The Other Wines in the House - Where's the Spice

Cabernet Franc is one of my favorite varietals of wine.  What I enjoy most about it is the spice finish.  Usually black pepper.  Something about that spice brings excitement to me.

I opened a 2006 Goosecross Cabernet Franc and was looking for that excitement.  Unfortunately I didn't get it but I got a whole lot of other flavors.

There was 575 cases of this wine made.  It is 93% Cabernet Franc with 5% Merlot and it aged for 16 months in French Oak.

The aroma of this wine was cherry with some spice and vanilla.  Ok I got my spice in the nose, but I wanted it on the finish.

On the palate there was cherry with dried herbs.  In the background there was a hint of mint with some raspberry.  The raspberry on the finish lingered on the palate.

Overall this was a nice Cab Franc, even though it didn't have my spice.  Not sure how long it has been sitting in our cellar since we are members of their wine club.  You might be able to purchase it from Goosecross if they have any left.

Brasserie 292 - A bit of France in Poughkeepsie

The city of Poughkeepsie is slowly becoming the food mecca of the Hudson Valley. I have been hearing and looking at pictures of friends dining at Brasserie 292 on Main Street and finally went there on Thursday for dinner.

The decor was very upbeat and lively.  For a moment I thought I was in a Brasserie in Paris, or in NYC in the 1920's.  It was a great feeling, one of nostalgia, where you can get caught up in the atmosphere and forget that you are in downtown Poughkeepsie.  I liked the white tiled walls.  (the only drawback is it reminded me of my grandmothers bathroom in her NYC apartment that was built in 1908 and still had the original tiling in it when she passed 5 years ago).  The staff at the restaurant was friendly and the service was very good.

We began our experience with sour dough bread and french baguettes, a Chardonnay and a Syrah.  Although the oyster specials sounded fabulous, I love oysters, but they don't love me, we ordered the Warm Camembert wrapped in phyllo with arugula, apples and a fig-balsamic vinaigrette and spinach salad with grilled asparagus, red onion, poached egg and lemon-caper dressing. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture because the plate was so inviting, I just began to eat.  My dinner could have been compete after the Camembert course.  I really enjoyed that.

Along came my main course which was the Rib Eye special with cannelloni in a sage sauce.  The steak was the tastiest I've had in a long time.  Cooked to perfection, juicy and savory with lots of flavor. The pasta was equally as good, with hints of fall spices in a incredible sauce.  The pasta alone could have been a dish.  I can't leave out the greens that accompanied it.  I wasn't that thrilled with my wine of choice, it seemed a little grapy, but overall went well with the rib eye.

I was so busy with my plate, I never asked Paul for a taste of his Salmon.  However, he did clear the plate and left nothing.  He said it was very good as was his Chardonnay.

Even though I had absolutely no room for dessert, It was my birthday, so I had to order something.  The Milk Chocolate Creme Pot de Creme sounded fantastic, but I knew I wouldn't be able to eat it by myself.  Being that Paul isn't a dessert person I ordered the Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee.  I don't know where I found the room, but I ate it all!

I am looking forward to returning to Brasserie 292.  I thoroughly enjoyed my meal.  One note...if you ask for a "doggie bag" they hold it in the back until you are completely finished.  Just make sure you remember to ask for it when you receive your check. I left and figured they tossed my leftovers.

I also want to applaud Brasserie 292 for their use of social media. Not many local restaurants actively use Facebook and Twitter.  Being the Social Media junkie I am, I get annoyed when restaurants have a FB page or twitter account and don't interact with the public.  They use it as a one way medium.  NOT Brasserie!  I posted on their FB page about my doggie bag, but tweeted to them that I had a wonderful dinner.  They tweeted back that they were sorry about the doggie bag and offered to make me lunch and deliver it to me.  That is going far beyond any call of duty. (although I really wanted my leftover steak and pasta)  I felt that the customer service went far beyond any other local establishment. (No I did not take them up on their offer.)

You can find Brasserie 292 at 292 Main Street in Poughkeepsie on the web, facebook and twitter

We Love Happy Bitch Wines

Hidden - 2003 Whitecliff Vineyards Sky Island

What I found in the freezer paired with what I found in the wine cellar. Yes it was a great dinner to be.  Those wonderful steaks with a 2003 Whitecliff Sky Island.

Honestly I wasn't sure about the wine.  I found this deep in the wine cellar and questioned whether it had aged out.  There was only one way to tell - open the bottle.

Whitecliff's Sky Island is their Bordeaux Blend type of wine.  This was made with 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc.  Since I wasn't sure what to expect, I had no expectations, but did have some wandering doubts of this 8 year old wine.  Once opened and tasted, WOW, this wine really held up well.  I was impressed!  I don't think it would have lasted another year or two, so I am glad I found it when I did..

