Syrah. It's just never been a region I've associated with this variety. But if there was a year to ripen Syrah, I guess it was 2010.

It's color was deep, but bright, and screamed of freshness, and when I looked at it all I could think was that this feeling would follow through onto the palate as well.  On the nose, red berries jump at you, with just a slight hint of that white pepper I usually pick up in the Northern Rhone. It smelled great.

The palate was lively, and fun, almost bouncy with a real savory quality to it. The fruit and tannins came together elegantly, and perfectly ripe for my tastes. Nicely balanced acid and a finish that made me want another sip before it even ended.  It's not complex, and you don't have to try hard to understand it.  It was just a really juicy, delicious, balanced red that I would have no problem having in heavy rotation on the table. 

The only problem is that they only make something like 150 cases.  I believe the fruit comes from "Sawmill Creek Vineyard", which the more and more I taste from this vineyard, has me thinking that if the Finger Lakes could have a grand or 1er Cru vineyard site one day, this would be one of them.

Evan Dawson: Chateau Lascombes 2002
Nice to be reminded that even wine with a pedigree -- second-growth Bordeaux! -- can be fat, boring, utterly lacking distinction or a sense of place. Not a legendary vintage, but my quarrel has nothing to do with the vintage.

This wine was almost silly. Extracted and black, it felt like a wine that was trying too hard from the get-go.

Often we hear vignerons claim, "The fruit can stand up to the oak." In this case, no, it can not. The oak overwhelms the nose, with brown sugar and Starbucks caramel macchiato offering the clearest sense of aromatics, followed by vaguely dark fruits.

The structure is fine; nothing to complain about, and the fine-grained tannins work nicely at this stage. But even after several hours open, the wine had not improved beyond a rather one-dimensional, awkward effort.

Hard to say I'd have gone with Bordeaux had I tasted it blind.

Lenn Thompson: Aarrowhead Spring Vineyards 2009 Pinot Noir
Lots of people talk about a lack of quality pinot noir in the under-$20 category. Well, here's one $18 pinot from the Niagara Escarpment that is more than, "decent for the money."

It's downright good and might be my favorite New York pinot that I put in my mouth this year.

Fresh, bouncy and all about crunchy cherry-cranberry flavors up front, the finish turns soft and silky with light spice and beautiful dried fall leaves earthiness on the finish.

It remains to be seen whether Niagara USA will become pinot country or cabernet franc country -- but this wine sure makes the case for pinot.

You won't see any "perfect Thanksgiving wine" commentary on this website, but I could see this on my table in a few weeks.

Best of all, I will soon have ready access to this wine on Long Island -- more on that tomorrow though.

Vineyard Visuals: Freedom Run Winery Drying Grapes for Appassimento wines

By Bryan Calandrelli, Niagara Editor

Here are a couple pictures of Larry Manning from Freedom Run Winery as he prepares racks of cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and merlot grapes that will air dry in the estate's 190-year old barn for their second vintage Appassimento-style wine.

Harvest 2011: Wild Ride for Niagara So Far

Pinot Noir grapes still hanging at Freedom Run Winery in Lockport, NY

By Bryan Calandrelli, Niagara Region Editor

For Jonathan Oakes, winemaker at Leonard Oakes Estate Winery and Schulze Vineyards and Winery, the 2011 growing season can be summed up in one word: wild.

“It’s been one of the wildest rides I’ve seen in a long time,” he said.

Thanks to Mother Nature, of course. It started with a cool and excessively wet late spring followed by an intensely hot and dry July. The good news for Oakes is that all that heat enabled the vines to catch up to where they needed to be mid-way through the season…just about the time for his family’s vineyard to get hit by a hail storm. Luckily, it was early enough in the season -- before sugars were accumulating in the grapes -- so the damage was minimal.

Late September rains forced some growers, including Oakes to bring in the whites all at once to avoid the disease pressure associated with the conditions.

“We got pushed into this tight window where most of the whites were ripe at the same time,” Oakes said.

Arrowhead Spring Vineyards owner Duncan Ross foresees a successful harvest of his chardonnay (currently at 23.5 brix) this week and if things stay dry as forecasted, he is considering pulling merlot in as soon as Sunday.

Randy Biehl, owner of Eveningside Vineyards, started his estate harvest on September 24 by pulling chardonnay. I was one of many volunteers who showed up to pitch in and can vouch for the ripeness and overall health of the fruit we brought in. 

Closer to the Lake Ontario, Schulze Vineyards will begin harvesting their Siegfried Riesling grapes this week, and grower Martin Schulze is pleased with how all of his grapes are looking at this point in the season.

“We’ve still got a ways to go for the reds but the stems are ripe and the grapes have a lot of flavor,” says Schulze.

