Wine Tasting…Beer Tasting

On Thursday I went to Cooperstown NY for business. and attended the Catskill Hospice fundraiser. The event in my eyes was very successful! The event took place at Brewery Ommegang. What a fantastic place for an event. They had an elegant tent set up in the back of the brewery; dinner was great as was the band REO Speedwagon.

We arrived a bit before they opened the tent so we found ourselves in the tasting room of the brewery. You taste beer of micro brews the same way you do wine and they are paired the same way too. I found myself sniffing, sipping and evaluating. I started off tasting Witte Ale. It was very light and a good summertime ale. It had refreshing flavors of orange, and lemon. Next taste was the Hennepin. I enjoyed this too. It was refreshing, but a little heavier than the Witte. Then I tasted a dark beer (unfortunately I didn't write the name of it down) This beer is only available on tap and not sold in bottles. It had an aftertaste of cherry and was on the bitter side. I didn't like it, however, my friend Catherine did and felt it would go well with spicy food.

No trip is complete without a stop at a winery. We came across Bear Pond Winery just before we got on I88. I really liked their logo..a bear claw. I tasted a variety of their wines. Their Cabernet Franc was very nice. They had a cranberry wine which I thought would be a great summer drink if you added some club soda to it.

No matter where you are, you should stop in and visit the local winery. You will be surprised at the regional wines you will find.

Hudson Valley Wine & Culinary Food Pairing Dinner

I have finally figured out the editing software and was able to upload the video from the Hudson Valley Wine & Culinary Food Pairing Dinner that took place on May 30th at the CIA.

The event was a celebration of the award winning wines from the Hudson Valley Wine Competition. The wines were paired with haute cuisine prepared by the chefs at the Culinary Institute of America's St. Andrew's Cafe.

Dinner was fantastic! This dinner was a great opportunity to meet with winery owners and winemakers. I spoke with people afterwards who said it was great to sit and talk with the winemakers. They learned so much about Hudson Valley Wine and wine in general.


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Wine Store Assistance

I found myself last week on my way to a colleague's house for dinner and what did I forget...Oh no..the wine. I found myself in Beacon at the Artisan Wine Shop. What a nice store!

The owner Tim assisted me and asked what I was looking for. Even though I was looking at whites (very low on whites in the wine cellar) I needed a red. I was having beef for dinner. Since I didn't know if the beef was a burger or steak, I need something to go with anything. He recommended a 2003 Penny Farthing Cab Franc. I have to say, it went wonderful with the steak!! Thanks Tim.

I did also purchase two Sauvignon Blanc's, one from South Africa and one from Chile. I have yet to taste those.

When in doubt, talk to the help in your wine shop. They are most knowledgeable about the selections they carry. I found the selections in the Artisan Wine Shop quite different from selections in other wine stores and very reasonable prices. By different, I mean selections of local Hudson Valley Wine and from wine regions all over the world and lesser known regions, but small enough not to get lost in the inventory.

Weekend in Boston

I just came back from a weekend with friends just south of Boston. We brought 5 bottles of wine with us...a bottle of 2007 Whitecliff Gamay Noir, 2006 Whitecliff Malbac, 2005 Goosecross Syrah, a 2002 J.Lohr Merlot and a Chappellet Cab. A wide assortment. Unfortunately they were all gone in one evening. I thought for sure they would last the weekend.

We had the chance to go fishing and saw lots of whales, but caught nothing to take home. We were in search for Tuna and Bass. Here's what I caught while bass fishing.
All things weren't bad as the day ended in Provincetown to a wonderful dinner at the Lobster Pot. Before dinner, we had quite the spread on the boat. A nice bottle of Periquita wine from Portugal with some cheese and crackers and smoked bass.

Wine Ice Cream

Wine ice cream is becoming very popular. I've tasted the flavors you see here on the right. All are very good and are made with 100% wine.

Recently there has been some controversy about wine ice cream and needing a liquor license to sell it. Rest assure, New York State has a bill under legislation that says ice cream makers won't need a liquor license, but can't sell to anyone under 21-years-old and their products can't contain more than 5 percent alcohol.

