Wine Blogging Wednesday

This months Wine Blogging Wednesday topic hosted by Dr. Vino is to write about "wine shops that feel the love", being that it's Valentines month and all. The wine shop that I love to frequent is The NYStateWine Tasting Room & Wine Gallery in beautiful downtown Watkins Glen NY, just a short walk from Seneca Harbor at the south end of Seneca Lake in the heart of Finger Lakes wine country. The Tasting Room is a cozy place, with a 27-foot copper-topped tasting bar along the one wall and racks of Finger Lakes and other New York wines along the back and far side wall, with wine gifts and accessories toward the front. Store manager Carman Massey, your charming hostess and confirmed Dead Head (Grateful Dead Fan to the uninitiated), pours the tastings and answers your questions with a smile. They have a tasting menu of about 5 or 6 wines that changes weekly and you can buy wine by the glass or bottle. The place just has a really friendly and warm feel to me. I always feel welcome there. They also have entertainment on the weekends featuring blues, bluegrass, and rock. Banjo Boris is one of my favorites and he even let me play his banjo on a break one time. They actually close for the winter, so I will have to wait for spring to visit again. And I can't wait! But you can still order wine from their website www.nystatewine.com (I tried to upload a picture of the store, but Blogger was not cooperating). So if you are in the area, be sure to stop in and maybe you'll see me playing my guitar. I keep threatening Carman that I am going to bring my guitar in.

News and Notes

-- Lenn at LennDevours Blog and at Long Island Press reviews Fox Run Vineyards 2003 Reserve Chardonnay.

--The New York Wine and Grape Foundation are preparing to move from Penn Yan into the new New York Wine and Culinary Center in Canandaigua. Does anyone know when the Center is scheduled to open?

--Looks like another successful Wine On Ice Wine Festival. I couldn't make it, but it sounds like it was a lot of fun.

--Winegeeks.com has created a Google map for the Finger Lakes wine region. It uses satellite imagery and you can zoom in on the map for more detail.

--It's Fiori month at Casa Larga Vineyards, a month-long celebration of Fiori Delle Stelle, their award-winning Vidal Ice Wine. See the Calendar of Events here.

--I just made plans to attend the Wineries Unlimited Wine Trade Show on March 12-15 in Lancaster PA. Finger Lakes wineries will be well-represented (see Program Guide) with seminars by Art Hunt from Hunt Country Vineyards, Chris Stamp from Lakewood Vineyards, John McGregor from McGregor Vineyards, John Santos from Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards, Thomas Laszlo from Heron Hill, Peter Staltonstall from King Ferry Winery, Steve DiFrancesco from Glenora Winery, and Peter Bell from Fox Run Vineyards. I know many of the Finger Lakes winery owners and winemakers will be attending and I hope to be able to meet as many as possible.

Finger Lakes Winery Website Rankings

As I've said in previous posts, I believe that, in general, Finger Lakes winery websites have room for improvement. Mike Duffy at www.winerywebsitereport.com has been kind enough to send me his Top Twelve rated Finger Lakes winery websites. Mike bases his ratings on over 20 different website elements including Branding, Compatibility, Contact Info, Domain Name, Current and Past Information, Media Kit, A variety of Navigational elements, Newsletter, Obstructions, Personalization, Responsiveness, RSS, Search Rank, Shipping Info, Site Search, Trade Marketing Materials, and Visual Appeal. Keep in mind that Mike is still evaluating about 20 wineries in the Finger Lakes and the following rankings are based on the evaluation of 61 wineries. So, drum roll please.... Here are the Top Twelve:

Numbers 12 thru 8 all tied with a score of 51 points are:
--Knapp Winery- www.knappwine.com
--Casa Larga Vineyards- www.casalarga.com
--Atwater Estate Vineyards- www.atwatervineyards.com
--Arbor Hill- www.thegrapery.com
--Anthony Road Wine Company- www.anthonyroadwine.com

Numbers 7 and 6 tied with 52 points:
--Thirsty Owl Wine Company- www.thirstyowl.com
--Swedish Hill Vineyard- www.swedishhill.com

Numbers 5, 4, and 3 all tied with 54 points:
--Hosmer Vineyard- www.hosmerwinery.com
--Dr. Franks Vinifera Wine Cellars- www.drfrankwines.com
--Chateau Lafayette Reneau- www.clrwine.com

Number 2 with a score of 58 points and runner up that will be able to perform all duties of the number one winery website in case number one is unable to fulfill its duties:
--Heron Hill Vineyards- www.heronhill.com

And The #1 ranked Finger Lakes winery website with 65 points:
--Sheldrake Point Vineyard- www.sheldrakepoint.com Congratulations to Sheldrake Point Vineyard!!! One of the things that I really like about their website is that they make great use of pulldown menus on their home page to easily navigate a large number of pages with very little clutter. And then each page is well-written and detailed with good graphics. Well Done!!!

To put the point scores in context, www.winerywebsitereport.com has evaluated over 2800 winery websites and the average score is around 48, with the highest score being 83.