We can’t discuss the growing season in Niagara without mentioning pinot noir and the progress of the largest plantings -- Leland’s Vineyard and Freedom Run Winery’s -- pretty much tell the story of the challenges and benefits of 2011.

I’ve written about Leland’s Vineyard in the past and once again their challenge this season was not only in working with the weather but still raising the fruiting zone and re-trellising. The varying soil types in this large vineyard haven’t made things easy on owner Leland Mote and manager Don Demaison, as the difference in vigor from one end to the vineyard is obvious.

With some botrytis pressure and the all-too-realistic fear that the upcoming weather would only worsen the situation, the decision to pull pinot on September 20 came a week earlier than anticipated. I personally pulled some fruit for my own wine and was pleased with the flavors and overall health of the grapes. Other local buyers of pinot noir from the vineyard include Eveningside Vineyards, Arrowhead Spring Vineyards and Gust Of Sun Winery.

Down the road, the pinot noir grapes in the vineyards of Freedom Run Winery are still hanging and will be harvested October 5. The somewhat-extreme leaf pulling strategy the winery employs seems to pay off in years like this. Other than some raisining, the pinot grapes along with most of the other varieties are in good shape. Expect sugar levels to be close to the range the winery saw in 2010 ranging from 22.5 to 24 brix.

There seems to be a consensus that this year will be average to above-average in terms of quality for what is currently coming in -- that is whites and pinot noir for now. Other than this last week of wet weather, Niagara had pretty much avoided the other instances of prolonged excessive rains that affected regions further downstate.

But given that we may still have another month to go in the season though any speculation on overall quality would be presumptive.

Vineyard Visuals: A Foggy Morning at Schulze Winery

Our Niagara region editor, Bryan Calandrelli shares this picture from Schulze Winery on a foggy morning. These are some of the oldest cabernet franc vines in the region.

This is actually a screen capture from footage Bryan is shooting for a documentary about the region.

Leonard Oakes Estate Winery's Double Gold Rush

By Bryan Calandrelli, Niagara Region Editor

The timing of Leonard Oakes Estate Winery’s party celebrating their two double-gold medal winning wines from the annual New York Food & Wine Classic couldn’t have been more appropriate. Two weeks before, their 2008 Vidal Icewine and Steampunk Cider both received this award, with the Icewine even taking home the honor of “Best Dessert Wine” in NYS, but the real story behind the appropriately named “Double Gold Rush” event: it was the first public release of the aforementioned hard cider.

Being a lucky member of the industry and media, I was invited to the early tasting before the general public arrived and as I walked through the door I was greeted with a glass and some info on the wines, a pulled pork slider and a pour of the new cider. Jonathan Oakes was socializing with some growers and I had a chance to compliment him again on the deliciousness in my glass and get some more information about the newest addition to the winery’s tasting menu.

As diverse as the Niagara USA growing region is with vinifera, native, fruit and hybrid wines, Leonard Oakes is the first to make a true cider and their decision to go traditional was made a decade ago with LynOaken Farm’s planting of ten different English Heritage apple varieties.

After years of experimenting with small batches Oakes was convinced he could create a cider with the complexity and funk of the English ciders with the crisp, clean forward fruit flavors he thought the American palate would appreciate.

“We wanted to go away from the syrupy sweet over processed additive heavy ciders and go for a pure reflection of the apple with the structure of the English style combined with the American ideal of cider,” explained Oakes (pictured below left).

The winery’s own description of Steampunk says it all:

"Using a mélange of traditional English bitter sweet (Elllis Bitter, Binet Rouge, Chisel J, Dabinette, Harry Master, Major, Michelin, Madaille, Brown Snout, Sommerset Red Streak, Tremalt ) and new age dessert apples (Fuji and Braeburn), Steampunk CIDER is the geared up infusion of old world style with new world flare."

  From what I’ve tasted, combined with what I’ve seen firsthand from when people taste it, it looks like Oakes has achieved exactly what he set out to. One sip of Steampunk inspires a flurry of words akin to refreshing, crisp, complex, clean, mouthwatering and addictive. The result is a dangerous combination of deliciousness and drinkability.

As the public portion of the event began, a sizable line formed from outside the tasting room through the door past the pork sliders and in front of the winemaker pouring his cider.  Jonathan’s enthusiasm and excitement was contagious and everyone I saw was just happy to shake his hand and congratulate him and the winery’s success.

And judging from an equally long line at the cash register as I was leaving, there’s no doubt that Steampunk cider’s popularity will quickly grow among the cider, wine and beer drinkers who can get their hands on it.

I hesitate to even mention what will happen if just a small percentage of grocery stores that carry LynOaken Farms produce are allowed to sell Leonard Oakes’s ciders. Let’s just say there will be more planting of English heritage apple trees in their future.

