Thursday, March 27, 2008

Reminder of how precious life is

This has nothing to do with wine, but I thought this young man's story was well worth posting. Sometimes, when I'm searching for something specific on the internet, I will be taken to a totally unexpected place. And often, these unexpected voyages will lead to very profound reminders of how precious life is. Such was the case tonight. As I was searching for a grape research paper done by a Cornell professor, I was led to the sad but also uplifting story of Scott Williamson, a 32-year old assistant professor at Cornell University who lost his battle with brain cancer. I never met or knew Scott, but I wish I had. His story is here and here. I raise my glass to Scott, who left us way too early.

Saturday, March 22, 2008

Finger Lakes News & Notes - March 23, 2008

- Myself and Mr. Tom, the Finger Lakes Weekend Winos Acoustic Duo, will be performing at Arcadian Estate Winery this coming Sunday, March 30th from Noon to 3pm, for the "Cruisin the Tropics" event. Come on out and get tropical with us!

- Morgen McLaughlin discusses the marketing of Finger Lakes wine

- Jason Feulner, Finger Lakes correspondent at Lenndevours blog, writes an excellent article on Ravines Wine Cellars in the current issue of Life In The Finger Lakes magazine.

- Penguin Bay and Chateau Lafayette Reneau rose' methods discussed

- Fulkerson Winery to exhibit wooden maps of the Finger Lakes

- Sandra Silfven gives her tasting notes on Finger Lakes reds from the Finger Lakes Wine Alliance Vintners Roundtable tasting, Rick Lyke gives his notes here, and Carlo Devito here. All of the writers on this tasting were very impressed with these Reds. Of course, I've been telling you for several years now that the Finger Lakes can produce excellent reds, but I'm just a lowly blogger. Maybe some of the mainstream wine press will now start giving Finger Lakes Reds some respect. And The Finger Lakes Wine Alliance is doing a wonderful job of getting the word out about Finger Lakes wine.

- The Finger Lakes International Wine Competition judging takes place on March 29 & 30

- Racing and tourism meet in Watkins Glen

- Finger Lakes Events coming up next weekend, March 29 & 30, include the "Cruisin the Tropics" event on the Seneca Lake Wine Trail and the "World Tour of Food and Wine" event on the Keuka Lake Wine Trail. See Finger Lakes Wine Country Event Calendar for complete Finger Lakes event listings.

- D and C recaps Wine Spectator's Finger Lakes Riesling ratings

- Imagine Moore winery is profiled

- Riesling sales continue to grow

- Bill Ward presents an interesting comparison of the differences in how men and women think of wine here and
here.

- Iron Chef-like cook off to be held at NYWCC

- Finger Lakes Bed & Breakfast offers a spiritual retreat

- The story of the Cayuga Wine Trail

- Writer thinks beer tasting is better than wine tasting

- April is New York Wine Month

- Western New York has majority of rare cobblestone homes

- The sweet taste of ice wine

Thursday, March 13, 2008

More Finger Lakes Wine Medal Winners

At Jerry Mead's New World International Wine Competition this week, Finger Lakes wineries continued to win more medals, with Goose Watch Winery (Cayuga Lake) winning Best White Wine with its Snow Goose white blend and Best of Class with its Traminette. Goose Watch's sister winery Swedish Hill won Best of Class with its Svenska White and Torrey Ridge won Best of Class with its Catawba. Overall, there were 10 Finger Lakes Golds. For complete results,
click here.

Chateau Frank
SILVER, 2000 Blanc de Blanc, 2000 Blanc de Noirs

Chateau LaFayette Reneau
SILVER
2006 Dry Riesling, Estate Bottled
2006 Chardonnay, Proprietor's Reserve, Estate Bottled
BRONZE
2006 Pinot Noir Blanc, Estate Bottled

Dr. Konstantin Frank
GOLD
2006 Semi-Dry Riesling
SILVER
2006 Dry Riesling
2006 Rkatsiteli

Glenora Wine Cellars
GOLD
2007 Dry Riesling, Vintner's Select
SILVER
2001 Brut
BRONZE
2007 Riesling
2006 Meritage Red, Vintner's Select
2006 Seyval Blanc

Goose Watch
NWIWC - BEST NEW WORLD WHITE WINE

BEST OF VARIETAL
BEST OF CLASS, GOLD
Snow Goose
BEST OF CLASS, GOLD
2006 Traminette

SILVER
Diamond
2006 Melody
Renaissance Red
Golden Spumante

BRONZE
2006 Villard Blanc
2006 Rosé Wines
2006 Rose of Isabella
2006 Finale White Port
NV Cream Sherry

Hosmer Winery
SILVER
2006 Lemberger
BRONZE
2006 Chardonnay

Knapp Winery
GOLD
2006 Dry Riesling, Estate Bottled
SILVER
NV Concord, Superstition
BRONZE
2006 Cayuga White