In addition to winerywebsitereport.com's top ten above, I'd like to give recognition to some other websites that I feel do a good job in most or all of the following areas that are important to me: Keeping News and Event Pages updated, Attractive layout and design, an easy to navigate store to purchase merchandise, Descriptive tasting notes, Newsletter Signup, Winery History & Personal stories of the wine and people of the winery, and Wine Education pages:
--Lakewood Vineyards- www.lakewoodvineyards.com
--Fox Run Vineyards- www.foxrunvineyards.com
--Standing Stone Vineyards- www.standingstonewines.com

I have seen that some wineries are updating and remodeling their websites, so I will post again as they appear. The bottom line, in my opinion, is that a website is as important a marketing and branding and customer retention tool as a wine label or a tasting room or any form of advertising that a winery does. As a winery, you wouldn't skimp on the design of your wine label or the construction of your tasting room, so why should the internet portal to your brand and products be treated with any less diligence. I see way to many static websites or websites with news and events that have not been updated in years. It may be true that not as many people will actually buy product from a website, but it is also a fact that people do a large amount of their pre-buying research from browsing websites. So please, for the sake of your customers and potential customers, get those websites updated and make them a real reflection of your passion for making great wine and your pride in your products. Sell me. I want to buy!!!

Once again, Thanks to Mike Duffy at www.winerywebsitereport.com. If you are interested in finding out how to improve your website, visit his website.

If you have a favorite Finger Lakes winery website, please leave me a comment and let me know why you like it.

Blog Housekeeping

I have added a few things to the blog that will hopefully enhance it. I have added an RSS Feed Link for those of you who would like to get new posts as soon as they are posted via RSS. The link is located on the right sidebar below the "I Power Blogger" button. Also, I have added a Form at the bottom of the page for those of you who would like to sign up to receive free monthly updates on Finger Lakes wine info, events, new releases, specials and discounts. Or you can use the form to make comments or suggestions. Thank You to all of you who stop by and share my interest in The Finger Lakes area and its wines and wineries!

Wine News Droplets

-- Sheila Livadas at FingerLakesWine.com writes her latest winery profile about those Nautie women at Lucas Vineyards.

-- Jeff Richards at the Star-Gazette writes about a new winery on Cayuga Lake, Cobblestone Farm Winery, and about some Kat Knapps, and some cider.

-- Tickets are now on sale for the 2006 Finger Lakes Wine Festival - July 14 to 16 - at Watkins Glen Racetrack. Discount tickets are available now through June 23. Over 70 New York state wineries, live music, arts, crafts, food, camping, and lots of fun!!!

-- McGregor Vineyard Winery, overlooking Keuka Lake, kicks off their vineyard's 35th anniversary with their annual Robbie Burns Day Celebration this Saturday, January 28 from noon until 5pm. This celebration in honor of Robert Burns, the great poet of Scotland, features Scottish food, bagpipes, poetry, and of course McGregor wines. Cost is $10 per person/$19 per couple.

-- Here's an interesting interview at Bloggasm with the owner of a small California winery, Dover Canyon Winery.

-- So you think you want to plant a vineyard. Here are some things to think about from Ohio winery Kinkead Ridge.

-- I guess it had to happen. A new reality series for PBS called "The Winemakers" is now casting for contestants who will compete to win the opportunity to launch their very own wine label. It will be filmed in California's Paso Robles wine region and is scheduled to air in 2007. If you are interested in being a contestant, contact Doc City Productions at casting@doccitytv.com
I can only imagine what challenges they will be asked to do. Maybe the Fermentation Tank High Dive. Or maybe Speed Pruning. And at the end, maybe they'll say "The vines have spoken, You are the weakest grape. You must now leave the vineyard immediately. Goodbye!"

Liquid Wisdom

Here's my tasting notes on a couple of wines that I have had recently. First, a Hickory Hollow 2002 Chardonnay. Hickory Hollow is our nearest winery neighbor on Seneca Lake and a relatively new winery, opening in 2003. Hickory Hollow encompasses 23 acres and is owned by Bruce and Suzanne Kendall, Peter and Cindy Oughterson, and Ed Woodland and Theresa Cholewa-Woodland. Peter Oughterson is the winemaker. The winery's slogan is "Liquid Wisdom" and Peter has a lot of that. Peter grew up on the farm next to the vineyards of Finger Lakes icon Hermann Wiemer and he worked with Hermann for many years. The beautiful woodsy tasting room is one of my favorites and it comforts me that it is only a few minutes away to find excellent wine. The 2002 Chardonnay shows a straw color and opening aromas of mineral and petroleum. At first taste, I found it smoky tasting with bits of sweet vanilla and spicy oak and hints of nutty butteriness with a somewhat overwhelming petroleum bitterness that was a little unsettling. As I worked on the computer, I left the glass alone for about 15 minutes. When I tasted the wine at this point, it opened up with new tastes of butterscotch and citrus and the petroleum heaviness had subdued greatly, leaving a host of wonderful flavors of smoke, spice, nut, citrus, butter, and butterscotch. All which led me to this thought- Maybe more White wines should be decanted. I seem to only ever hear of reds needing decanted to open up the wine. It was very obvious to me that this wine presented amazing complexity only after it had breathed for a time. I Googled for "decanting white wine" but only found a few vague references. I am far from a wine expert, so I appeal to all the wine experts out there- Should some White wines be decanted?


And now the first Idaho wine I have ever tasted,
Sawtooth Winery 2004 Chardonnay. My wife was at a Jewelry Party and this was being served and she liked it so much, she asked the hostess if she could take the rest for her hubby to taste. She is so good to me. Her hubby liked it very much. In researching this wine, I learned that Idaho has a long wine history dating back to the late 1800's, but like other wine regions such as the Finger Lakes, wine production came to an abrupt halt during Prohibition and the regions winery rebirth and growth has been fairly recent. Sawtooth Winery is located in Idaho's Snake River Valley and they have won many awards for their wines. The 2004 Chardonnay is a smooth-drinking Chardonnay the way I like it and very similar to Finger Lakes' Seneca Shore Chardonnay, which is one of my favorites. It was very buttery and not overly dry, with just the right balance of vanilla and oak for me. So now I know that Idaho is not just for potatoes anymore.