Vineyard Visuals: Merlot Verasion at Arrowhead Spring Vineyards

Photo courtesy of Arrowhead Spring Vineyards

Brotherhood Winery 2008 Pinot Noir

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor

Established in 1839, Brotherhood Winery in Washingtonville, NY is America's oldest winery and one of the largest, best-known and widely distributed wineries in the Hudson Valley region.

The portfolio is large -- and among the most diverse in the state.

On one end they produce a Sherry-style wine flavored with Korean ginseng, a rose blended with strawberries and woodruff, and two different honey wines. On the end of the spectrum, you'll find some excellent sparkling wines and vinifera table wines that are always well-priced and often over-deliver.

Many of those vinifera wines are sourced from elsewhere in the state. The rieslings typically come from the Finger Lakes, while the Bordeaux varieties are mostly sourced from Long Island. And this Brotherhood Winery 2008 Pinot Noir ($15) was made from Niagara-grown fruit.

If you're going to buy fruit, it only makes sense to buy it from the successful places, right?

Pure and focused, this pinot offers aromas of pomegranates, cranberries and cherries with a subtle woodsy spiciness with very little overt oak or vanilla character.

The cran-cherry fruitiness carries over, though not overly intense, on the light-bodied palate, with subtle earthiness and smoke notes. On the second day open, a gentle floral quality emerges too, along with more noticeable spice.

With just a little silky tannin, this is a wine that mainly relies on fresh acidity for structure. It might be a bit too acidic for some, but I appreciate it. I like it, in fact.

Though somewhat straightforward, there is a purity here and a fresh balance that it easy to appreciate. In fact, there may be no better $15 pinot noir in New York.

Producer: Brotherhood Winery
AVA: New York (actually Niagara)
ABV: 13%  
pH: 3.43
TA: 6.1g/L
Price: $15*
 

(3 out of 5, Very good/Recommended)

(*Ratings Guide)

 

Extreme Grape Makeover: Chardonnay Edition

By Bryan Calandrelli, Niagara Region Editor

We all know it. Chardonnay has an image problem. It lost its way by rooting itself all over the world without regard for its culture, forgetting what made it so great in the first place.

It’s been taking acid left and right, tartaric acid that is, and hanging out in some dark places, mostly new oak, for way too long. It is a grape that is in desperate need of a PR boost, an image makeover and a primetime comeback appearance in front of the wine world. One wine region has taken this on with the hopes of boosting its own reputation as a producer of world-class chardonnay.

With the International Cool Climate Chardonnay Celebration (IC4), Niagara Ontario has pulled off the unimaginable and unleashed a not-so-new but considerably improved image of chardonnay – and it can only be described as cool.

Fifty six wineries from across the globe, including several from Canada, brought their chardonnays to Niagara Ontario last month for a series of lunches, tastings and celebrations in hopes of raising awareness that chardonnay produced in cooler climates retains a distinctive character that resembles what made chardonnay so great in Burgundy.

The makeover process involved a few gradual steps. First the organizers had to define “cool chardonnay.” They took the political strategist approach by defining “warm climate” chardonnay – their opponent if you will – on the event’s website as being “over-oaked and lifeless.” Ouch!

Next, IC4 organizers laid the groundwork for what regions could be considered cool-climate. Defining a region as such isn’t all that simple, but they described cool by altitude, by latitude, by marine influence and/or by climatic conditions. Most importantly, they needed to convince us, the rank and file drinkers, why we should seek out chardonnay grown in these regions. As the IC4 website states, “Chardonnay vines that are grown in cool climates and encouraged to allow a sense of place to shine through can produce a wine that is balanced, refreshing, complex and elegant.” Sold!

With cool chardonnay now redefined, there was only one thing left to do: nail that primetime appearance at the IC4 event. I was lucky enough to make it out for two events – a winemaker luncheon and tasting at Southbrook Vineyards and the Grand Tasting at Tawse Winery – and I feel like a born again chardonnay lover.

So who was cool enough to pour at the Chardonnay world tour, aka the Grand Tasting? Wineries from Ontario, Burgundy, Oregon, British Columbia, New Zealand, Austria, South Africa, Italy, Australia, Chile and New York were all represented. But for me, this is where the message can get a little muddy. Many would question how Australia, Italy or South Africa would be considered a cool climate or question what they have in common with Burgundy or Niagara.

The impression I got after speaking to a few winemakers was that it’s all relative.

Obviously Burgundy doesn’t need a PR makeover like the rest of the chardonnay-growing world, but I did find Burgundian-turned-Oregonian winemaker Gilles de Domingo of Copper Mountain Vineyards to be a good source for explaining his view of cool climate.

“The essentials of cool climate include a relatively late harvest of the chardonnay grapes in late September or even into October following a late bud break during the spring,” he says. Simply put, de Domingo believes a cool climate is one moderated enough to allow a gradual warm-up in the spring, while keeping daytime temperatures low enough during the summer to allow the grapes to hang late into the season.

