A Royal Toast

Today is the big day - Will and Kate get married.   I am sure some of you don't give a hoot, where others are sitting in front of their TV.

Here are some of the Hudson Valley Sparkling Wines to toast to the new Prince & Princess.  What will you be toasting with?

Clinton Vineyards Jubilee 

Brotherhood Winery's Blanc de Blancs

Hudson-Chatham Blanc de Blanc

Two Glasses One Wine

I recently stopped by Whitecliff Vineyards & Winery to do a tasting of their new releases.  Michael gave me a sample of the 2010 Unoaked NYS Chardonnay to take home, but the 2010 labels hadn't arrived yet. So..he slapped on the 2009 label to make the bottle complete.  I think for picture reasons, I would have opted for an incomplete label with no vintage year.  So even though this picture says 09, it's really a 2010.  Now that we got that taken care of.

Paul and I sometimes argue about the wine glass. He seems to like these football no stem glass where I prefer to traditional wine glass.  The first pour was in Paul's favorite glass.   On the nose I got wet slate, fresh rain, minerally, kiwi and melon.   On the palate strong honeydew melon gives way to lime.  It was very one dimensional.

Now we switched to the stem glasses.  The nose was melon and wet slate.  On the palate I got honeydew melon, kiwi and hint of lime.  There was slight acidity mid palate that comes out. Could it be the glass? As the wine begins to warm, the Bartlett pear flavor begins to show and the mouth feel becomes smoother.

This is a very nice and refreshing wine. I am really becoming a fan of the unoaked Chardonnay!

Summer in A Glass

These days I find it harder and harder to read a book.  It's just time and I don't know where it goes.  When Evan Dawson's book "Summer in a Glass" came out, I pre-ordered it and hoped I could find the time to sit and read it. Evan is a fellow wine blogger as Managing Editor at the New York Cork Report and morning news anchor for WHAM TV in Rochester.  I know Evan, and I know and have met many people in this book.  "Summer in a Glass" brings out the heart and soul of a winery, winemaker and vineyard owner, their triumphs and tribulations both personal and business. 

When you walk into a winery, you taste the wine, listen to the story, but very rarely do you really know how that winery got to where it is today. You don't know what's behind, what's in the glass.   Evan brings that story to you.  Each story unique just like each winery.  This book isn't just a story, it's a personal account of Evan's passion, research and the friendships that blossomed with many of the people in the book.  It allows you to look at the wineries and people that are moving the Finger Lakes wines forward and taking it to the next level.  

At the end of the book Evan speaks about when Anthony Road won the Governor's Cup for the 2008 Semi-Dry Riesling.  I was there. I was working the Classic.  I was in the room, clearing wine glasses from the table when the winner was announced.  Everyone stopped what they were doing and began clapping.  John and Ann Martini came in from the work room (where we wash & dry glasses, and pour the wine) and a 5 minute standing ovation was given. (John and Ann volunteer at the Classic) I had no idea how important that was at the time.  

Baco vs Baco

Last week I was invited to Hudson-Chatham Winery to take part in TasteNY which is a tasting event that takes place on Twitter with people in different parts of the country.  It's a way to introduce people to the wine regions of New York in the comfort of their living room and is founded by Lenn Thompson of The New York Cork Report.

The note I received from Carlo was asking us to come to the winery for pizza and Baco.  We would be tasting the 2009 Casscles Vineyard Baco Noir and the 2009 Old Vines Baco Noir. The same grape, two very distinctively different wines.

Paul and I drove the hour to the winery and it was dark, so we went down to the house where everyone was gathered and the dining room table set.  Dominique decided to make Penne with Sausage instead which was a nice surprise and very good!

We sat down at the table, David and Carlo with their computers and pasta, me with my cell phone and the event began.  We began with the 2009 Baco Reserve.  The grapes for this wine came from winemaker Steve Casscles vineyard in Athens, NY and was aged in French Oak for 6 months.  I tasted this Baco back in January and it was quite acidic.  I was pleasantly surprised how the acidity had soften up quite a bit in the past few months.  As the wine opened up we got a candied black cherry flavor.

Baco's side by side

The next Baco is Hudson-Chatham's Old Vine Baco 2009.  This wine was much more fruit forward than the Reserve, much heavier and bolder. The grapes for this wine come from the Finger Lakes.  Two Baco's, same grape, different growing regions in New York.  It's very interesting how different the wine can be based on where the grapes are grown.  When you get down to it, they can be different within the same vineyard.

