If you have the patience to sit in the traffic on the LIE, I suggest a visit to the Long Island Wine Country. Honestly, a weekday visit would be worth it, as there is less traffic to get out there and the tasting rooms tend to be less crowded. The North Fork...once potato farms is now an area with lots of vineyards and wonderful wine.
If you are planning a trip out there to taste, there are some wonderful B&B's. One of my favorites is The Harvest Inn. Darolyn and Chris are wonderful hosts and Chris is a wonderful Chef.
Some of my favorite wineries: Lieb Family Cellars; Martha Clara Vineyards; Raphael;Schneider Vineyards; Shinn Estates; Waters Crest Winery; Osprey's Dominion Vineyards ;Lenz Winery.
There are some wonderful restaurants to dine in as well. Don't forget your bathing suit. After an afternoon of tasting, there is still time for a trip to the beach.
If you are interested, there is the Long Island Wine Camp. It is a comprehensive program where you learn and get a hands on in the winemaking. Here are the details.
Wine Camp is a 3 night, 4 day adventure in Long Island's Wine Country. A vacation and life experience. We provide Wine Campers with a fun environment to learn, while they enjoy wonderful wine and terrific food in an absolutely beautiful setting. The value of the package is quite extraordinary, and includes:-Tastings and interactive learning sessions-Premier accommodations -Sensational breakfasts-Al fresco lunches in the vineyards-Dinner the first evening at the beautiful waterside restaurant, Scrimshaw-An elegant ‘Food & Wine’ Pairing Event at Castello di Borghese...This wonderful 5 course, 6 wine paired dinner is prepared by Chef Steve, owner of Black Tie Caterers and Wine Camp's Executive Chef!-Each couple will also receive a case of wine -And special gifts to remember wine campThe Wine Camp experience...>Learn how to taste wine like an expert >Discover the history of this exciting region>Work with our talented winemakers >Blend your own white and red wines>Have fun with the chemistry of winemaking>Participate in seasonal work in the vineyards>Celebrate the magic of Food and Wine pairing>Journey from the vineyards, to the crush pad to the fermentation area to the cellar...As we say from the 'vine to the wine in the bottle'!This program includes many of the region's award winning wineries:
Bedell Cellars
Castello di Borghese
Corey Creek Vineyards
Jamesport Vineyards
The Lenz Winery
Peconic Bay
The Old Field Vineyards
Paumanok Vineyards
Raphael
Waters Crest
And some free time to visit other local
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Monday, June 25, 2007
Wine Tasting in the Finger Lakes
The Finger Lakes Wine Region is about 3 1/2 hours from the Hudson Valley. It is composed of 4 wine trails...Canandaigua Wine Trail - 10 wineries, Keuka Lake Wine Trail - 18 wineries, Seneca Lake Wine Trail - 53 wineries and Cayuga Lake Wine Trail - 24 wineries. You are probably thinking, all these wineries where do I stay.
On a visit to the Finger Lakes, my husband and I stayed at the Red Brick Inn in Dundee. We felt that this was very centrally located as well as a beautiful place to stay. In the Finger Lakes area, there are many Bed & Breakfasts to choose from along with hotels and motels.
Here are some of my favorite wineries in the Finger Lakes.
Keuka Wine Trial- Chateau Renaissance Wine Cellars, Dr Konstantin Franks's Vinifera WIne Cellars (know as Dr. Frank), Heron Hill Winery, Hunt Country Vineyards, McGregor Vineyard & Winery
Cayuga Wine Trail - Kings Ferry Winery (Treleaven), Sheldrake Point Vineyard
Seneca Wine Trail - Atwater Estate Vineyards, Chateau LaFayette Reneau, Fox Run Vineyards, Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars, Red Newt Cellars, Standing Stone Vineyards, Wagner Vineyards,
Canandaigua Wine Trail- Finger Lakes Wine Center
If you can't make it to the Finger Lakes you can attend the Hudson Valley Wine Festival Sept 8 & 9th at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds. A number of Finger Lakes Wineries will be there. You can taste and purchase their wine there. It's a great event.
If you do have a chance to visit the Finger Lakes, please share your tastings with me.
On a visit to the Finger Lakes, my husband and I stayed at the Red Brick Inn in Dundee. We felt that this was very centrally located as well as a beautiful place to stay. In the Finger Lakes area, there are many Bed & Breakfasts to choose from along with hotels and motels.
Here are some of my favorite wineries in the Finger Lakes.