There were a number of standouts wines at this tasting, including some from regions most people wouldn’t assume were cool climate. Josef Chromey Winery of Tasmania made a good showing, and Ataraxia’s 2009 Chardonnay from the lesser-known South African sub-region of Hemel-en-Aarde Valley were impressive. Pyramid Valley Vineyard from New Zealand poured chardonnays that were zesty and refreshing, and that may have even bordered on grassy, leaving the impression that the Canterbury region’s climate may have even been too cool for chardonnay.

It goes without saying that many of the Niagara Ontario chards were outstanding. The organizers and participating wineries obviously did their homework and poured the best the region has to offer.

My favorites were from Southbrook, Hidden Bench, Pearl Morisette and Tawse. Poured side-by-side with the international wineries, there’s no doubt, to me at least, that Niagara chardonnay can stand with the best of them.

What was the common thread in all these wines? Similarities became transparent in lively acidities, delicate balances, lower alcohols, and fruit profiles resembling citrus and stone fruit as opposed to melon and tropical aromas. There was an obvious lack of over-oaked wines, and not one of my notes included the words buttery or butterscotch, indicating that maloactic fermentations were closely managed.

But should New York now jump on the cool chardonnay bandwagon?

Interestingly enough, Dr. Konstantin Frank was the only New York producer at the event. We are certainly the textbook definition of cool climate and there’s no shortage of chardonnay growing across the state, so there’s nothing stopping New York from making wines like these – and educating the consumer as to why they’re special as well. I think New York can learn from Niagara’s coordinated marketing campaigns and meticulous quality control.

There may even be a few other grapes in the state that ready for an image makeover too. How about merlot on Long Island or Lemberger in the Finger Lakes? Maybe even baco noir in the Hudson Valley is ready for its closeup.

Niagara Wines (and Cider!) to Beat the Summer Heat

By Bryan Calandrelli, Niagara Region Editor

It’s still hot in New York this week -- really hot. We’ll hit 90º in Niagara and luckily for those of us who turn to local alcoholic beverages for relief, there are a few options that stand out among the rest

Eveningside Vineyards 2010 Reserve Chardonnay
Oaked chardonnay, you ask? Why yes, this delicately oaked Niagara chardonnay didn’t undergo maloactic fermentation and has pretty much been my go-to wine this summer. Among the aromas of orange peel and nectarine, hints of pineapple combine with subtle coconut and vanilla notes to resemble a well-made piña colada. Want butter in your chardonnay? You aren’t going to find it here.

Freedom Run Winery 2010 Vin Gris
Freedom Run swung for the fences with this saingée style rosé made from cabernet franc and merlot. Without even a hint of green, this rosé is over the top, with fruit-forward aromas of ripe strawberries and candied cherries. With ripeness levels as high as they were in 2010, this rosé has got some weight and carries it gracefully. The only problem with this wine is that only 37 cases were produced, and there are only a few left.

Schulze Vineyards 2010 Semi-Dry Vidal
To any acid-loving wine snob this wine would already have two strikes against it because of its name. With vidal considered a hybrid and the term “semi-dry” being translated as “white wine with training wheels,” I’d probably prefer to pour this blind for my geekier wine friends. Intense grapefruit, apricot and melon aromas explode out of the glass while its racy acidity and stony minerality leave you wondering why more people can’t make vidal sing like this.

Arrowhead Spring Pinot Noir 2009
That bottle of white not doing it for you? Well if you must open a red during this season’s latest display of global warming, then let it be pinot noir and specifically this Niagara Escarpment-grown specimen. With fruit from the vineyard of soon to be Long Cliff Winery, owner and winemaker Duncan Ross has crafted a fruit-forward pinot that is true to the region while keeping it at a wallet-friendly $17. Aromas of raspberry, cranberry and spice team up with soft tannins and a light body to make for an easy drinking red with which to watch the long summer sunset.

Leonard Oakes Steampunk Cider
What does a winery do when its roots are in apple farming and its young winemaker is as versatile as good sparkling wine? That’s right, make a kick-ass sparkling cider made from at least 12 different apple varieties grown on their farm. The first bottle I sampled of this cider didn’t last more than 15 minutes. It’s that good. What does it taste like? Apples! It’s simply one of the most refreshing alcoholic beverages I’ve ever had and it’s got attitude.

Empire State Cellars, a New York Wine Superstore, to Open in Riverhead

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor

The Long Island Wine Council estimates that 1.2 million people visited Long Island wine country last year. The Finger Lakes Wine Country promotion group estimates that 750,000 visited wineries in that region. And according to the New York Wine and Grape Foundation website, there were nearly 5 million total visitors to New York wine country in 2008.

That's a lot of people tasting -- and hopefully buying -- a lot of New York wine.