Lakewood Vineyards
SILVER
2006 Riesling
BRONZE
2006 Chardonnay
2006 Gewurztraminer

Penguin Bay Winery
SILVER
NV White Blend, Percussion
NV Red Blend, Humbolt Red
BRONZE
NV Riesling
NV Red Blend, Maroon Four

Sheldrake Point
BRONZE
2006 Pinot Gris
2006 Riesling, Reserve

Swedish Hill Winery
BEST OF CLASS, GOLD

NV Svenska White
GOLD
2006 Dry Riesling
NV Viking White
SILVER
NV Svenska Red
NV Concord
NV Blanc de Blanc
NV Spumante Blush
NV Naturel
BRONZE
2006 Riesling
2006 Vidal Blanc
2006 Marechel Foch
2006 Late Harvest Chardonnay

Torrey Ridge Winery
BEST OF VARIETAL

BEST OF CLASS, GOLD
NV Catawba
GOLD
NV Diamond

White Springs Winery
SILVER
2006 Rosé
Springhouse White

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Part II of Wine Spectator's Finger Lakes Riesling Ratings

Wine Spectator's James Molesworth has released Part II of his Finger Lakes Riesling Ratings with Anthony Road, Atwater, Chateau Lafayette Reneau, Fox Run, & Red Newt leading a very impressive group of Finger Lakes Rieslings:

ANTHONY ROAD Riesling Finger Lakes Semi-Dry 2006 Score: 89 $14
This is really solid, with good medium-weight feel and concentration to the pear, fig and lime flavors, with a nice lingering hint of anise on the finish. Drink now. 640 cases made. —J.M.

ATWATER ESTATE Riesling Finger Lakes 2006 Score: 88 $17
This offers really nice ripeness, with slate, apple and fig notes all showing good drive through the full-bodied finish. Nicely done. Drink now. 695 cases made. —J.M.

CHATEAU LAFAYETTE RENEAU Johannisberg Riesling Finger Lakes 2006 Score: 88 $15
Generous, with a flattering off-dry edge to the anise, apple and kiwi flavors. Nice richness and length on the finish. Very solid. Tasted twice with consistent notes. Drink now through 2010. 2,071 cases made. —J.M.

FOX RUN Riesling Seneca Lake Reserve 2006 Score: 88 $30
Inviting, with fresh lime, green apple and kiwi notes that stay lively through the medium-weight finish and open nicely in the glass. Drink now. 225 cases made. —J.M.

RED NEWT CELLARS Riesling Finger Lakes Reserve 2006 Score: 88 $24
Good pippen apple and lime notes are backed by a moderate slate note on the taut finish. Good length and focus, though still a touch tight for now. Drink now. 200 cases made. —J.M.

DAMIANI Riesling Finger Lakes 2006 Score: 87 $15
Juicy and racy, with a nicely focused beam of braised fennel, anise seed, apple and fig. Nice steely edge to the finish. Tasted twice with consistent notes. Drink now. 125 cases made. —J.M.

HERON HILL Riesling Finger Lakes Reserve 2005 Score: 87 $30
Quite dry, but very long, with thistle, pear, slate and floral notes that run along tightly focused acidity. Tangy finish too. Nicely done. Drink now through 2010. 192 cases made. —J.M.

HOSMER Riesling Cayuga Lake 2006 Score: 87 $12
Ripe and forward, with apple, pie crust, fig and pear notes followed by a round, modestly juicy finish. Solid range, just lacks a little zip on the finish. Drink now. 800 cases made. —J.M.

ROOSTER HILL Riesling Finger Lakes Semi-Dry 2006 Score: 87 $16
Ripe, with a nice juicy core of apple and fennel seed notes, followed by a plump fig-tinged finish. Drink now. 400 cases made. —J.M.

SHELDRAKE POINT Riesling Finger Lakes Reserve 2006 Score: 87 $25
Shows a plump core of melon, fig and anise flavors, backed by a bright green apple hint on the juicy finish. Drink now. 219 cases made. —J.M.

WHITE SPRINGS FARM ESTATE Riesling Finger Lakes Red Label 2006 Score: 87 $13
Ripe and forward with good apple, cinnamon and anise notes backed by a round, modestly juicy finish. Drink now. 325 cases made. —J.M.

HOSMER Riesling Cayuga Lake Vintner's Reserve 2006 Score: 86 $25
Soft, but direct, with apple, anise and fig hints that linger easily on the finish. Drink now. 150 cases made. —J.M.

SHELDRAKE POINT Riesling Finger Lakes Ice Wine 2007 Score: 86 $75 / 375ml
Fresh and moderately sweet, with nicely focused lime, quince and candied green plum notes. Drink now. 157 cases made. Dessert. —J.M.

