Long Island Rave Reviews

           The Long Island wine industry got some great coverage recently in the Wall Street Journal, with a series of articles by columnist Lettie Teague which highlighted the accomplishments of this relatively young wine region in a very short time.  

              Paumanok Vineyards 2010 Sauvignon Blanc and 2010 Chenin Blanc, Lenz 2007 Gewurztraminer, Channing Daughters 2009 Blaufrankisch, Wolffer Estate 2010 Grandioso Rose and Anomaly 2010 Pinot Noir Blanc, and Jamesport 2010 Sauvignon Blanc were wines cited as prime examples of superb quality in the region.  She also had a brief interview with Shinn Estate winemaker Anthony Nappa, and a recommendation for a new restaurant with an all-local wine list--A Lure--created by the great chef and author Tom Schaudel, who also owns Cool Fish and A Mano, and is always a major attraction at our annual New York Farm Day celebration in Washington, DC.

               Separately, Howard G. Goldberg's regular "Long Island Vines" column in the New York Times featured an array of rose wines including Bedell Cellars Taste Rose, Clovis Point 2010 Rose, Roanake Vineyards 2010 De Rosa Rose, Shinn Estate Vineyards 2010 Rose, and Wolffer Estate 2007 Noblesse Oblige and 2010 Grandioso along with its 2010 Rose, a wine with a strong following and production now exceeding 9,000 cases annually.

               Wolffer wines also received praise from John Foy of the Neward Star-Ledger, and wine blogger Joe Roberts reported on a 20-year vertical tasting of Peconic Bay Merlot.

              Finally, the Long Island Merlot Alliance (LIMA) has announced that Food & Wine magazine will be the presenting sponsor at this year's Harvest East End, a fabulous celebration and auction benefiting local charities that will take place in September. For more information, visit www.harvesteastend.com

               There's lots going on on the Island--all of it worth a visit or two. 

Finger Lakes Wines Score High

          "Year's Best Finger Lakes" is a feature in the current (August) edition of Wine & Spirits magazine, with 25 wines, mostly Rieslings, rated exceptional (90+) and 10 as Best Buys.  The ratings were based on tastings of 97 wines by Patrick Comiskey.

          Chateau Frank 2006 Blanc de Blancs (90) was the sole sparkling wine, joined by many Rieslings: Hermann J. Wiemer 2009 Finger Lakes Reserve Dry Riesling (94), 2009 Finger Lakes Dry Magdalena Vineyards Riesling (93), 2009 Finger Lakes Dry HJW Vineyard Riesling (92), and 2009 Finger Lakes Dry Riesling (92); Red Newt 2009 Finger Lakes Circle Label Riesling (93, and Best Buy), 2009 Finger Lakes Davis Farms Vineyards Riesling (93), 2009 Finger Lakes Semi-Dry Riesling (92, and Best Buy), and 2009 Finger Lakes Sawmill Creek Vineyard Riesling (91); Lamoreaux Landing 2009 Finger Lakes Dry Riesling (92, and Best Buy), 2009 Finger Lakes Red Oak Vineyard Riesling (92), 2009 Finger Lakes Round Rock Vineyard Riesling (92), 2009 Finger Lakes Reserve Riesling (91), and 2009 Finger Lakes Red Oak Vineyard Riesling (90); Sheldrake point 2009 Finger Lakes Dry Riesling (92, and Best Buy), 2009 Finger Lakes Riesling (92, and Best Buy); Tierce 2008 Finger Lakes Dry Riesling (92); Anthony Road 2009 Finger Lakes Semi-Dry Riesling (91, and Best Buy); Heart & Hands 2009 Finger Lakes Reserve Riesling (91); Fox Run 2009 Finger Lakes Riesling (90, and Best Buy).

            The exceptional red wines were Lamoreaux Landing 2007 Finger Lakes 76 West (92), Red Newt 2008 Finger Lakes Glacier Ridge Vineyards Cabernet Franc (90), and Heart & Hands 2008 Finger Lakes Pinot Noir (90, and Best Buy). 

           The exceptional dessert wine is Hermann J. Wiemer 2009 Finger Lakes Late Harvest Riesling (94).

            Separately, under American New Releases, Heron Hill 2009 New York Semi-Dry Riesling (92, and Best Buy) and 2009 New York Riesling (91, and Best Buy) drew praise. 