Empire State Cellars has the potential to dwarf that exposure when it opens later this summer at the Tanger Outlet Center in Riverhead.

"Incredibly, the Tanger Riverhead Outlet mall sees five million cars (per year). That’s about fourteen million shoppers a year -- from Long Island, Manhattan and beyond -- with a startlingly high demographic and propensity to make purchases," said Jim Silver, general manager of Peconic Bay Winery, which will open the store as the second of it s five permissible tasting rooms under its Farm Winery license.

Satellite tasting rooms are nothing new, of course. They are increasingly common in the Finger Lakes and Pindar Vineyards on the North Fork has a second tasting room in the village of Port Jefferson to take advantage of the tourist traffic there.

This is much more than just a satellite tasting room, however.

New York Wine, Cider and Spirits Superstore

Under New York SLA rules, Peconic Bay Winery can sell not only its own wines at Empire State Cellars, but cider, spirits and other wines from any winery as well -- as long as it is New York AVA products produced in New York State. Empire State Wines will sell all of the above. "We would also like to include New York cheeses and food crafts as well, but we might not have that at first," Silver added.

"We intend to represent the very best the state has to offer, as well as great values -- since this is an outlet store -- at competitive prices," he said. The store will stock wines from every corner of New York wine country -- Lake Erie, Thousand Islands, Adirondacks, Hudson Valley, Niagara, Finger Lakes and Long Island.

"We will try to represent any New York producer that wants to be in the store," Silver said of the planned selection. The store will also stock multi-vintage verticals of select wines as well as older wines, when available.

Any winery represented in the shop will also have the opportunity to pour at scheduled daily in-store tastings. "If a Finger Lakes winemaker is visiting the area, we may schedule them for the day, and maybe the next day have someone from the Hudson Valley pouring his baco noirs and the next day maybe a Long Island winery will pour new releases," Silver said.  

It's About Timing

The concept for Empire State Cellars isn't a new one, of course. There are and have been wine shops that focus on New York wines or feature large New York selections -- most famously the now-closed Vintage NY stores in Manhattan and New Paltz.

When I asked Silver where he thinks his concept will succeed where others haven't he said it's largely about timing. "There’s a growing interest in New York wines that is unprecedented so I think the time is right for this type of store. There’s no Jack Daniels, no Smirnoff, and no Cavit Pinot Grigio in this store. We have to exist on people’s growing interest in the local wine and the local economy too. It’s not going to be easy I’m sure, but with the support of the industry behind us we should all do well."

The new shop will be run and managed independently of the winery by Polly Brown (picture right with Silver and assistant manager Evan Ducz), the shops operations director. "She has a great depth and diversity of experience in the wine, spirits and food industries -- most of it in Napa. Polly is charged with handling the selection and the marketing of all of the wines, and is strictly independent," Silver said.

Local Reviews Too

The "local" angle of the shop isn't just about the products it will sell -- it extends to how they sell them as well. According to Silver, Empire State Cellars will feature “home-grown” shelf-talking reviews and descriptions of wines and spirits as well. "The reviews and write ups from the New York Cork Report, the New York Times and Wine Spectator magazine -- which is a New York company -- will be the predominant reviews on the shelf."

What This Could Mean for New York Wine and its Fans

It's only one shop, however, but I think the impact could be large. Empire State Cellars has the opportunity to do something that I don't think has been done before -- bring the quality message, the quantity message, the value message and the diversity message all together in one well-curated store -- and present it to millions of people. 

That New York produces wine, cider and spirits isn't news these days. But when people have the opportunity to experience all the best, all in one room -- and that is the goal here it seems -- it can completely change the way the state's artisan beverages are perceived. Plus, this isn't just a marketing vehicle or a one-time even or yearly festival. It’s like a farmer’s market devoted just to wine -- that is open every day. I think it can, and will, sell a lot of wine.

And if you are on Long Island and interested in local wines -- there may be no better place to explore and learn. Brown hopes to work with all of the state's top producers -- even those without distributors. That means that Empire State will likely be the only place on Long Island to get many of these products. As a "local" geek, I'm really looking forward to that.

Silver and Brown hope to open the shop on August 1 (but with all the licensing involved, there isn't a firm date yet). For those familiar with the Riverhead Tanger Outlets, the store will be located next to the food court and will essentially share a parking lot with the Ralph Lauren outlet store.

Calling all New York Wineries

Silver wants to hear from any and all wineries, cider makers and distillers interested in selling their products in the store:

"We’re interested in knowing what the wineries would like us to carry – to get the conversation started. Once we’ve heard from you we’ll get back to you with our thoughts, terms and policies and let you know when we will start taking samples. We also need to figure out a mechanism to consolidate product in the various regions so we can pick up wine and bring it down here. Of course the Long Island wineries will be able to bring us their stuff regularly, but we’d like to have pick up points in the Finger Lakes and other regions so our truck can bring them down to the store. Since these sales will be bond-to-bond we cannot take deliveries from distributors. All sales will be direct. I can tell you I’m personally looking forward to getting my hands on some Roanoke, Anthony Road, Weimer, Paumanok, Shinn, Lucas, Channing, Ravines, Sheldrake, Hearts and Hands, McKenzie Rye, wow, the list really goes on and on!"