Consuming wine ice cream is not like having a glass of wine. You will have to eat two gallons of wine ice cream or one pint of wine sorbet to equal just one glass of actual wine.

Sunset Sensations @ Locust Grove

Thursday evening June 12 the setting was Locust Grove – Samuel Morse Historic Site. It was a beautiful June evening and about 150 people gathered for the first of six "Sunset Sensations." Sunset Sensations is a wine pairing presented by Bob Brink of Arlington Wine & Liquors and a cooking demonstration by a featured local chef as they pair hors d'oeuvres from the seasonal vegetables grown in the heritage gardens at Local Grove. This pairing featured Chef Josh Kroner from Terrapin Restaurant in Rhinebeck.

When we arrived we were grated with a glass of 2007 Esperance Soleil Colombard and were treated to a Mediterranean Platter on the garden just behind the visitor center. The Mediterranean Platter featured Pita Chips, Hummus, Olives, Feta Cheese, Sliced Roasted Red and Yellow Bell Peppers Baba Ghanoush and Harissa. They had run out of plates, so putting this on a napkin was a bit difficult, but we managed. The wine selection was okay.

After this, we received a tour of the Heritage Vegetable Garden. It was quite interesting as they try to represent the eras of the Estate and what and how the vegetables were grown at that time. It was quite interesting.

Next we found ourselves on the lawn behind the Mansion for the next pairing of Asparagus, Prosciutto & Garlic Scape Borsin on Ciabatta paired with 2006 La Slina Dolcetto Di Ovada "Rocco Rosso". The view from this point of the Hudson River is beautiful. I could just sit here the rest of the evening and watch the sunset. It's magnificent! I enjoyed this pairing. They were very generous with the food and wine. The Dolcetto was stainless steel fermented so it was very light. Made for a nice summer red. We were the last to leave this spot as it was such a beautiful evening, but we had to head back to the visitors center for the last pairing of the evening.

At the visitors center we had dessert…Strawberry-Rhubarb Tart paired with 2007 Neirano Moscato d'Asti. I am not a big Champagne or Sparkling Wine person, but I did taste this and thought it was too sweet for my palate. But with that being said, it was paired with dessert and it paired very well. You don't want a dry champagne or wine with dessert, it's best paired with a selection that is a bit on the sweet side. The Strawberry-Rhubarb tart was very good. In fact I had two.

The evening was very enjoyable! Bob pairs the food with wines under $15. The selections for this evening were very nice. See, you don't need to spend a lot of money to get a nice bottle of wine.

If you have no plans on the second Thursday of the month, head to Locust Grove. You can find the information on the Sunset Sensations by clicking here.

Wine Blending Trials

A few months ago I had the opportunity to take part in a wine blending trial at Whitecliff Vineyards. There were 8 of us involved in this experiment. I say experiment because that is what it is. This is how winemaker decides how much of what, to blend together to make a wonderful bottle of wine. Blending is done for both red and white wines, but is more predominant in reds.

When I first entered the room, the amount of wine glasses took me by surprise, but then realized each glass represented a blend. Today we were blending what is going to be Whitecliff's Sky Island.

We ended up blending 6 different varieties all which make up a Bordeaux Blend. All varieties had the following wine in different proportions.

• Cabernet Franc
  
• Merlot
  
• Malbec / Petit Verdot*
  
• Cabernet Sauvignon
  

The Malbec Petit Verdot was a blend of 60% Malbec and 40% Petit Verdot that was put in the same barrel together. Below represents the percentage of each grape that is in the glass.

Blend # Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Fran, Malbec/Petit Verdo, Merlot

1 35 18 19 19

2 44 21 8 21

3 50 21 8 32

4 52 8 8 32

5 37 6 35 23

6 52 0 8 40

All blends tasted different and what was very strange is #1 I didn't like at all at the first try. However, as it opened and was re-tasted, it tasted and smelled like candy to me. Something from my childhood. It was very strange. It is very interesting how the different proportions really affect the taste of the wine. Not only the taste, the bouquet, and the after taste, which are all very important factors in choosing a wine.

My question to all of you is: What blend do you think is the winner and will be bottled later this year?