It just amazes me how many areas of the U.S. that you would not normally think of as wine regions are making great wine. I was watching the Fine Living channel on cable, which is one of the few channels that has good wine shows, and I watched Andrea Immer's 50 Wines, 50 States, where she picks her favorites from all 50 states. I believe this is an old show, but Dr. Franks Riesling was her favorite from New York and she had a nice segment where she chatted with Willy Frank in Central Park.
Click here to see the list. Of course the problem is being able to purchase these out of state wines. I wish the state governments could get over their hangups about shipping wine between states. Tom Wark at the Fermentation Blog and the Free The Grapes website have good info on the ongoing battle for wine shipping. As for Andrea, I really like her because, even though she is extremely knowledgable about wine, she is not pretentious and snobby like a lot of wine experts and you can tell that she is a fan of the small family winery and value wines. Andrea's website is here.

Winery News

-- One of the newest wineries in the Finger Lakes, Ventosa Vineyards on the northeast shore of Seneca Lake, is bringing a bit of Italy to the Finger Lakes. Ventosa is Italian for "windy" and you can feel the lake breezes as you take in the beautiful view. They have 21 acres of vinifera grapes and their wine offerings include Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Vino Rosso (a blend of Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, and Sangiovese), Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Saggio (a Bordeaux style blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot). Spring 2006 releases will include a semi-dry Riesling, 2004 Chardonnay, and Vino Bianco (a blended white).

-- Glenora Wine Cellars has announced the release of 2 wines- a 2004 Syrah ($18.99) that winemaker Steve DiFrancesco describes as having cherry flavors and intense black spice, along with elegant French Oak. This is the first Syrah that Glenora has released since the 2000 vintage. The other new release is a semi-dry Blanc de Blancs Sparkling wine ($13.99) described as having bright citrus and vanilla flavors.

-- Fulkerson Winery has announced the release of 2 wines- a 2004 Dornfelder ($16.00), a Dry Red aged in French Oak for 8 months and their 2005 Matinee ($16.00), described as having heavenly mint aromas followed by dazzling sweet, yet light, tastes of green melon, kiwi, and citron (8% Residual sugar). Fulkerson is also offering discounts for Bargain Bash this week on their 2003 Caleb, 2003 Chardonnay, and 2004 Diamond (20% off single bottles and 25% off cases).

Prejean Winery Wins Silver Award

I was just looking at the results for The San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition that took place last week and I see that Prejean Winery on Seneca Lake won a Silver Medal for their 2004 Riesling. Congratulations to them!!!

Here are the results in the Riesling category.

Finger Lakes Wine-derings

-- I've been hearing rumors that UPS is finally actually shipping wine from out of state wineries, who have the proper approval and license, directly to New York customers. The last I had read, UPS was approved, but the logistics of what documentation UPS would need to have the customer sign when receiving a shipment of wine had yet to be worked out. If there are any New Yorkers out there who have received a shipment of wine (legally) from an out of state winery, please leave a comment or email me.

-- Lenn over at LennDevours is taking a survey to see if there is interest in a publication that would provide information specifically on all the wine regions of New York state. If you have an interest in New York wine, and I assume you do since you are here, please take the survey.

-- I stumbled on to a website by Photographer Jim Emery that has some good photos of the Finger Lakes area and from all over the country. I love good photography and a lot of Jim's photos are truly stunning.

-- I find the process of how real cork is made fascinating. A cork oak tree must be at least 25 years old before the first harvesting of the bark, which cork is made from, can be made and then the bark can only be harvested every 9 years. The harvesting or removal of the bark from the tree must be very precise because if the cut is too deep, the tree can be killed. The tree grows only in Portugal, Spain, and North Africa. Here is more info on cork.

-- I had hoped to ride the Rochester high-speed ferry to Toronto this year, but that will not be happening now that funding for the ferry has been cancelled by new mayor Robert Duffy because the ferry was losing too much money. Some say the ferry was never given a fair chance, but I think most agree that the city could simply not afford to operate the ferry with the losses it had produced. Here are comments about the decision from the Rochester Business Journal. Hopefully, a private company will take over operating the ferry and make it profitable.

--Remember to get your tickets for the upcoming Wine On Ice wine event on Jan. 27 & 28 at First Arena in Elmira NY. Wine On Ice features 32 Finger Lakes wineries presenting tastings, along with other vendors and entertainment.

-- If any of you are looking to buy a Finger Lakes winery and have 1.75 million dollars to spare, have I got a deal for you. One of my favorite wineries on Seneca Lake, Logan Ridge, is for sale. It is one of the most beautiful wineries in the Finger Lakes with a great view overlooking Seneca Lake and a fantastic restaurant and beautiful tasting room. I'd buy it, but all my cash is tied up in investments that I can not liquidate at this time. Yeah, right.

-- The wines that I have been drinking lately have actually been Non-Finger Lakes wine. I've had a very good Chardonnay from, believe it or not, Idaho- Sawtooth Winery and some German Rieslings. But there's a lot of winter left and the cellar is stocked with my favorite Finger Lakes wine to get me through.

More Info On Bargain Bash 2006

I just wanted to pass on more info on Bargain Bash 2006, happening at participating Seneca Lake wineries from today, Jan. 14 through Jan. 22

Here are some of the deals being offered:

-- Anthony Road Wine Company is offering their 2003 Sweet Dream- a dessert style vignoles for $5.99 per bottle (originally $16.99)!!! Get em while they last!