Contact Jim at: [email protected]

What Wines Would YOU Recommend

We know that our NYCR readership is extremely passionate and knowledgeable about New York wines, so let's let Silver, Brown and the Empire State Wines team know the producers that we'd recommend. I'm already planning a long email of my own recommendations.

What Niagara USA Needs to Reach Its Potential

By Bryan Calandrelli, Niagara Region Editor

I’ve been able to experience firsthand the rapid expansion and improvement in quality in the last four years in the Niagara region. There is plenty to be optimistic about. Just four short years ago, the region was home to seven wineries of varying styles and quality -- and they had just formed what we know today as the Niagara Wine Trail.

By the end of this summer, the trail will have more than doubled in size to 15 thanks to wineries like Long Cliff and Gust of Sun, which are slated to open their doors before the end of the growing season.

The relative affordability of buying land here, combined with the fact that there’s plenty of great vineyard land still available, has no doubt contributed to this rapid growth.

After last month’s TasteCamp, the obvious lack of big investment couldn’t have been more apparent during Sunday’s time in the U.S. side of Niagara wine country. While this is something the region can’t change overnight, it is certainly not an issue unique to Niagara – and not the only thing holding itback.

So after four years of seeing some things change and many things stay the same, I thought it would be interesting to list what I believe to be the not-so-obvious obstacles this young region faces.

Winemaking Experience

There have been quite a few memorable wines made here and it’s amazing in a positive way to think that only a small portion of them were made by a winemaker with formal training in winemaking. While I’m of the belief that great grapes make great wine, consumers expect quality in every bottle of every vintage – something that is undoubtedly easier with experience and a familiarity with the local conditions terroir.

Now this obviously goes back to the “money thing” but I think it also has to do with the priorities the winery.

Eveningside Vineyards is a great example of a winery with micro-production and a modest budget that finds the resources to pay consulting winemaker Angelo Pavan of Cave Spring Cellars in Ontario. His experienced hand shows in the quality and consistency I’ve tasted in their wines from day one.

I want to make myself clear though, I don't believe formal training or a degree is a must to make great wine. On the job experience and apprenticing goes a long way in this industry.

Marketing Niagara

Let’s pretend for a second there isn’t a native grape called “Niagara” that everyone associates with grape-y, foxy and often off-putting aromas. The word would then be open for sexier associations, like ice wine, chardonnay, pinot noir or cabernet franc. I know it’s not that easy, but the preconceived notion that all of our wine is foxy, grape-y or sweet is a hurdle that the region needs to overcome.

I am well aware that the native grape stigma is not exclusive to the Niagara region. The Finger Lakes has always had these native wines but that region is now a shining example of how to cultivate the grapes that do best, in their case riesling, and market themselves as the premier destination for that grape in the country.

Buses and Limos

It wouldn’t benefit any business owner to complain about the sheer number of visitors that come through their doors, especially in such a young region. But when a certain contingent of customers, and I use that term liberally, simply see your business as a stop on a day-long winery crawl, I think there needs to be careful consideration as to who your real “customers” are.

I’ve come to believe that it’s not the wine you’re wasting when you are pouring for people who don’t care enough to know what’s in their glass. It’s the winery employee’s time that may be the real waste. The personal interaction between pourer and taster cannot be underestimated, especially when the wines benefit from the background of vintage variation, winemaking techniques or any information that lends itself to a customer’s appreciation of the experience.

Too often I’ve seen tasting rooms get instantly inundated with groups of 20, 30 and even 40 – the majority who have been drinking in their buses, are indifferent to what wines they’re trying and are all around disruptive to smaller groups and couples looking to taste in a relaxing atmosphere. I’ve seen wineries increase their tasting fees just to ensure they aren’t losing money on these groups, but that in my opinion negatively affects sales, especially to those who generally buy at least one wine at each winery because they feel obligated.

Hospitality

Like in Field of Dreams, the idea of “If you build it, they will come” is one you can apply to wineries. In Niagara USA, the wineries have been built and the vineyards have been planted, but where do they stay and where do they eat?

Of course, there are plenty of awesome accommodations in Western New York, but not so much in the middle of the wine growing region. At the same time, the trail is now big enough to consider taking two days to explore. While the towns of Lewiston, Youngstown and the cities of Niagara Falls and Buffalo are all close enough to be made home base, there just aren’t enough B&Bs and restaurants in the heart of the trail.