SWEDISH HILL Riesling Finger Lakes 2006 Score: 86 $15
Lush and ripe, with Macintosh apple, spice and anise notes backed by a round finish. Very friendly. Drink now. 1,600 cases made. —J.M.

DEER RUN Riesling Finger Lakes Semi-Dry 2006 Score: 85 $14
Crisp for a semi-dry, with pippen apple, lime and floral notes that leave a fresh, mouthwatering feel. Drink now. 107 cases made. —J.M.

HERON HILL Riesling Finger Lakes Icewine Ingle Vineyard 2004 Score: 85 $50 / 375ml
Rich, but with a dry, slatey edge to the lime candy, Bosc pear and fig hints. Lightly sweet, focused finish. Drink now. 78 cases made. Dessert. —J.M.

KING FERRY Riesling Cayuga Lake Treleaven Semi-Dry 2006 Score: 85 $14
Fresh, with a nice bracing underpinning to the lime, kiwi and green apple notes. Nice tangy finish. Drink now. 2,695 cases made. —J.M.

Sunday, March 09, 2008

Busy week for the Finger Lakes Weekend Wino

- It was a very busy for the Weekend Wino. I attended the Wineries Unlimited conference in Valley Forge. VWM always puts on a great wine show with top-notch seminars and lots of exhibitors. Being an amateur winemaker, this show gives me a wealth of information on how to make better wine and what new products are out there. There were lots of people from the Finger Lakes wine industry in attendance and I saw folks from Dr. Frank, Lakewood, Hazlitt, King Ferry, Hunt Country, Glenora, Bellwether, & Finger Lakes Wine Gazette to name a few.

- I also participated in the Finger Lakes Wine Alliance Vintners Roundtable. The theme was Finger Lakes Red wines, with reds from Billsboro, Sheldrake Point, Standing Stone, Ravines, Fox Run, & Hunt Country featured. As I continually preach, Finger Lakes wineries produce some impressive reds, but some of the other media folks on the call who were skeptical before, were surprised and impressed with the quality of the wines. I'll post more about this soon.

- Finally, it was filtering and bottling time this week for me any my winemaking partners. We bottled Diamond, Aurora, Vidal Blanc, Niagara, Apple, and the most amazing Concord that I have ever tasted with a very soft and silky mouthfeel, loads of fruit without being grapey, and a smooth long finish. We will be entering some amateur winemaking competitions this year and I will let you know how we do.

- Also, I wanted to let you know that The Finger Lakes Weekend Wino Acoustic Duo featuring myself and Mr. Tom will be performing at Arcadian Estate Winery for the "Cruisin The Tropics" event on Sunday, March 30th from Noon to 3pm. Wear your coolest tropical attire and come on out for good wine, good fun and good tunes, featuring songs from my "Sparkling Diamonds- Songs of The Finger Lakes" CD. I hope to see you there! Click here to listen to the songs.

- Well it's time to get some rest today and gear up for the start of the wine tasting season for me in The Finger Lakes. Once again this year, my goal is to visit every one of the over 100 wineries (I've lost count now) in the region and post my visit reviews and tasting notes. Wish me luck!

Thursday, March 06, 2008

Finger Lakes Wines Win at Monterey Wine Competition

- At the Monterey Wine Competition last week, over 1200 wines from 8 countries were evaluated by 24 wine professionals over 2 days at the Salinas Valley Fairgrounds.
Judges awarded 55 gold, 255 silver, and 394 bronze medals. The following Finger Lakes wineries won medals at the competition, winning 6 out of only 55 Gold medals awarded:

Chateau Frank
Gold 2000 Blanc de Noirs Finger Lakes $29.99

Dr Konstantin Frank
Silver 2006 Gewürztraminer Finger Lakes $19.99
Bronze 2006 Riesling, Semi-Dry New York $15.99

Goose Watch Winery
Gold, Sweeps 2006 Goose Watch Finale White Port Finger Lakes $18.00
Gold NV Triple Cream Sherry Finger Lakes $15.00
Silver 2004 Goose Watch Chambourcin Finger Lakes $13.00
Silver NV Goose Watch Snow Goose Table Wine New York $11.00
Bronze 2006 Goose Watch Villard Blanc Finger Lakes $11.00
Bronze, Goose Watch Diamond, Finger Lakes, $9.00

Heron Hill Vineyards
Gold, 2006 Riesling Semi-dry, New York, $12.99
Gold NV Vidal Blanc Finger Lakes $17.99
Silver 2005 Riesling, Estate Reserve Finger Lakes $29.99
Silver 2005 Riesling, Ingle Vineyard Finger Lakes $17

Lakewood Vineyards
Bronze 2006 `Chardonnay Finger Lakes $12.99
Bronze 2006 Pinot Gris, Gigliotti Vineyards Finger Lakes $16.99

Swedish Hill Vineyard
Gold, 2006 Swedish Hill Dry Riesling, Finger Lakes, $15.00
Bronze NV Swedish Hill Cynthia Marie Port Finger Lakes $22.00
Bronze NV Swedish Hill Blanc de Blanc Finger Lakes $14.00
Bronze 2006 Swedish Hill Chardonnay Late Harvest Finger Lakes $25.00
Bronze 2006 Swedish Hill Vidal Blanc New York $11.00

See the complete results here.