Around the World on the Shawangunk Wine Trail

This weekend is the Around the World in 80 Miles on the Shawangunk Wine Trail. If you've never attended this event it's a fantastic event to try Hudson Valley Wines paired with dishes from other countries. Each winery becomes a different wine producing region and pairs their wines with a dish from that region.

Each participants will get a passport good for travel to each winery where they will sample authentic food and wine. Just think..it's much quicker to get a Shawangunk Wine Trail passport than a US Passport. No 6 weeks plus of waiting. Plus you get wine and food with it.

Tickets for this event are $25 plus tax in advance. Event ticket includes tasting fees at all ten wineries and the gourmet food tasting.

You can view pictures of past Around the World events by clicking here.

Hope to see you on the trail.

Happy Anniversary Clinton Vineyards

On June 14th Clinton Vineyards will be celebrating 30 years of winemaking. Phyllis and Ben Feder began Clinton Vineyards in 1976 and they specialize in producing white wine, champagne and make a wonderful cassis.

I had the opportunity to stop by their vineyard a few weeks ago and was blown away at the beautiful grounds. It's breath taking. While waiting to speak with Phyllis, I sat outside and relaxed just looking at the grounds and collecting my thoughts. I took a stroll over to the pond where there was a huge Koi swimming around. A beautiful place to relax with a bottle of wine and have a picnic.

They will be celebrating 30 years on June 14th and if you have no plans I suggest you take a ride out to their vineyard. The party starts at 3pm. There will be Champagne, Wine and Dessert Wine Tasting paired with wonderful food and desserts. There will be a live jazz band for your enjoyment. There is a cost....$35 per person. Reservations are required. Just give them a call at 845.266.5372 or email ben at benfeder65@aol.com.

They are located at 450 Schultzville Road in Clinton Corners, New York.

More info on the event can be found by clicking here. You can tell them the Hudson Valley Wine Goddess sent you.

Congratulations Phyllis and Ben

Chef Peter Kelly of Xaviars talks about the Hudson Valley

I came across this video this morning and thought I'd share it with you. Chef Peter Kelly owner/chef of Xaviars Resatuarant talks about the Hudson Valley Wine Fest, why one should visit the Hudson Valley, and what the Hudson Valley has to offer.

If you haven't had the opportunity to dine in one of his restaurants, I highly suggest doing so. I ate at Restaurant X at Bully Boy Bar and it was fabulous!!!

Hudson Valley Wine & Culinary Food Pairing

On Friday May 30th I attended the Hudson Valley Wine and Culinary Food Pairing at the Culinary Institute of America's St. Andrew's Cafe. What a wonderful dinner it was!! The event was sold out at 94 people. There was a nice mix of winery owners and winemakers and the public.

The evening began with appetizers and a nice selection of wine on the patio. The appetizers were wonderful. They served, Duck and Fig kabobs, Smoked Salmon, some sort of whitefish, Thai Pizza and pizza with goat cheese and roasted red pepper, there was a spoon that had shrimp and a light salsa. It was all very good. Everyone was mingling and talking.

We went into the dinning room for an outstanding dinner. Click here to see the menu. The awards were given out to the wineries during dinner. It was done very tasteful as not long and drawn out. There were some newcomers to the wine industry winning some awards. Hudson-Chatham Winery won an award for their Merlot as did Bashakill Vineyards for their Whitetail and Blue Heron. This is the first year that both these wineries have gone commercial. Congratulations to Carlo and Paul.

Millbrook Vineyards took home the Cornell and Valerie Eldridge cup for their 2005 Estate Grown Cabernet Franc. I must say it went very well with the Filet Mignon. Benmarl's Baco Noirwhich won a Gold and Bed Red Hybrid, paired very well with the Lamb.


There were also a few wineries that didn't attend the event. That was their loss. For people outside of the wine industry, this event allowed them to meet with the owners and winemakers in a social setting and talk with them and learn about Hudson Valley Wine. I heard comments from a few people that they thought this event was great. They learned a lot about Hudson Valley Wines and created new friendships.

I have video from the event that I will share with all of you. I haven't put it all together yet. Once I do, I will post it and you will see from the speeches and learn more about Hudson Valley Wine.

In the meantime, you can view the pictures from the event.