Sure, there are a handful of restaurants and cottages on the lakeshore, but they haven’t made much of an effort to stock local wines or do things to position themselves to benefit from the influx of tourists.

I also feel it’s up to the wineries to make their farm a destination in and of itself, with special tasting events and promotions, live music, art exhibitions and picnics. But it seems like they’re just struggling to keep up with aforementioned buses and limos. That’s preventing them from dedicating staff to anything other than mass tastings.

None of these obstacles are insurmountable, especially in the long term. But producers here need to look to their neighbors to the north and south to come up with some solutions. Niagara is by no means isolated. It sits between two of the largest growing regions on the east coast. Hopefully the knowledge accumulated by those around us will help us evolve, and not just in growing and winemaking, but in marketing, operating and in our ability to take care of our visitors.

TasteCamp North 2011: On Acidity, Perception and Other Observations

A reminder at Tawse Winery

One of the first wines I tasted when I arrived in Niagara-on-the-Lake for TasteCamp 2011 was a riesling. Its crushing acidity very nearly made ceviche out of my tongue.

Now before I start to sound like a certain wine critic, I should point out that I cut my wine teeth on Finger Lakes riesling. I like acidity, but I like balance better.

An Acid Balancing Act

Back to Niagara, where titratable acidity (TA) in rieslings regularly reaches double digits on the grams per liter scale (for Canadians, that's grams per litre). I made it a point to ask the residual sugar on almost every riesling I tried. The best rieslings that I had at TasteCamp were above 1.5% RS. (NB: At the risk of overgeneralizing, pH and total acidity -- total positive ions in addition to the protons measured by titratable acidity, e.g., potassium and calcium ions - can also affect the perception of acidity.)

As we ponder why this might be, let's look at the NYCR Wines of the Year competition for the past two years. 

In the Finger Lakes category, the 2010 white wine of the year (and in turn, New York State wine of the year with a unanimous vote) was the 2008 Billsboro Riesling (10.8 g/L TA, 2.5% RS). In 2011, the Finger Lakes riesling of the year was Damiani 2010 Riesling, with a whopping 12 g/L TA and 4% RS. We've previously addressed reasons why sweeter rieslings might do better in large tastings, particularly in the absence of food.

It could be that among many other wines, drier rieslings can't compete due to simple palate fatigue. This is probably part of the overall picture. Also, I'm sure that some of the more zingy offerings in would have benefited from a complementary food pairing. However, it could also be that in high-acid vintages, you just need some sugar to balance things out. It's not a bad thing. In fact, careful attention to a wine's acid-sugar (and generally, acid-alcohol-tannin-sugar) balance demonstrates responsible and thoughtful winemaking. 

For example, Hermann J. Wiemer rieslings almost never go below 0.7% RS, even for "dry" offerings.

Everybody has his or her own palate and definition of balance. Some of the rieslings that might put me off are what I call "Evan Dawson" rieslings, after Evan's professed liking for dry rieslings with electric acidity.  These tend to go splendidly with food, as evidenced at last year's TasteCamp by the heavenly pairing of an early morning sip of Ravines Argetsinger Vineyard Riesling (0.3% RS) with a frittata from Lisa Hallgren's kitchen.

But in my case, for sipping alone, Mary Poppins' spoonful of sugar does indeed help the medicine go down.  Craving some sugar doesn't make me a bad person. It means that I like to see the elements of a wine in harmony.

"There is no botrytis in Niagara"

This mantra has echoes of Fox Run winemaker Peter Bell's declaration at TasteCamp 2010 that "There is no Brett in the Finger Lakes." 

Like Bell's assertion, I'm sure this was more of a general stylistic comment than a Jedi mind trick, but many of the winery representatives I talked to mentioned that it's actually quite difficult to get botrytis in Niagara.  Indeed, much of the riesling is quite clean, except where botrytis has been sought out on purpose. Foggy patches of vineyard blocks can accumulate botrytis and in some cases these grapes are used to make spicy, botrytis-laced wines.

An excellent example of this practice was Vineland Riesling 2010 Reserve, which we tasted out of tank. This auslese-style wine will be held back for five years before release, but right now it is singing with spicy botrytis and artfully balanced sweetness (6% RS, 10 g/L TA).

Miscellaneous thoughts

In putting TasteCamp North on my itinerary squarely between my PhD defense and my wedding/honeymoon, I am a bit late to the posting party. Many of the points I wanted to tackle have already been covered by other astute NYCR writers. 

However, this delay does give me an opportunity to respond to some of the points made while adding a few of my own:

• Evan, Julia, and Bryan all mentioned the organic/biodynamic producers. Evan praises Tawse winemaker Paul Pender's "utterly refreshing lack of militancy" about biodynamics while still mentioning the dynamizer (pictured right) and cow horn preps. This analysis is spot on, as usual. I, too, noticed Pender's appeal to the more scientific and practical aspects of biodynamics. On the surface, you'd think that the spiritual aspect of biodynamics was completely absent at Tawse.  However, spirituality and biodynamics go hand in hand, and it's misleading to say otherwise. 