Recently Carlo had a blog post about the Old Vines and I found it very interesting.   The grapes used in the Old Vine Baco come from The Masson Place Farm.  It is a huge property, and it is really an amalgamation of smaller farms. Pultney Vineyard is the spot where their block of Old Vine Baco is grown.  The vines are gnarly, twisted, and look like old witches hands. But, they produce big, luscious bunches of dark, ripe grapes. They let the grapes hang as late as possible. Almost until they begin to burst. They crush them at a facility in the Finger Lakes and then transport them back to Hudson.  You can read more about Carlo's Old Vine Baco on his Hudson-Chatham Wine Blog.

Beer Tasting at The Dubliner

Every wine drinker likes a good beer at times.  I am one of those.  In fact a few years back I went to Vermont and did a beer tasting tour around the state and stopped at wonderful micro breweries.  When Chrystal aka 'The Babysitter' called to invite me to a beer tasting at the Dubliner one Monday evening, I said sure.

Evidently The Dubliner has tastings on Monday evenings.  The first Monday is Beer, second Monday is Wine and then they do spirits the third Monday and cocktails the 4th Monday.  How come I didn't know about his?  I do now.
All the tastings come with 'petite' Entrees.  For the $20 fee, you do get value for your money.  The petite entree  consisted of a pork medallion, stuffing, mashed potato and green beans.  That's plenty for me, had I known I wouldn't have eaten dinner with my family before heading out.

We got our tasting sheets to evaluate the beers.  It's like a wine tasting.  We evaluated the beer based on head, color, clarity, body and taste.  Brendan would tell us a little about the beer and we would have to guess the name of the brewery.  I am happy to say, I guessed the Captain Lawrence selection, local beer from Pleasantville, NY

Out of all 6 beers tasted the two I liked best were Flying Dog Brewery 'Raging Bitch Belgian' IPA (that probably describes me at times) and Dog Fish Brewery 90 Minute IPA.  The Raging Bitch was light in color had the nose of wisteria and had a hint of coriander on the palate.  The 90 Minute IPA was a bit more hoppy which explains the bitter finish.

An honorable mentions goes to SOS (Save our Shore) beer which is a beer produced by a joint venture between Abita Beer and the Louisiana Seafood Promotion & Marketing Board and all proceeds raised by the sale of this beer go to assist with the rescue and restoration of the environment, industry and individuals fighting to survive the disastrous oil spill.  This beer had flavors of orange and clove and was very refreshing.

The other beers we tasted I like as well but the above three stood out the most. The only beer, which surprise me that I liked the least was Long Trail's Hibernator. I've been to Long Trail when on a ski trip to Killington and even brought home the Hibernator for my non skier husband.  That was a surprise to me.  The other two tasted was a Captain Lawrence Pale Ale; Blue Point Brewery RastafaRye Ale which is a rye beer.  Blue Point is another brewery giving back as the company donates a portion of all RastafaRye Ale to 'They Often Cry Outreach (TOCO) a Taj Weekes charity foundation that helps orphaned and underprivilege children in the Caribbean and around the world.

Benmarl Vertical Frontenac Tasting

I recently stopped into the tasting room at Benmarl Winery and was treated to a vertical tasting of the 2008 and 2009 Frontenac.

If it's not clear in this picture the 08 is on the left and 09 is on the right.  The two wines were very different in character if you can tell from this picture, the 08 a much darker richer in color with the 09 more bright, purple and expressive.

I am not a real fan of Frontenac, but I must say, of the two, I really enjoyed the 2008.  One of the reason I personally enjoyed the 08 is it wasn't as acidic as the 09, it was heavier and bolder.  But that is a personal preference of mine, some people do like the more acidic wine.

The 2008 with its rich color had a bouquet of cherry and hint berry jam.  It was heavier and bolder than other Frontenac wines I've tasted.  It had a nice mouth feel with ripe blackberries, fruitiness rounding out to a plumish finish.

The 2009 Frontenac was blended with 20% Hudson Valley Cabernet Franc from Barton Farms.  This Frontenac was much lighter in both color and body than the 2008.  With a bright purple color this wine was much more acidic with the acid tingling on the side of your tongue.  This wine had a bright cherry nose and jammy in flavor with slight spice of the Cabernet Franc on the finish.

Both wines are currently available in the tasting room.

Chelois by Hudson-Chatham Winery

 

Chelois, until I received this sample from Hudson-Chatham Winery, I personally never heard or tasted wine made from this grape.  Being that this grape is new to me I did a little research and there isn't that much out there on this particular grape.  I knew it was a hybrid, the pedigree is Seibel 5163 x Seibel 5593 and its origin is in Abeunas, Ardeche France.  The grape tends to bud late which is good in case there is a late spring frost. 

