Photo courtesy of Wolffer Estate In case you missed it, there was a nice piece in this weekend's Page 6 section of the New York Post about Long Island wine country. Written by Cynthia Sin-Yi Cheng, someone I've emailed with a bit over the years, it provides a solid "Long Island Wine 101" overview of the region, even if the three wine picks are a bit under-inspiring. The fact that Sparkling Pointe is focused on a bit in the story isn't surprising — Cynthia's loves sparkling wine. I'm not sure how you can write this story and not pick a…
Posts Tagged“long island wine”
Palmer Vineyards 2007 Select Reserve White Table Wine
It's true what they say. Sometimes the sum really is greater than the parts. That is certainly the case with the latest release from Palmer Vineyards, a white blend that Spanish-born winemaker Miguel Martin has named "Select Reserve." Retailing for around $25, Palmer Vineyards' 2007 Select Reserve is a blend of 45% chardonnay, 35% pinot blanc, 18% sauvignon blanc and 2% Gewürztraminer. Sometimes, when you taste blends like these, you taste each component grape in a distinct way… almost like tasting each in succession. This wine isn't like that. Sure, you can assume that the chardonnay is responsible for the…
LENNDEVOURS in the New York Times
The New York Times is probably the newspaper in the U.S… if not the world, so you can imagine my surprise and happiness over seeing this blog mentioned in its pages earlier this week (just saw it online this morning). Howard Goldberg, writer of the every-other-week column "Long Island Vines" recommends LENNDEVOURS as one of the websites people should use to check in on Long Island wine country, saying: "The best wine blog for chatty reviews and news is Lenndevours, published by Lenn Thompson, whose day job is in Internet marketing. It is reached at www.lennthompson.typepad.com. Mr. Thompson has a…
WTNs: Jamesport Vineyards New Releases (North Fork of Long Island)
"Our wines are made in the vineyard." It’s a wine industry cliché that you’ll hear at molst any winery these days. It’s so overused and appears on so many boilerplates that much of its meaning has been watered down and lost. Like many clichés however, it is firmly rooted in fact. Even the world’s greatest winemaker won’t be able to make outstanding wine from un-ripe, low-quality fruit. Winemakers may be the celebrities of the wine world — even here on Long Island — but the good ones know how important a top vineyard manager is. It’s a symbiotic relationship unlike…
Wine Chick Wednesday: I’m in a New York State of Disconnect
We New Yorkers are a weird bunch. To start, we can’t even agree on what being a New Yorker means. A former NYC resident myself, I always found it beyond comical that NY1 would devote an entire 60 seconds to the “World Beyond New York” – be it Long Island, Louisiana or Lithuania, it was all the same upon exit from the five boroughs. Is that, then, the true New York? Not likely. Despite the heavy tax-base and votership in that small speck of real estate, the rest of the state ends up feeling neglected and overlooked. For example, when…
LENNDEVOURS/canvas Magazine “Drink Local” Wine Event is Saturday Night
There are still tickets available for the wine event I’m co-hosting with canvas Magazine this Saturday night at Footprint Art Gallery in Huntington, NY. Join us for terrific local wines from Raphael, Lieb Family Cellars and Macari Vineyards and food pairings provided by Whole Foods Market. It promises to be a lot of fun. In addition to great wine and food, there will be live music and a raffle that benefits the Coalition Against Child Abuse and Neglect. Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 at the door. Buy tickets today and I hope to see you there. Please make sure…
WTN: Osprey’s Dominion Vineyards 2006 Sauvignon Blanc (North Fork)
Today’s review is going to be a quick one. Are you sick of over-the-top grassy sauvignon blancs from New Zealand? If so, let me suggest that you try Osprey’s Dominion Vineyards’ 2006 Sauvignon Blanc, a steal at $13. I’ve enjoyed many local sauvignons over the past couple years, but many are at or around $20, making them a little beyond the "summer sipper" price. Right out of the fridge, this one was a little tight and a bit neutral, but once it warmed just a bit, nice lemon, melon and grapefruit aromas appeared with just the most subtle hints of…
A Morning at Sannino Vineyard…Racking, Cleaning and Tasting
Last Saturday, I stood in a large, barely-heated garage-turned-winery just off of Alvah’s Lane in Cutchogue. The thermometer had crept just above freezing, so I could I barely feel my hands. That’s the bad news. The good news is that I got my first taste of the wine that my group and I are making at Sannino Bella Vita Vineyard, sipping a barrel sample of 2007 cabernet franc, made from fruit grown on vines just at the end of the driveway behind me. Sannino Bella Vita Vineyard, the East End’s only home winemaker’s center, is a welcome and exciting new…
Teaser: Go Read Goldberg’s Latest in the New York Times
I don’t normally write teaser posts, but this is something that I think you’ll look forward to. Yesterday, the New York Times published a piece by Howard Goldberg that serves largely as a "Long Island Wine 101" Basic info with some "helpful" links on the Web for more information. As I read through it, several things caught my eye as I’m sure you can imagine. But, because I’m on deadline for several projects over the next couple of days, I’m not sure when I’ll be able to craft a post about it. But, I think my post will be thought…
WTN: Lieb Family Cellars 2004 Bridge Lane Bubbly (North Fork of Long Island)
Lieb Family Cellars’ Blanc de Blancs, made entirely using the pinot blanc grape, has long been a favorite (look for a review and rating later this week). But at $35, it’s not the sort of bubbly we can keep on hand for casual consumption. Luckily, they’ve recently introduced a sparkler under as part of their second-label Bridge Lane product line — a 2004 Bridge Lane Bubbly ($27). Bright and impressively flavorful from the first refreshing sip, this affordable bubbly is made with 60% pinot noir and 40% chardonnay by French-born Gilles Martin (formerly of Martha Clara Vineyards and currently winemaker…