Keuka Wine Trial- Chateau Renaissance Wine Cellars, Dr Konstantin Franks's Vinifera WIne Cellars (know as Dr. Frank), Heron Hill Winery, Hunt Country Vineyards, McGregor Vineyard & Winery
Cayuga Wine Trail - Kings Ferry Winery (Treleaven), Sheldrake Point Vineyard
Seneca Wine Trail - Atwater Estate Vineyards, Chateau LaFayette Reneau, Fox Run Vineyards, Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars, Red Newt Cellars, Standing Stone Vineyards, Wagner Vineyards,
Canandaigua Wine Trail- Finger Lakes Wine Center
If you can't make it to the Finger Lakes you can attend the Hudson Valley Wine Festival Sept 8 & 9th at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds. A number of Finger Lakes Wineries will be there. You can taste and purchase their wine there. It's a great event.
If you do have a chance to visit the Finger Lakes, please share your tastings with me.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Wine Tasting in the Hudson Valley
If you have some free time and are wondering what to do...wine tasting in the Hudson Valley is a wonderful idea. You will experience some wonderful and unique wines that are hand crafted with Hudson Valley grapes as well as fruits.
There are 4 wineries on the East side of the Hudson. They are, Cascade Mountain Winery, Millbrook Vineyards & Winery, Clinton Vineyards and Alison Winery.
There are 12 wineries on the West side of the Hudson. They are, Adair Vineyards, El Paso Winery, Rivendel Winery, Whitecliff Vineyards & Winery, Brimstone Hill Vineyards, Baldwin Vineyards, Brotherhood, America's Oldest Winery, Applewood Winery, Warwick Winery, Benmarl Winery, Stoutridge Winery, and Glorie Farm Winery.
Don't forget to pack a picnic lunch. There are some wonderful wineries to have picnics. Benmarl and Whitecliff are my two favorites.
Let me know about your experiences wine tasting in the Hudson Valley.
There are 4 wineries on the East side of the Hudson. They are, Cascade Mountain Winery, Millbrook Vineyards & Winery, Clinton Vineyards and Alison Winery.
There are 12 wineries on the West side of the Hudson. They are, Adair Vineyards, El Paso Winery, Rivendel Winery, Whitecliff Vineyards & Winery, Brimstone Hill Vineyards, Baldwin Vineyards, Brotherhood, America's Oldest Winery, Applewood Winery, Warwick Winery, Benmarl Winery, Stoutridge Winery, and Glorie Farm Winery.
Don't forget to pack a picnic lunch. There are some wonderful wineries to have picnics. Benmarl and Whitecliff are my two favorites.
Let me know about your experiences wine tasting in the Hudson Valley.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Great time to go wine tasting
Now that we are into the summer, spending the day wine tasting is the perfect way to spend a Saturday or Sunday, or any day of the week. If you can go wine tasting during the week, you will find it less crowded.
Here are some tips on spending the day tasting.
Plan your visits. Visit wineries clustered together and no more than five ot six a day: two in the morning, one for lunch and two or three in the afternoon. That leaves you time to taste and talk. Go to both small and large places to get a sense of the range of wines produced.
Take a cooler. Pack a picnic lunch in a cooler, and then you'll have a place to store the wines that you buy, so they don't cook in the trunk. Most wineries will ship anywhere within the same state, and many across the country now—so think twice before lugging those bottles around: a case of 12 weighs 37 pounds. If you do buy a bottle, get one that's only available at the winery—and ask the vintner to sign it. To learn more about shipping wine across state lines go to www.freethegrapes.org
Avoid strong smells. Perfume, cologne and aftershave all interfere with the wine aromas, so skip them when you're going to taste.
Wear dark clothing. Even if you're an expert spitter, the person next to you might not be.
Call ahead. If your favorite winery isn't open to the public, call to ask if you can drop by anyway. Many will welcome fans by appointment
Go early. Tasting rooms are much less crowded in the mornings before lunch, and less packed on weekdays than weekends. And even though cabernet at 10 a.m. may not sound appealing, your palate is at its best in the morning.
Please share with me some of your wine tasting experiences.
Here are some tips on spending the day tasting.
Plan your visits. Visit wineries clustered together and no more than five ot six a day: two in the morning, one for lunch and two or three in the afternoon. That leaves you time to taste and talk. Go to both small and large places to get a sense of the range of wines produced.
Take a cooler. Pack a picnic lunch in a cooler, and then you'll have a place to store the wines that you buy, so they don't cook in the trunk. Most wineries will ship anywhere within the same state, and many across the country now—so think twice before lugging those bottles around: a case of 12 weighs 37 pounds. If you do buy a bottle, get one that's only available at the winery—and ask the vintner to sign it. To learn more about shipping wine across state lines go to www.freethegrapes.org
Avoid strong smells. Perfume, cologne and aftershave all interfere with the wine aromas, so skip them when you're going to taste.
Wear dark clothing. Even if you're an expert spitter, the person next to you might not be.
