By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor With its wind turbine and in-progress biodynamic and organic certification, Shinn Estate Vineyards gets plenty of well-deserved attention for its sustainable and community-friendly practices. What sometimes gets lost in all that green is just how good the wines can be. There is no doubt that sauvignon blanc thrives on the North Fork, with an emerging regional signature developing over time. When anyone asks me to list the most consistent local sauvignon blanc producers, inevitably Shinn Estate is on the short list. Shinn Estate Vineyards 2010 First Fruit Sauvignon Blanc ($23) is brightly aromatic, delivering bright…
Posts Written OnJune 07, 2011
Mark Grimaldi | Director, Marketing and Events
Mark Grimaldi was born and raised in White Plains, NY where an Italian father meant there was always wine on the table. He has worked in the wine business since 2003, currently working for Michael Skurnik Wines for the past 6 years with roles that ranged from wine marketing and label design to now sales and consulting. After moving to the North Fork of Long Island in 2008 from New York City, Mark immersed himself in the local wine and food scene. He then met his now wife, Olivia, who was born and raised in the Finger Lakes, which led…
Ithaca Beer Company Dark Humor All-Brett Porter
By Julia Burke, Beer Editor A porter brewed with 100% brettanomyces, this is a collaboration beer brewed at Ithaca Beer Company with brewer Bobby Barrar of Iron Hill Brewing Company in Media, PA. It takes on the delicious combination of dark and sour. A sexy brownish-black in a pint glass with a half-finger camoflage-brown head, Dark Humor is aptly named. On the nose, chocolate milk (think Nestle Quick) and roasty malts are yummy and almost, just almost, hide the whiff of sour cherry. That cherry's not shy on the palate though. Delicious sour fruit cuts right through the milky texture,…
New York Cheese: Kunik from Nettle Meadow Farm
By Aaron Estes, Cheese Editor One of the things I love most about the cheese made in New York state is the diversity. We have cheesemakers all over this great state, from Long Island to the shores of the Finger Lakes, to the Hudson Valley that strive to bring unique and high-quality products to your cheese board and table. Even though we have historically been a large producer of industrial cheese (think Polly-O), it is the smaller and artisanal production that is slowly but surely finding its way to the forefront. Whenever I talk or write about New York cheeses,…