            In the most recent wine competition, Amenti del Vino, Lakewood Vineyards 2009 Vignoles and Keuka Spring Vineyards 2009 Chardonnay won Gold medals.   Next up, next weekend, is the Long Beach Grand Cru competition run by Dan Berger and Ludmilla Montoya, with proceeds benefiting the Legal Aid Society of Los Angeles.  New York wines traditionally win many Golds and top awards in this competition.

Brew & Brats Opens near Naples 

             Arbor Hill Grapery has long been on the cutting edge of taste experiments related to grapes--wine, of course, but also grape juice, Concord grape pie filling, vinifera-based grape jellies (like Gewurztraminer), award-winning gourmet sauces, and much else.  Total product line: 21 different wines, and 47 gourmet food products, some of which have won top awards at the prestigious Fancy Food Show.  It's all the vision of John and Katie Brahm, making the "Grapery" a popular destination and their products common in other wineries' tasting rooms.

               Now they're branching out even further with a "Brew & Brats" (for Bratwurst) restaurant offering crafted beers and featuring a specialty sausage made with Arbor Hill Sherried Wine BBQ Sauce.  Rounding out the sausage selection are several others made by Canandaigua-based Hartmann's Sausage, whose products are also top-rate.  Brats are all just $5.50 , beers at $4 per 12-oz. glass, and wines between $3 and $5 per glass.

               Arbor Hill Grapery is located in Bristol Springs just north of the charming village of Naples, and Brew & Brats is in a historic carriage house behind the retail shop.  Visit www.BrewandBrats.com.  It's another option for affordable fun dining  in the Finger Lakes.

Breaking the Label Approval Logjam 

             United States Senator Charles (Chuck) Schumer was at Anthony Road Winery yesterday afternoon to announce his effort to help alleviate a significant slowdown in federal approval of wine labels by the Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB).

             Wineries may not legally sell their products without a formally approved label, so significant delays can have major effects on production schedules, especially bottling, which in turn has a negative domino effect on marketing, distribution and sales.  Historically, TTB has been a model regulatory agency in terms of responsiveness to license applications and label approvals, even instituting an electronic system for COLA's (certificate of label approval).  WineAmerica, the national organization of American wineries, has also provided a service for its members to help expedite label approval.

              But with significant personnel cutbacks at TTB, combined with continuing growth in the American wine industry, the pace for label approval has slowed considerably, affecting wineries nationwide.  Our recent poll of New York wineries confirmed the scope and impact of the problem, and Senator Schumer was eager to help, as always.

              He wrote a letter to TTB Administrator John Manfreda outlining the problem and requesting that TTB review current practices leading to this situation, and then take corrective actions to alleviate the slowdown in approvals.  He also mentioned, correctly, that doing so will benefit the federal treasury by speeding the excise taxes wineries pay. 

              We don't yet know what will happen, or when.  But we do know that it's great to have prominent public officials doing what they can to help.

Free Run...

               Magnus Ridge Winery on the west side of Seneca Lake officially opened on July 4th weekend, becoming New York's newest, though there are several waiting in the wings (mostly awaiting licenses from the State Liquor Authority).

               Red Newt Bistro, on the opposite side of the lake, unveiled its July menu the day after the huge memorial service for chef/owner Deb Whiting.  When the tragic car accident occurred, Red Newt was in the midst of "flipping the menu" to seasonal ingredients, and this unveiling was a comforting reminder that life goes on even after tragedy.  Topping the Chef's Menu (a five-course feast): Housemade spinach ravioli filled with blueberries, ricotta, parmesan, basil and garlic in a creamy roasted garlic sauce, topped with chiffonade basil and parmesan.  Mmmmm...how can we resist?  For the full menu, go to www.rednewt.com.

               Finger Lakes Wine Festival is next weekend in Watkins Glen, the annual three-day extravaganza of wine, food, and entertainment at the Watkins Glen International Racetrack.  www.flwinefest.com.

               Summer of Riesling celebration sponsored by the International Riesling Foundation now has well over 200 top restaurants throughout the country featuring at least three Rieslings by the glass (most push many more) for the 94 days from June 21 to September 22.  For a listing, visit www.summerofriesling.com. 

               VineTalk, the 13-segment public television series featuring celebrities making wine approachable and fun, has been picked up by more than 250 stations that cover 90% of the United States.  This is a new record for a new lifestyle show, and in many markets it airs in primetime.  In addition, on July 23 the Create Channel (carried nationwide) will have a day-long marathon.  The second segment of the series features Finger Lakes Rieslings. www.vinetalk.com.

         "Beer is made by men, wine by God."

                                                        --Martin Luther