Call ahead. If your favorite winery isn't open to the public, call to ask if you can drop by anyway. Many will welcome fans by appointment
Go early. Tasting rooms are much less crowded in the mornings before lunch, and less packed on weekdays than weekends. And even though cabernet at 10 a.m. may not sound appealing, your palate is at its best in the morning.
Please share with me some of your wine tasting experiences.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Around the World in 80 Miles
Did you know you can travel around the world this weekend, without leaving the Hudson Valley. Well you can on the Shawangunk Wine Trail This weekend all 10 wineries on the trail will be a different country and pair food from that region with their wines. This is a great way to introduce yourself to the wines of the Hudson Valley. The price of the event includes wine and food tastings at all 10 wineries, and the tickets are good for both days. So if you don't hit all the wineries on Saturday, you can go back on Sunday. I'll be doing the event, so I'll be looking for you. If you see me, please say hi.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Burgers and Zin
I was invited over to a friends house on Sunday for some burgers. I opened the wine cellar and thought...what wine goes good with burgers....Ah...a Zinfindel. I pulled out a bottle of 2003 Dover Canyon Zinfandel Reserve. We purchased this wine on our trip to the Central Coast in 2006. We had such a good time at this winery.
This wine was a wonderful compliment to our dinner. The wine had wonderful spice and cherries, followed by flavors of wild berries and black berries. There was a hint of pepper and berry on the finish. This wine had soft tannins. It was awesome!!!
A little on our visit to Dover Canyon...
Dover Canyon got recommended to us by people we were talking to at another winery. We couldn't have ended our day in a better place with great hospitality.
Dover Canyon is on Vineyard Drive in the northwest quadrant of the Paso Robles appellation. Dan Panico, owner and winemaker of Dover Canyon, has long believed that the northwest-running strip of calcareous soil along Vineyard Drive is optimum for growing Zinfandel and Rhône varieties. Their estate vineyard features head-trained, dry farmed zinfandel and stress-irrigated syrah. They are committed to sustainable farming. There production is focused on small lots of wine, often vineyard designated, from mountainous vineyards in the northwest corner of Paso Robles, centering around the Dover Canyon, Templeton Gap, and Adelaide Hills districts.
Dan is well known for producing wines with a silky, smoke-and-licorice profile, and a focus on vineyard presence. We had the wonderful opportunity to have Mary Baker pouring our tasting. We had such a great time! A perfect ending to our day.
This wine was a wonderful compliment to our dinner. The wine had wonderful spice and cherries, followed by flavors of wild berries and black berries. There was a hint of pepper and berry on the finish. This wine had soft tannins. It was awesome!!!
A little on our visit to Dover Canyon...
Dover Canyon got recommended to us by people we were talking to at another winery. We couldn't have ended our day in a better place with great hospitality.
Dover Canyon is on Vineyard Drive in the northwest quadrant of the Paso Robles appellation. Dan Panico, owner and winemaker of Dover Canyon, has long believed that the northwest-running strip of calcareous soil along Vineyard Drive is optimum for growing Zinfandel and Rhône varieties. Their estate vineyard features head-trained, dry farmed zinfandel and stress-irrigated syrah. They are committed to sustainable farming. There production is focused on small lots of wine, often vineyard designated, from mountainous vineyards in the northwest corner of Paso Robles, centering around the Dover Canyon, Templeton Gap, and Adelaide Hills districts.
Dan is well known for producing wines with a silky, smoke-and-licorice profile, and a focus on vineyard presence. We had the wonderful opportunity to have Mary Baker pouring our tasting. We had such a great time! A perfect ending to our day.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Whitcliff Vineyard & Winery
I attended Community Day in LaGrange yesterday. What a wonderful day, that concluded with some fantastic fireworks. The LaGrange Farmers Market kicked off their season at Community Day. Although the Market will be located at the Town Hall on Stringham Road every Saturday, they had their products at Community Day. I had the opportunity to taste some wonderful wines from Whitecliff Vineyard & Winery.
They had 4 of their wines available for tasting. I started with the Awosting White, which is a blend of Seyval and Viognoles and stainless steel fermented..it taste like a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. It's a wonderful summer white. Next was their 2005 Chardonnay Reserve. This wine was a nice oaky Chardonnay. It had some tropical fruit notes on the end.
The reds they were tasting were a Ridgewine Red and Cabernet Franc. The Ridgewine Red was a beautiful purplish color. It's a blend of 5 grapes...3 of the grapes are cold weather hybrid grapes that grow well in cold climates. The other two in the blend were Merlot and Malbac. This wine was fruity, with soft tannins, a hit of pepper and cherry the end. The Cabernet Franc was a bolder red with lots of tannins, spice and pepper on the end.
I am looking forward to see what other wines they bring to the farmers market. I might have take a ride to Gardiner where they are located and visit their tasting room.