-- Glenora Wine Cellars is offering their Monarch Cabernet for $6.99 (750ml) or $8.99 (1.5L) and their Catawba for $11.99 (1.5L). They also have some great specials on books, music, and Christmas decorations and a winter special is on at The Inn for a Sunday night stay for only $69!

-- Lamoreaux Landing has their former DTH ornaments at half price!

-- Miles Wine Cellars is offering 20% off gifts and 40% off Christmas gifts and on their Willow and Wisteria wines, they are offering 15% off 3 bottles and 25% off 12 bottles!!!

-- Nagys New Land Vineyards is offering free wine tastings and a 5% discount on wine purchases up to 5 bottles, 10% discount on 6 to 11 bottles, and a 15% discount on 12 bottles or more!!!

It's a good time to stock up before the REAL winter weather hits!!!

Finger Lakes News Trickles

-- Don't forget the Bargain Bash at Participating Seneca Lake wineries from January 14-22. Get bargains on wine and gift products. It should be a good week to get out to some of the wineries as we've been seeing some unusually warm weather lately with highs expected in the 50's through this Friday, but then Saturday looks like a return to some wintry weather.

Click here to see the full 2006 Seneca Lake Wine Trail Calendar of Events.

Click here to see the full 2006 Keuka Wine Trail Events Calendar.

Click here to see the full 2006 Cayuga Wine Trail Events & Winery Events Calendar.

It's not too early to start planning your Finger Lakes trip and purchasing your Wine Trail Event tickets. These events have been selling out faster and faster every year.

-- Take a look at the winners of the 2005 Finger Lakes Photo Contest at Life In The Finger Lakes Magazine. There are some really beautiful shots.

-- Lenn's guest writer Charles Massoud writes an interesting post about the debate between Long Island wineries on whether to promote the Long Island Wine Region with a Merlot-based marketing message. It seems to me that this parallels the Finger Lakes issues as a Riesling-based region.

-- The Chicago Tribune has an article on Finger Lakes wineries.

Thinking "In The Box"

Well, I'm shopping for wine last week and I come to the boxed wine section and I say to myself, "Self, we ought to try this box wine thing and see how it is", not really expecting much. So I ask the sales guy, "How are these boxed wines". He says (with $ signs in his eyes), "They are great." So I buy the Carl Reh Riesling because I like Riesling (duh) and it's the only boxed Riesling on the shelf. I know nothing about Carl Reh or his Riesling, but the box says "Riesling Qualitatswein Rheinhessen, Product of Germany, The grapes for this cool-climate Riesling come from vineyards planted on the rolling hills close to the river Rhine (I immediately imagine the rolling hills along the river Rhine and it's a pleasant thought of those time-honored vines overlooking a riverside castle or two); A long ripening period allows the grapes to develop a complexity of flavours (NOW I know we're in Europe) and aromas reminiscent of peaches and apricots, with a subtle twist of lemon." And the price is right- $11.99 for the equivalent of 4 bottles of wine. OK, I'm cheap- I've come to terms with it, you should too. So I bring it home and my wife asks me what I purchased. I say I bought some boxed wine and she immediately disowns me, saying she had some boxed wine at some kind of gathering and that it tasted like water with wine flavoring. OK, so it looks like I will be drinking 3 liters of Riesling on my own whether I like it or not. So I chill the box o' wine for a while and then pull the little tap mechanism out of the box (still not believing that there really is 3 liters of wine in this small box), and I pour myself a glass. Hmmm. Not as bad as I was expecting. It has a touch of mineral and a touch of citrus and a bit of apricot. A bit thin compared to the Finger Lakes Rieslings that I enjoy, but for $3 a bottle, I really can't complain. It would be a really refreshing summer wine. I finish a glass and as I go back to the frig for another I think to myself, "Self, I think I like the concept of Wine on Tap in my frig, I just need better wine to be on tap." One thing I was curious about was how well the boxed wine would hold up over time. The sales guy said boxed wines were good for 6 weeks, but the box I bought says to consume within 3 weeks. But as I drank more of the Carl Reh Riesling over the next week, I could tell that it was rapidly losing what flavors that it had when first opened. So the boxed wine experiment proved to be interesting. There's no doubt that it is more portable and convenient for taking to parties and picnics and there is added convenience in not having to wrestle with a cork and I sort of liked being able to have wine on tap when I wanted, but the romance and "specialness" of wine is lost without the traditional bottle and cork. Many questions remain in my mind such as, Can boxed wines retain flavor and aroma as well as bottles and Will more and better wines be appearing in boxes (or tubes)? I like the concept because of the value and convenience, but I think that boxed wines already have an ingrained perceived inferiority to bottled wines that wine marketers would have to overcome. I would be very interested in hearing your opinions on boxed wines.
Here is an article on all you ever wanted to know about boxed wines.