Tuesday, March 04, 2008

Wine Spectator Rates Finger Lakes Rieslings

- Wine Spectator is out with Part 1 of their Finger Lakes Riesling Ratings. Highlights include:

ANTHONY ROAD Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 2006 Score: 88 $14
Juicy and forward, with tasty Jonagold apple, anise and quince notes that race through the mouthwatering finish. Dry in feel but with good weight too. Drink now through 2009. 370 cases made. —J.M.

ATWATER ESTATE Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 2006 Score: 88 $18
Chiseled but juicy too, with green apple and lime notes that drive through the slate-filled, mouthwatering finish. Nicely done. Drink now through 2009. 505 cases made. —J.M.

RED NEWT CELLARS Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 2006 Score: 87 $15
Tight and light-bodied at first, but this is fresh, with nervy lime and mineral notes that leave a mouthwatering feel, while opening up to show greater depth as it airs in the glass. Drink now through 2009. 800 cases made. —J.M.

BELHURST ESTATE Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 2006 Score: 86 $19
Bony, with tasty green apple, lime and mineral notes that ripple nicely on the finish. Drink now through 2009. 240 cases made. —J.M.

BUTTONWOOD GROVE Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 2006 Score: 86 $15
Dry in texture, with slate and marzipan hints, but has an off-dry hints to its fruit, with pear, kiwi and fig hints that linger nicely on the finish. Drink now through 2009. 220 cases made. —J.M.

ROOSTER HILL Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 2006 Score: 86 $16
Plump for a dry version, with hints of pear and quince behind the typical slate and green apple notes. Nice hint of fennel on the finish. Drink now through 2009. 300 cases made. —J.M.

CHATEAU LAFAYETTE RENEAU Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 2006 Score: 85 $15
Open and forward for a dry style, with green apple, lime and fennel seed notes that linger on the juicy, medium-weight finish. Drink now through 2009. 1418 cases made. —J.M.

HOSMER Riesling Cayuga Lake Dry 2006 Score: 85 $12
Light, with taut pippen apple, lime and slate notes that show good drive on the finish. Drink now through 2009. 780 cases made. —J.M.

KING FERRY Riesling Cayuga Lake Treleaven Dry 2006 Score: 85 $14
Light-bodied, but fresh and tangy, with lime, and slate notes backed by a nice crisp finish. Drink now through 2009. 1370 cases made. —J.M.

RAVINES Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 2006 Score: 85 $17
Open-knit for a dry version, with citrus peel, floral and lime notes that bounce through the finish. Drink now through 2009. 1300 cases made. —J.M.

SILVER THREAD Riesling Finger Lakes Dry 2006 Score: 85 $17
Taut, with tangy lime, chive and flint notes, backed by a crisp green apple hint on the finish. Drink now. 250 cases made. —J.M.

Finger Lakes News & Notes - March 4, 2008

- Mrs. Wino & I had a great time in the Finger Lakes Information Booth at The Washington D.C. Wine Expo last weekend. We met a lot of great people as we spread the good word about The Finger Lakes and its wine. Thanks to Paul Thomas of Seneca Lake Wine Trail for the opportunity. Also, Thanks to Morgen from Finger Lakes Wine Country & Sheila from Corning Museum of Glass for helping us newbies. Finger Lakes wines were well-represented, with Dr. Frank, Standing Stone, and Hazlitt pouring their wine for the D.C. folks. I also finally got to meet in person my fellow blogger, Dezel of Virginia Vine Spot and we got to "talk wine" for a while. Be sure to visit his informative blog. I will be visiting the Wineries Unlimited Show in Valley Forge this week and I will give you a report.

- Enobytes features The Finger Lakes region

- Mark Oldman discusses New York wine

- Educational vineyard to be planted on Staten Island

- Deer Run Winery is off the beaten wine trail, but well worth the visit

- The Cayuga Wine Trail turns 25

- The versatility of Riesling is praised

- New Hampshire winery produces a Valvin Muscat wine

- "Taste of New York" TV show debuts April 5th

- Finger Lakes Grape Growers Conference to be held on March 14 & 15

- More wineries in the works on the east side of Cayuga Lake