They had 4 of their wines available for tasting. I started with the Awosting White, which is a blend of Seyval and Viognoles and stainless steel fermented..it taste like a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. It's a wonderful summer white. Next was their 2005 Chardonnay Reserve. This wine was a nice oaky Chardonnay. It had some tropical fruit notes on the end.
The reds they were tasting were a Ridgewine Red and Cabernet Franc. The Ridgewine Red was a beautiful purplish color. It's a blend of 5 grapes...3 of the grapes are cold weather hybrid grapes that grow well in cold climates. The other two in the blend were Merlot and Malbac. This wine was fruity, with soft tannins, a hit of pepper and cherry the end. The Cabernet Franc was a bolder red with lots of tannins, spice and pepper on the end.
I am looking forward to see what other wines they bring to the farmers market. I might have take a ride to Gardiner where they are located and visit their tasting room.
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Millbrook Vineyards & Winery Red Wine
To continue on my tastings, I tasted the NY Pinot Noir, Merlot and Cab Franc.
The 2005 New York State Pinot Noir. This wine is medium bodied with earthy aromas and notes of strawberry and black cherry. I found it very earthy.
The 2005 New York State Merlot was made from fruit from Long Island. This wine had a nice smooth finish. It had some earthy aromas of plum and berry fruits.
The 2005 New York Cabernet Franc was a blend with 24.5% Merlot. This had aromas of red berry fruits, black raspberry, and spice. I love the spice on the finish. That's what makes a good Cab Franc.
If you have some time free, take a ride out to Millbrook Winery and let me know what you think.
The 2005 New York State Pinot Noir. This wine is medium bodied with earthy aromas and notes of strawberry and black cherry. I found it very earthy.
The 2005 New York State Merlot was made from fruit from Long Island. This wine had a nice smooth finish. It had some earthy aromas of plum and berry fruits.
The 2005 New York Cabernet Franc was a blend with 24.5% Merlot. This had aromas of red berry fruits, black raspberry, and spice. I love the spice on the finish. That's what makes a good Cab Franc.
If you have some time free, take a ride out to Millbrook Winery and let me know what you think.
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Millbrook Vineyards & Winery
On Saturday I drove out to Millbrook Vineyards & Winery to pick up my Williams Selyem wine that I ordered. While there I got to taste some very nice wines under the Millbrook label.
First I tasted the 2006 Tocai Friulano. Tocai is a hungarian varietial that is estate grown. It has aromas of pineapple and kiwi with some nice citrus and pear flavors. This is a great summer wine!
Next was the 2005 NYS Chardonnay. This is a blend of Chardonnay grapes from New York's three primary growing regions. (Long Island, Finger Lakes & Hudson River Valley). This wine is partial barrel fermentation and complete malolactic fermentation that privdes this wine with tropical aromas with some mineral components on the finish.
Now it was onto the 2005 Chardonnay Proprietor's Special Reserve - Hudson River Region. This Chardonnay underwent malolactic fermentation and was completely barrel frmented in 80% French an 20% American oak for 9 months. This wine has aromatic layers of white peach cobbler, rose petal and pear which is folloed by a creamy and smooth finish.
Tomorrow I will go over the Reds I tasted. Till then...Cheers...
First I tasted the 2006 Tocai Friulano. Tocai is a hungarian varietial that is estate grown. It has aromas of pineapple and kiwi with some nice citrus and pear flavors. This is a great summer wine!
Next was the 2005 NYS Chardonnay. This is a blend of Chardonnay grapes from New York's three primary growing regions. (Long Island, Finger Lakes & Hudson River Valley). This wine is partial barrel fermentation and complete malolactic fermentation that privdes this wine with tropical aromas with some mineral components on the finish.
Now it was onto the 2005 Chardonnay Proprietor's Special Reserve - Hudson River Region. This Chardonnay underwent malolactic fermentation and was completely barrel frmented in 80% French an 20% American oak for 9 months. This wine has aromatic layers of white peach cobbler, rose petal and pear which is folloed by a creamy and smooth finish.
Tomorrow I will go over the Reds I tasted. Till then...Cheers...
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Wine that turned
Well..we didn't catch one of the bottles. Last night we opened the Tolosa 2003 Edna Valley, Edna Ranch Chardonnay. It had just turned. How do you know when a bottle of Chardonnay turns...it's like drinking nuts. You can't smell or taste any fruit. The wine is very nutty. We were bummed!! We had purchased that wine when we went to the winery in January of 2006. I remember, it was the first winery of the day. The Chardonnay was wonderful, nice butter on the finish.
That taught us to always drink the white wine the year we receive it. White wine doesn't age like Red!
That taught us to always drink the white wine the year we receive it. White wine doesn't age like Red!
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