News & Notes

- A big Thank You to fellow New York wine blogger Lenn at LennDevours for helping me to access the Wine Advocate issue of June 30 that profiled New York wineries. In that issue, David Schildknecht profiled and rated wines from 11 Finger Lakes wineries: Anthony Road, Atwater, Dr. Frank, Heron Hill, Chateau Lafayette Reneau, Lamoreaux Landing, Shalestone, Sheldrake Point, Silver Thread, Standing Stone, & Hermann Wiemer. The wines he chose to put in this issue were what he felt were "wines of special distinction". Here are the wines and his ratings:
(80-89 is Above Average to Very Good & 90-95 is Outstanding)

Anthony Road- 2005 Pinot Gris (87-89), 2005 Pinot Noir (87-89), 2005 Riesling Semi-Dry (86)
Atwater Estate- 2005 Vidal Blanc (88)
Dr. Frank- 2005 Dry Riesling (90), 2005 Riesling Reserve (89+)
Heron Hill- 2002 Riesling Reserve (86), 2005 Riesling Reserve (86-88), 2003 Ingle Riesling (86), 2004 Ingle Riesling ( 87), 2005 Ingle Riesling (87-89), 2004 Late Harvest Riesling (90), 2003 Riesling Ice Wine (89)
Chateau Lafayette Reneau- 2005 dry Riesling (86)
Lamoreaux Landing- 2005 Gewurztraminer (88), 2002 Cabernet Franc (89), 2002 Cabernet Franc T23 (89)
Shalestone- 2003 Cabernet Franc (88)
Sheldrake Point- 2004 Riesling Ice Wine (90)
Silver Thread- 2002 Blackbird (87), 2002 Pinot Noir (86), 2002 Riesling (88)
Standing Stone- 2005 Riesling (88), 2004 Vidal Ice (87)
Hermann Wiemer- 2003 Blanc De Noirs (86+), 2003 Dry Gewurztraminer (89), 2005 Dry Gewurztraminer (87-89)
And in his comments, he also mentioned "....several others whose 2005 reds looked to set new standards include...Fox Run and Red Newt.

-Sheila Livadas features Wagner Vineyards in her latest profile

- A wine blogger from Virginia gives his thoughts on his recent trip to the Finger Lakes. I will post more about him soon.

- Wineries help contribute 2 billion dollars to Finger Lakes tourism

- The Finger Lakes GrassRoots Festival features a unique combination of artists July 20-23

- The grape crop is looking good and has potential to be great!

- Have you heard of Noiret, Corot Noir, & Valvin Muscat... 3 new grapes created at Cornell University. More info here and here.

- If you are visiting the Finger Lakes, the boat tours are a great way to have fun and learn about the lakes

- Grape farmers give wish list to Schumer

- And I just have to give another shout out to Pennsylvania winery Clover Hill
and their amazing Vignoles (as I finish another glass of it)- Pineapple, Honey, Candied Lemon Drops, and Raisins in layer after layer of intense flavor.

- And I want to thank all of you who have given me support and encouragement over the past few months as I was laid off and looking for new employment! I am glad to report that I am employed again and it looks to be a fantastic opportunity for me. Thanks Again!!! I have met so many good people through this blog and I am so blessed to know you all.