The Story of Dr. Frank Wine Cellars

I'm not sure of the date of this article but it is a great in-depth look at the history of the legendary Dr. Frank and his son Willy of Dr. Frank Wine Cellars:

After a quarter of a century of struggling to earn recognition and financial stability for the New York winery started by his father, Dr. Konstantin Frank , Willy, at 79, has finally pushed that Sisyphean rock to the top of the hill. Dr. Frank wines are available in 30 states, wine competition awards arrive on an almost weekly basis and son Fred is in place to take over.
Anyone else might figure it's time to enjoy the grandchildren, go sailing on Keuka Lake, or nap in the sun. Not Willy. His week still has seven days, all for working. If he's not manning a tractor at 6:30 in the morning or working the streets with wine salesmen, then he's speaking at wine events or educating distributors, just as he's been doing for the last three decades--and he doesn't intend to stop. Wife Margrit and son Fred urge him to throttle down, but Willy knows only one pace: straight ahead at quick step.
His high-geared striving to build a healthy winery, while also bringing attention to an often overlooked region, have been likened to what his idol, Robert Mondavi, did in California or what Alan Shoup did at Chateau Ste. Michelle in Washington. Dr. Frank's Vinifera Wine Cellars , New York wine, and the Finger Lakes, have arrived. The tourist trails clog up in the summer, the wines are hot in the New York market and the dreaded word "allocation" is being heard, particularly after a brutal winter.
Unlike Mondavi and Shoup, Willy Frank remains in harness. Dispatched to Florida for a recent winter vacation, he spent most of the month working with the distributor for Vinifera Wine Cellars and Chateau Frank, doing missionary work with salesmen and retailers. Back from what could only loosely be termed a vacation, he hit the road again, visiting distributors up and down the Atlantic Coast, and spreading the word at an endless round of winemaker dinners. One dinner was in a remote corner of Western Pennsylvania where he's been the speaker for the past 10 years. The event is so popular that it now runs for two nights.
Read the whole article by Mort Hochstein at Wine Business Online

Wine Spectator Harvest Report

Wine Spectator magazine has released their Harvest Report for The Finger Lakes:

Region: Finger Lakes (B+)
The Finger Lakes 2005 growing season was hot and dry-up until October.
"It was the sunniest, warmest summer since 1991," said Peter Bell, winemaker for Fox Run on Seneca Lake. "Because it was so hot we have lower acids than normal," said Standing Stone owner Marti Macinski. The lack of rain caused some concern, she added, but "Riesling and Chardonnay, the earliest grapes picked, have some nice fruit flavors and balance." The reds are rich and show more exotic fruit flavors than are typical for the region, Bell said, while the Pinot Noirs are especially dense and well-balanced.

You can see the full report for the U.S. here. You will need to register for their free 3 day pass.

My Finger Lakes Year 2005 In Pictures

My wife and I had a great 2005 in the Finger Lakes, especially with our family and friends that stayed with us and helped us enjoy the great people, beautiful scenery, and of course, wine of the Finger Lakes. Here are some of the highlights of the year in pictures.


A Beautiful Seneca Sunrise in April 2005. I got up to let the dogs out and looked out and saw the sun just coming up and grabbed the camera quick. I took about 30 time lapse pictures as the sun slowly rose over the lake. It is so amazing to wake up and see that big lake lighting up right in front of you. (Click on photos for larger image)


This is a view of Keuka Lake in May 2005 from onboard the Keuka Maid, a large 3-deck tour boat. We took the lunch cruise for our first time on the boat and had a great time and a great lunch buffet, while getting up close looks at all the fabulous lakeside homes on Keuka Lake. The crew was terrific and I would recommend the Keuka Maid as a great thing to do if you are visiting the Finger Lakes. The have lunch and dinner cruises and night cruises.



In July 2005, we went to the Finger Lakes Wine Festival at Watkins Glen International Speedway. I had to take a picture of Mr. Mustard and his hot dog hat. Unfortunately, the day was unbearably hot and we could not really enjoy the wine tasting. I really do not know why they put all the wineries in the tents with the flaps down and no air moving through them.


Even though you can't really tell what it is from the picture, this was a once in a lifetime event. This is a picture of Mars rising over the eastern ridge of Seneca Lake in August 2005 in one of its closest orbits to the earth in a very long time. We had just arrived at about 10:30pm on a Thursday night and I was on the deck and looked out toward the lake and saw an orange glow starting to rise over the eastern horizon. I stood there a while and watched as this object that appeared like a small orange moon slowly rose. Somewhere in my mind, I recalled hearing that Mars would be viewable on this weekend and it clicked that this is what I was seeing. It was very exciting to see and I grabbed my camera and tried to get a picture, but my camera had a hard time focusing in the dark. I got my telescope out and I could make out craters on the surface.



In September 2005, we went to the Balloon Fest in Danville and had a great time watching as about 50 hot air balloons ascended into a beautiful blue evening sky. Some of the balloons were really interesting, such as one shaped like a spider with six arms coming out of the balloon and one shaped like a barn with farm animals looking out its windows.



This picture was taken while making the rounds of the wineries in October 2005. It is a picture of Hector Falls cascading on its journey to Seneca Lake. There are many wonderful waterfalls in the area.



This picture was taken in November 2005 outside the "Haunted" winery of Miles Wine Cellars. The craggy tree had shed its leaves and looked forlornly across Seneca Lake, knowing that winter was on its way. We sadly battened down the hatches and dreamed of spring.

I wish you all the best in 2006 and I thank you for visiting my blog. My resolution for 2006 is to try and continue to get better at writing and presenting interesting content about the Finger Lakes. Please feel free to comment or email me about any Finger Lakes news or topics.

Finger Lakes Grape Whines

-- Sheila's latest Finger Lakes winery feature about Castel Grisch Winery is up now at FingerLakesWine.com

-- For some awesome photography of the Finger Lakes area, visit Mary Shelsby's blog Make sure to visit the archives. I think she has a wonderful eye for getting beautiful and interesting photos.

-- I could not post about this book before Christmas because I got it for my wife for Christmas and I did not want to spoil the surprise. But I can not say enough about the wonderful Photo book by Charles Feil and Ernest Rose titled "The Finger Lakes Region of New York- A View From Above". It contains amazing aerial photos of The Finger Lakes area. For more info and to see some sample pages of this book, click here

-- VWM has a good article titled "Putting A New Face On The Bottle" about what goes on behind the scenes in developing a good wine label.