• I agree that chardonnay was very well-done for the most part. I'm not as averse to oak as some people, but I do crave acidity, which Niagara Chardonnay has in spades to give even the biggest oak monster a refreshing finish.

• There are lots of producers bottling entirely on screwcap. Coyote Run's winemaker David Sheppard said "I have no tolerance for cork taint."  I suppose switching over and/or buying new bottling lines is easier in a place with as much capital as Niagara seems to have.

• Experiments with wild ferments abounded, but none were as successfully demonstrated as the wild fermentation pinot we tasted at Freedom Run.

• Lakeview Cellars poured a limey Kerner and banana-tangerine Auxerrois, but both grapes are somewhat rare in Niagara.

Overall, my experience at TasteCamp North was very rewarding and gave me the chance to taste an up-and-coming region. The progress that this very young region has made in its short existence is astounding and it's clear that passionate wine industry (and financiers) are making that happen.

TasteCamp North 2011: A Photo Diary

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor

With TasteCamp North 2011 attendees, including most of the NYCR team,  back home and pondering the stories that we'd all like to write -- and they are numerous -- I wanted to share some of the pictures I took over the course of the weekend.

We tasted some outstanding local wines, enjoyed meals prepared by farm-to-table chefs and met some incredibly passionate and talented people in the wine industries on both sides of the border. Over the next few weeks, you can expect some great stories from the event right here on the site.

In the meantime, here's a bit of a photo diary of TasteCamp 2011.

Vineyard at Chateau des Charmes -- in the St. David's Bench appellation.

 

The group listening to Paul Pender, winemaker at Tawse Winery. Tawse is one of the region's organic and biodynamic producers.

 

The vineyard at Tawse Winery has the most densely grown clover cover crop I've ever seen under the vines -- by design.

 

Dinner the first night was at Ravine Vineyard -- and included some delicious wood oven-roasted suckling pig (and crispy pig skin that I've been dreaming about ever since.)

 

Vineland Estates winemaker Brian Schmidt likes to hold back his riesling to show how it ages. And, he was generous enough to open up a bottle of 1989 Semi-Dry for us -- and it was deliciously alive.

 

It was great to hear some history of the St. Urban vineyard at Vineland Estates.

 

The now-famous BYO dinner at TasteCamp was held at Treadwells -- a terrific farm-to-table restaurant. Rumor has it that more than 70 bottles of wine were opened from all corners of the globe.

 

On our final day of TasteCamp, we crossed back into the United States. This is a picture of Arrowhead Spring Vineyards.

A handful of Niagara USA wineries poured for the group before brunch at Carmelo's in Lewiston, NY. Here, the well-hatted Jonathan Oakes from Leonard Oakes Estate Winery speaks with our Finger Lakes editor, Evan Dawson.

 

 

What We Drank (May 4, 2011)

This is a (small) sampling of what our editors were drinking last week...

Lenn Thompson: Bedell Cellars 2002 Merlot

This mature local merlot -- from a surprisingly under-hyped vintage -- showed very well at my birthday dinner last Friday at Fifth Season in Port Jefferson (a restaurant that use to be in local wine country but moved to the tourist town a few years ago).

There was still nice fruit intensity, but the mushroomy, dusty chocolate and faintly herbal secondary characters -- and enough structure to maybe age another few years -- were the real stars with my waygu burger with bacon and cheddar.

Even if only one of my dining companions drank it with me, it was a great way to celebrate... especially because of Fifth Season's BYO policy -- if it's a local wine, the corkage fee is waived.

I actually just heard about this policy recently and I'm glad I did. We'll be back, with more local wine in tow.

As for the wine itself, they are actually selling it right now in the Bedell tasting room as a library selection.

 

Julia Burke: Arrowhead Spring Vineyards 2009 Chardonnay

This weekend I celebrated the end of my alcohol detox with a day of winery visits in Niagara.

Though I enjoyed several great local wines (and meads), the highlight was Arrowhead Spring's new 2009 chardonnay. For a winemaker who seems to be the "chard whisperer" to declare this one, from a supposedly tough vintage, the best he's ever made is no joke, and I had to agree as I sipped this luscious wine.

The nose is quite restrained with barely a whisper of oak; instead, it's fierce citrus with just a hint of creaminess on the background, like a meringue cake topped with orange and lemon zest.

But on the palate, the velvety-smoothness kicks in full throttle for a gorgeous combination of clean fruit, whipped butter, and razor-sharp acid. First as an aperitif, then with vineyard manager Robin Ross's apple crisp for dessert, this was a tremendous wine and a great reminder of winemaker Duncan Ross's affinity for the variety.