  The Chelois grapes were grown at Steve Casscles Vineyard in Hudson, NY and ws aged in French oak for 9 months.  Now knowing what to expect from this 2008 Chelois I was excited to try it. On the nose I got a bouquet of raspberry, cooked cherry, mushroom and a hint of vanilla.

Now for the taste.  I had no expectations, so I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't acidic like some other red hybrids tend to be.  I found the wine light and soft with flavors of black cherry an cran-raspberry.

For a red hybrid, I really enjoyed this wine.  Good job Carlo and Steve.  I am looking forward to taste future vintages of their Chelois and will  now have a vintage to compare it to.

Pasta Primo Vino - Shawangunk Wine Trail Season Kick-Off

It's spring and the Shawangunk Wine Trail has it's annual event - Pasta Primo Vino April 16 & 17.  This is a great event to introduce yourself to the wineries of the Shawangunk Wine Trail.


As you travel the wine trail each winery will have a pasta sampling paired with the wines.  You will find the following pairings:
 

• Adair Vineyards - Southwestern Pasta Bean Salad
• Applewood Winery - Spring Pasta Salad with Fresh Vegetables & a Lemon Vinaigrette
• Baldwin Vineyards - Baked Rigatoni with Ricotta & Fresh Basil
• Benmarl Vineyards - Gnocci in a Sage & Butter Sauce
• Brimstone Hill Vineyards - French Pasta Provencal
• Brotherhood Winery - Orzo with Mushrooms
• Glorie Farm Winery - Sassy Peanut Pasta
• Palaia Winery - Pasta Ai Quattro Formaggi with Italian Semolina Bread
• Stoutridge Vineyards - TBA
• Warwick Winery & Distillery - Pasta & Homemade Sweet Italian Sausage & Shaved Fennel
• Whitecliff Vineyards - Cacia de Pepe, a Roman Specialty Cheese & Black Pepper

The event cost is $25.34 and begins at 10am each day and ends at 6pm. You can purchase tickets on the Shawangunk Wine Trail's website.

Vinum Cafe Now Serving....

I reported last July about Vinum Cafe at Brotherhood Winery. It's a nice restaurant, affordable with entrees approximately $12.95 but they didn't have a liquor license.

The reason behind the lack of liquor was because a law got in the way requiring commercial wineries to apply for and get an additional license. It can be a long process.

It only took less than a year and now you can dine at Vinum Cafe and have a bottle of wine, cocktail or beer with your meal.  

Vinum Cafe is owned by hef Christian Pierrel who cooks up some wonderful meals and is open Wednesday through Sunday.  I would suggest reservations. 

Here is a sampling of just some of the delicious meals you can experience at Vinum Cafe.

2007 Buoncristiani Artistico Syrah

When Paul and I were out in CA in October we joined a wine club called Vintners Collective which provides us with small lot hand wines.  Wines that there are only a few hundred cases made. 

Back in February on a snowy evening we opened this wine and served it with Kiernan Farms Tuscan Sausage over Penne. 

I am a label person and purple is one of my favorite colors, so I would have picked up this bottle at a wine shop.  The purple label matched it's purple inky color of the wine.

This is a Napa Valley Syrah that was harvested from Stagecoach Vineyards in Vaca Mountains above Oakville and from Larry Hyde's Hyde Las Trancas Vineyard in Oak Knoll.  The wine was aged for 17 months in French oak barrels of which 38% were new oak. 

The nose was one of berry and spice with black pepper.  On the palate I found black cherry, wild berry, dark chocolate rounding out softly to a black pepper finish.

I really enjoyed this wine.  It was a great find. 

Hudson-Berkshire Beverage Trail Season Kick-Off

The Hudson-Berkshire Beverage Trail is kicking off the season April 9th with their Pasta Trail Event.  What's unique about the Hudson Berkshire Beverage Trail is you have wine, beer and spirits you get to taste.  There is something for everyone.

The event cost is $15 and that gives you a passport good at Brookview Station Winery, Harvest Spirits, Chatham Brewery, Tousey Winery, Hudson-Chatham Winery and Furnace Brook Winery. The event runs from noon - 5pm.

I did attend this event last year and really enjoyed it.  The wine, the beer and the spirits!  If you are a vodka drinker, Harvest Spirits makes Core Vodka, very smooth! Have a beer tasting at Chatham Brewery is a great palate cleanser before moving onto the next winery.