-- Come back this weekend for my end of year post, My Finger Lakes Year 2005 in Pictures.

-- Also, Don't forget to visit my sponsor, The Wine Enthusiast (see link on right side of page), for some great savings with their Big Winter Sale on Wine Accessories and All Things Wine.

Finger Lakes Song Lyrics

Some folks have requested the lyrics to the Finger Lakes song that I wrote about in the last post. To hear the song, just click on the link in the Previous Post. Here are the lyrics:

Finger Lakes, Land of the Seneca, the ghosts of the water call me back to you,

Finger Lakes, Made by the hand of God, the whisper of the water calls me back to you.

I hear her waters in the sweetest dreams of night, Softly speaking to me,

Words so peaceful, they put my fears to rest, Her beauty dazzles me, And this is where I want to stay.

At night I hear the sound of ancient drums, Sounding slowly on the wind,

I hear the voices of the ancient souls, And I know the reason why I'm here, Now it's perfectly clear

My Christmas Present To You

As I've said before, I have been singing, playing guitar, and writing songs for over 20 years. When I am sitting on the deck looking out at Seneca Lake, I often get my guitar out and just play what comes to me and I record these Seneca-Inspired improvisations. I eventually would like to put out a CD of songs about the Finger Lakes. Well, I have finally completed the vocals and a few instruments (more instruments will be added later) for the first song named "Finger Lakes" and I offer it to you, my blog readers, as my gift to you. Just click here to hear it at Soundclick and click on the arrows for lo-fi or hi-fi (depending on your internet speed) or you can download the mp3. A free registration may be required. Merry Christmas!!!!!!!

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!!!!!!!

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays to My Wife, My Family, My Friends, My Readers, My Fellow Wine & Food Bloggers (especially Lenn at LennDevours and Jennifer at Cookin In The 'Cuse- Thanks for your support and encouragement), & All The Great People & Wineries of The Finger Lakes. My Wish is that we may All Share the Good in Ourselves and Be a Positive Force in the Lives of All Those That We Meet In Our Short Time On This Earth! God Bless!

Finger Lakes News and Notes

-- Jeff Richards latest column gives you some tasty ways to use Finger Lakes wine in recipes for Christmas Dinner

-- A Miami Herald writer reports on her trip to the Finger Lakes and how she fell in love with Finger Lakes Riesling

--I challenge all of the Finger Lakes wineries to take a look at the top ten winery websites rated by Winery Website Report and then re-evaluate their own websites. Winery Website report will even evaluate your winery's website and tell you where your website ranks. Just look below the top ten winery website rankings and submit your website.

-- Tony at the ijamming blog recaps his wine buys from his Finger Lakes trip

--The Seneca Lake Wine Trail has announced the Wine Trail Events for 2006. Along with the traditional events, they have announced some very interesting and unique events for 2006. Two that interested me were The Golden Nose Wine Judging Weekend April 8-9 and A Riesling To Visit Passport from May 1 to September 1. The Golden Nose event is a unique opportunity to learn from regional wine professionals how to professionally taste and judge wine, and then actually judge and select winning Finger Lakes wine. The Riesling To Visit Passport gives you free Riesling tastings at all participating wineries with the chance to win a special prize at the end of the event. Also, don't forget the upcoming Bargain Bash event January 14-22 where participating Seneca Lake wineries "clean house" for the New Year by offering extraordinary bargains.

-- We are getting word that www.nystatewine.com will be having a wine sale from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1, so be sure to check out their website after Christmas.

-- During this Christmas season, please be sure to give to those less fortunate. I know we have all been asked to give a lot this year with Katrina and other disasters, but a lot of local charities are still in need of donations, especially during this time of year. If you don't know what charity to give to, The Charity Guide website has a search feature where you type in your town and a list of charities for your area is listed.

Finger Lakes Wine.com

FingerLakesWine.com has a couple of great new items.

-- Sheila has written her latest Finger Lakes Winery Profile on Yates Cellars.

-- Also, if you want to get to know 10 of the Finger Lakes top winemakers a little better, listen as they each answer 5 questions ranging from "What training or education has prepared you to be a winemaker?" to "What seperates your wines and winemaking from others?" A very interesting and intimate interactive feature from The Democrat and Chronicle. I continue to be very impressed with their coverage of the Finger Lakes wine scene.

Fun With Wine

And Now For The Lighter Side Of Wine...

-- Here are some Fun and Unusual Wine Labels

--Here are some Funny Wine Cartoons

-- Here's where you can find out, You Know You're A Wine Nut If...

-- And funny wine cartoons in 2005 Calendar. Click on "View Cartoons" and click on arrows to move through cartoons.

We could all use a little humor when the Mercury hits the single digits.

Weekend Wines

Here are some tasting notes on a few wines we have enjoyed over the past few weekends:

Ravines 2003 Chardonnay, www.ravineswinecellars.com, Eastern side of Keuka Lake, Hints of Citrus and Vanilla, Buttery mouthfeel, and not too much oak. This is the kind of Chardonnay I like.

Rooster Hill 2004 Chardonnay, www.roosterhill.com, Eastern side of Keuka Lake, This wine has such good balance of vanilla and oak that it could win an Olympic medal for Gymnastics Balance Beam. Sorry, but my notes had in BOLD letters "Excellent Balance".

Keuka Overlook 2002 Chardonnay, www.keukaoverlook.com, Eastern side of Keuka Lake, A very subdued Chardonnay, with hints of vanilla, licorice, and a sweetness in the oak flavor. Very different for Finger Lakes Chardonnay, but very good.

