November 16, 2013

             Super ciders, rave reviews, Rouge Tomate, 10 seconds of fame x 1,080, New York wines and beers at LaGuardia airport, and much more happening in New York wine country.

             Cheers!          

             Jim Trezise

                This Wednesday's New York Times Dining section included a wonderful article by Eric Asimov on the reemergence of cider in the United States, with three products from New York receiving rave reviews from the four-person panel.

                 Steampunk Cider from Leonard Oakes Winery, one of my very favorite beverages of any kind, was #2 out of 10 and cited as the Best Value at $11 a bottle. Wolffer Estate Dry Rose Cider No. 139, from Long Island, ranked 6th overall, followed in 8th place by Eve's Cidery Autumn Gold from Van Etten in the southern tier.

                 Titled "An American Favorite Rebounds", the article traces the history of cider production in the United States (including the dark era of Prohibition), describes the raw naterials and production techniques, and celebrates the renaissance of cider now taking place throughout America, including New York.

                  I first discovered Steampunk a couple years ago when our New York Drinks New York program brought New York City wine writers, sommeliers, and wine store managers to the Finger Lakes for a multi-day tour.  The first event was a tasting at the New York Wine & Culinary Center which featured many fine wines, but the clear hit of the evening was the Steampunk hard cider--which very quickly made its way into New York City restaurants and stores.

                   Leonard Oakes Winery is located on a very large and multi-generational apple farm in Orleans County west of Rochester, which has diversified into grape wines as well.  Steampunk, by the way, is a great Thanksgiving Day beverage.

             The December 15 edition of Wine Spectator, which celebrates Champagne (and why not?), also includes some nice scores for Finger Lakes Rieslings.  At 91 points each are Heart & Hands 2012 Finger Lakes Riesling, Hobbit Hollow Vineyard, and Keuka Lake Vineyards 2012 Finger Lakes Dry Riesling, Falling Man Vineyard.  Coming in with 90 each are Heart & Hands 2012 Finger Lakes Riesling, Patrician Verona Vineyard, and Keuka Lake Vineyards 2012 Finger Lakes Dry Riesling Eastside.

              Meanwhile, the publisher and editor of Wine & Spirits magazine, Joshua Greene, revealed a true love of Finger Lakes Rieslings in a recent Q&A interview with Serious Eats blog.  Excerpts:

What are you drinking these days when you're not at work?  Most of what I buy for drinking at home or with friends is Finger Lakes Riesling.

What regions around the world do you feel are offering particularly great value in wine these days?  For my taste, the Old World offers better values in general than the New, where you often have to pay a fair price to get a top wine.  But that doesn't mean you can't find great values in Finger Lakes Riesling...

What are a few of your favorite wine lists/restaurants to drink wine in NYC?  I can always find something I want to drink on Thomas Pastuszak's list at The NoMad, with some real deals in the midst of some very expensive bottles.  He shares my love of the Finger Lakes and has one of the best selections in the city.

               This reflects not just Josh's personal taste, but the fact that the highly respected Wine & Spirits was the first major publication to discover and recognize the superb quality and value of Finger Lakes Rieslings, while the others are still catching up.

                 This week I had the great pleasure of having lunch with a longtime friend and wine writer at Rouge Tomate, a unique restaurant on East 60th St. in Manhattan.  The "Business Lunch" prix fixe menu of three courses, with two options in each course, was not only reasonably priced but absolutely superb, as was the service from start to finish.

                  But the real pleasure was the bubbly enthusiasm of wine director Pascaline Lepeltier, who spent plenty of time with us and recommended three wines perfect for our meal: a sparkling wine from Shinn Estate on Long Island, a Finger Lakes Syrah from Element winery, and a Medium Dry Riesling from Left Foot Charlie in Michigan (a state which also produces exceptional Rieslings).  She also has Bloomer Creek Riesling on her list and often recommends it to diners, but thought, correctly, that we might wish to try something entirely new.

                   The wine list is not massive, but it is masterful as a mosaic of fine wines from around the world, including New York.  Her wine list is precisely what we want--not that New York wines are dominant, just included among great wines from other regions of the world.  Slowly, but surely, we're getting there.   www.rougetomatenyc.com