One of the great things about wine is that when I drink a particular bottle, it takes me back to the winery where I first tasted it. The 3 wineries above all happen to be located on the Eastern side of Keuka Lake and, when I drink the wine, I can envision the amazing views with the summer sun reflecting off the lake, and the uniqueness of each tasting room, and the passion of the people at the wineries describing each wine as I taste. And with the winter snows having arrived already, it is these sensory memories that sustain me until spring.

News and Notes

Standing Stone Vineyards, our neighbors directly across the lake, have had several of their wines rated highly in the November 30 issue of Wine Spectator magazine. Check out the
details here. Standing Stone is one of our favorite places to visit. They have great wines and a fabulous view and they are always very friendly and welcoming.

Wine Spectator also has a good article on the Finger Lakes area from their June 15 issue. You have to sign up for their free 3-day pass to read archived articles.

If you are interested in wine history, Civinous is a blog devoted to wine history and wine education. Very thorough, detailed, and well-researched, this blog is basically an online encyclopedia of wine information.

Here is an article in the New York Times updating progress (or lack of it) on New Yorks efforts to enable shipping of wine from other states (requires free registration). It seems that a major roadblock is that the major carriers, Fedex & UPS, have yet to be approved as shippers of wine from out of state in to New York state. And the extra paperwork that shippers will be required to fill out when delivering wine seems to be holding things up. But there seems to be conflicting thoughts on why the new law has yet to yield the intended effects. The jury still seems to be out on what impact the new law allowing direct shipping of wines from other states into New York state will have on Finger Lakes wineries. But, it should be a wash, because New York wineries will be able to ship their wines to other states. Of course, I hear that other states are setting up hoops that New York wineries must jump through to get approved for shipping. The wrangling continues between the interests of wineries, wholesalers, retailers, consumers, and state governments. Hopefully, it will all settle out to the advantage of the consumer.

The Work Behind The Wine

Here is a good article on the work that goes into making wine. When you are enjoying a glass of your favorite wine, remember to drink a toast to the dedicated folks who work tirelessly to bring that liquid gold to you. I know a lot of people dream of owning their own winery, but that wine does not miraculously get into that bottle and sell itself. There is a lot of work involved and a winery owner must be farmer, weatherman, chemist, marketer, personnel manager, website designer, as well as about 20 other jobs at the same time. I raise my glass to all of you winery owners who work hard in your passion to create great wine for us!!!

Wine Blogging Wednesday

Derrick at Obsession With Food gives the challenge for this Wine Blogging Wednesday. I'm very excited about this one because this will be my first WBW. The challenge is to pick a bottle of wine based only on the wine label. The wine that I have chosen comes from a Finger Lakes winery known for its labels and the story behind the winery and its labels is as interesting as the wine itself. I just happened to find myself at Bully Hill winery (see my winery report here) the weekend after this WBW challenge was announced. First I'll tell you about the wine I chose and then (as Paul Harvey says), I 'll tell you the rest of the story.

The way I chose this wine was to stand about 20 feet away from the wall of 40 wines that Bully Hill has for sale and grab the one that caught my eye first. That wine was Ravat 51, also known as Vignoles. The label depicts a pineapple with red flowers blooming out of it in a straw colored background. The red flowers first caught my eye and then the pineapple, and the contrast was intriguing. The wine has a straw or pale yellow color, with floral and citrus scents. The wine starts with a short touch of honey sweetness and quickly erupts into flavors of pineapple (the label does not lie), tangerine, grapefruit, and even ripe peach with a tangy acidity at the finish. It is a sweet wine, but the citrus and acidity cuts the sweetness very quickly. I suppose some would call this a dessert wine, but I think it would be a refreshing summer wine to sip on the deck. I believe that this label was created by the founder of the winery, Walter S. Taylor, a talented artist as well as winemaker. He is responsible for most of the artwork that graces Bully Hill wine labels. Most of you in the Finger Lakes are familiar with it, but for those of you who don't know, here is Walter's very interesting story.

Walter's forebearers started making wine on Bully Hill near Hammondsport NY in the 1880's. Over the next 80 years, the Taylor Wine Company grew to become one of the most successful wine companies in the United States. While employed as an executive at the now huge corporation, Walter bought back the original Bully Hill estate in 1958. This will become important later in the story. Walter did not agree with the direction that the Taylor Wine Co. Board of Directors were taking the company and he made his feelings well-known. Walter, even though he was the grand-son of the founder, was then fired from the company in 1970. So Walter started his own wine company on the original Bully Hill estate that he had bought back in 1958, focusing on French-American hybrid grapes. On the labels of his new wines, he printed that his wines were produced by Walter S. Taylor at the Original Taylor Estate. Well, Taylor Wine Co. objected to this and sued Walter for trademark infringement. Well, Walter used the lawsuit as a publicity opportunity and made a huge outcry that they were preventing him from using his own name. Well, the court ruled in favor of Taylor Wine Co. and ordered Walter to remove his name from his wine labels. But he did not make new labels. Instead, the story goes that he hired several hundred local college kids to come to his winery, gave them all black markers, and had them black out the name Taylor on all the wine labels. This gave Walter even more publicity, but it did not sit well with Taylor Wine Co., who then sued him again for not complying with the spirit of the court order to remove his name. Then, by the time the new lawsuit made it to court, the Coca-Cola company had bought out Taylor Wine Company in 1977 and Walter was David versus Goliath. The legend goes that Walter harnessed a manure spreader to his goat named "Guilt Free" with a banner that said "They Got My Heritage, But They Couldn't Get My Goat" and proceeded to march the several miles into town. Of course Coca-Cola's superior legal power won the battle, but not the war, as Walter continued to make wine and design his own labels (without Taylor on them). Eventually, Coca-Cola sold Taylor Wine Co. to Seagram and Taylor Wine Company faded away. Walter is gone now, but his legacy at Bully Hill is still going strong. Boy, that story is a Hollywood script just waiting to be written. Sideways move over. To see the many other interesting Bully Hill wine labels, click here

Seneca Shore Winery Visit

This continues my review of wineries visited in November. Seneca Shore Wine Cellars, Penn Yan NY (west side of Seneca Lake) They have a Medieval-themed tasting room, with servers dressed in Rennaisance garb and some very good wines. The tasting room is small compared to some of the others in the area, but the mood is fun and unpretentious. Here are my tasting notes: -Semi Dry Riesling, $8.99, Light citrus start into a light and smooth finish, Very refreshing. -Gewurtztraminer, $8.99, Riesling-like with hints of pineapple and lemon with light spice at the finish. -Chardonnay-No Oak, $7.99, Smooth, full mouth feel, and buttery. I do like Seneca Shore Chardonnay & it's a bargain at $7.99. -Traminette, $8.99, A grape created at nearby Cornell University as a cross of Gewurtztraminer and a native grape, This wine has the classic Gewurtz spice but is smoother and almost buttery. -Port, $9.99, Fortified with brandy, made from Pinot Noir & Baco Noir, lighter than most ports, but still very warm at 18% alcohol.

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Bits and Pieces

-- Sheila Livadas has her latest Finger Lakes winery profile posted at FingerLakesWine.com This one is on Ventosa Vineyards, a new winery in Geneva, just opened in October. I plan on visiting them in a few months.

--If you are planning on visiting Glenora Wine Cellars for holiday gifts, or just stocking up for the winter for yourself, join their eclub and get a 10% off coupon that you can print out. The coupon is only good for a month, so join the club right before you are going to visit to make sure you get the discount.

--If you are new to wine appreciation, Neil at GoodGlug.com is offering a free wine course that teaches the basics of wine in 10 emailed lessons. I have received the course and it is a good basic primer for beginners and it is totally FREE.

--A nice review for Wagners Vignoles at The Wine-Reviewer Blog
This is one of my favorites also.

--Dr Vino has a blog post on a new line of perfumes that have the scent of wine. If they would come out with a cologne that smelled like Gewurtzraminer, I would buy it. I love the aroma of a good Gewurtz. What is your favorite wine aroma?

--Congratulations to Alexa Gifford, the new director of the New York Wine & Culinary Center, which is expected to open in Canandaigua by June 2006. It will feature New York food and wine lectures, classes, and tastings.

--Several studies show the impact of wine on the New York economy. A study by MKF Research shows the following for 2004:
-36,000 wine-related jobs
-$1.3 billion in wages paid
-$420 million in New York winery sales
-$30 million of grape sales
-31 thousand grape-bearing acres
-4.14 million wine-related tourists

And a study by NASS shows the growth of winery-related business in New York state:
-148 of New York's 212 wineries (70%) have opened in the past 20 years
-63 wineries have opened just since 2000, doubling the growth rate of the 90's.
-10 times more tourists visited New York state wineries in 2003 than in 1985
-A 54% increase in visits and 49% increase in per-person spending at New York wineries from 2000 to 2003.

Another Great Finger Lakes Road Trip from The Star-Gazette

This Road Trip article covers the Hammondsport/Bath area I really love these road trip articles. Make sure you click on the Photo Gallery. My favorite picture is the one of the Barber House that was bought out of a Sears & Roebuck catalog in 1893 and shipped on a train. Yes, you could buy a house out of the Sears catalog.

Man, I wish I could make it to Seneca Falls the weekend of Dec. 9-11. The village is transformed into "Bedford Falls" from the classic Christmas movie It's A Wonderful Life. There's even an appearance by Karolyn Grimes, the actress who played Zuzu Bailey in the movie, along with a tree-lighting ceremony and an old-fashioned bonfire with a community singalong. Now that's Christmas.

That is part of what I love about the Finger Lakes area. It is truly small-town America and it is like stepping back in time in many ways to a much simpler era. I hope it can stay that way.

In Memory Of A Friend

Along with enjoying wine, another hobby of mine is making music. I have been a songwriter, singer, and musician for over 20 years now, releasing a few CD's along the way. This week, I sadly had to say goodbye to one of my bandmates. I wrote a song to sing at his funeral and it was the toughest song I have ever had to sing. In fact, I barely made it through.

You can hear the song here Click on the hi-fi or lo-fi arrow.

Here are the lyrics:

Verse 1:
Billy was a music man, Oh man he could sing, I loved to hear him singin, yeah
And Billy was in the band, But now he's gone away, Y know I can't believe it No

Chorus:
But you can't stop his music, Cause I still hear him in my head, & Billy's singin
We're an American Band, And we were, And we are, & Billy sing it,
Sing Desperado again, and he would, yes he would,
Cause there's no way you can, Stop a music man

Verse 2:
Now Billy's up in heaven, In that all-star band, Y know he's in the band, yeah
Oh Billy when I get there, I hope they let me in, To play with you again.

(Chorus)

Bridge:
Last night I saw the color of crimson in the sunset & I knew he was lookin down on us & I could hear him singin.

(Chorus)

There's no way, There's no way, There's no way you can Stop a music man

He was a great man who loved to entertain people and make them smile and have a good time.
I raise my glass to a great music man.