The nose was a cigar box at first with some black cherry and big bold mushroom. The texture wasn't big and bold, but medium to thin.  There were flavors of black cherry and dark fruit on the palate with a hint of mint.  The wine finished with a sour cherry lingering on your palate.

I will say it went great with my steak.  It's nice to see that a Hudson Valley wine aged fairly well.  I guess I had my doubts, but was pleasantly surprised once again by winemaker Michael Migliore.

The Other Wines in the House - St. Innocent Pinot Noir

This was a mid week grab a Pinot choice and had I put some thought into it, I would have decanted it, but it was weekday wine time and no time for decanting.


This St. Innocent (just like me:) Willamette Valley 2008 White Rose Pinot Noir might have been a tad to rich for the Wild Alaskan King Salmon we cooked, but never the less it was might tasty.  Yes both the salmon and Pinot Noir.


A little history about the wine. White Rose Vineyard is located on a southeast-facing slope in the Dundee Hills AVA of Yamhill County. The vineyard was planted in 1980 at an elevation of 820' on deep Jory soil. 



The grapes were fermented in a small tank after two days of cold maceration. The wine aged for 16 months in 45% new French oak barrels and was bottled by gravity without fining or filtration.  The grapes were harvested on October 19, 2008 and the wine was bottled February 2010.  This wine will be good for another 10 years or so.  There were 267 cases of this wine produced.  I feels special to have one of them.



At first the Pinot had an earthy nose that gave way to red raspberry and oak.  As the wine begins to open the earthiness subsides a bit.  The palate is filled with red berry fruit.  At first there is a slight tart mid palate, but that diminishes as the wine begins to open and it softens up.  Towards the finish there are hints of vanilla with a short finish.

Happy Riesling Birthday to Me

Selection of Finger Lakes Riesling in the Gioquindo Household 

In case you didn't know, this week is Riesling Week, sponsored by the Finger Lakes Wine Alliance and Finger Lakes Wine Country. There have been many featured events all week long all over New York as 30  Finger Lakes wineries release their 2010 Rieslings.

Tonight in celebration of my Birthday from 6pm - 10pm is the worlds largest Riesling tasting as we celebrate the 2010 vintage.  Actually, it's a celebration of Finger Lakes Riesling, and it happens to be my birthday.  So grab a bottle of Finger Lakes Riesling, plan a nice meal paired with Riesling, and invite your family and/or friends over to enjoy it with you.  If you are on twitter use the hashtag #FLXwine and tweet about your tasting and your pairing.  I will be drinking one of the above bottles.

I leave you with this wonderful video to give you a background on the Finger Lakes Wine Country and what it has to offer and it's Riesling.

More Happy Bitch Wines Please

You might be wondering which Happy Bitch Wine won last week at the Hudson Valley Wine Fest.  Happy Bitch Wine #2 was the grand winner and will be renamed Happy Bitch Wines Rose on October 20, 2011. To read the press release click here.

Things are happening at such a fast pace that we were asked to attend the Hunter Mountain Wine & Brew Festival last weekend.  It was a last minute so we didn't have time to announce and promote that we were going to be there.  We poured #2 and received a tremendous response! Seems everyone at the Hudson Valley Wine Festival swallowed so all we had were "I Spit" stickers.  Guess we'll have to order double next time.  Since our wine is a big hit with men as well, we will have a special sticker for those men who hesitate to try our wine and are pleasantly surprised that they like it, and the men who have no problem saying they love our wine.

At Hunter Mountain, people just kept wanting more of Happy Bitch Wines #2.  Here is what they had to say:

 

Clinton Vineyards Wines meets Corsino Cakes

A sweet meeting it is.  Clinton Vineyards has asked Derek Corsino of Corsino Cakes to pair desserts with their wines for the upcoming Festival of Wine & Desserts, September 24 at Clinton Vineyards.

DJ as he's known by is an up an coming pastry chef.  Having appeared on the Food Network Challenge in August and will appear again in November.  He also provided cakes and pastries for the final kitchen set for Extreme Makeover Home Edition this past August.

So what is DJ baking for this pairing event?  Some wonderful and delectable desserts to go with some fabulous wines.

Lemon Raspberry mousse on a Scottish shortbread paired with a Kir Royale

Vanilla Peach Tartlette paired with Peach Gala

Hudson Valley Apple Tartlette with a little bit of Romance

Crustless Vanilla Bean Cheesecake with a touch of dark chocolate ganache and reduced Desire sauce paired with Desire

Are you drooling yet?  The Festival of Wine & Desserts is Saturday, September 24 from 3pm - 6pm.  Tickets are $35.  To purchase tickets visit http://wineanddesserts.eventbrite.com 

The Other Wines in the House - de Lancellotti Family Vineyards Pinot Noir

We received this bottle as one of the selections in the Oregon Pinot Noir Club.  2008 de Lancellotti Family Vineyards Estate Pinot Noir, Chehalem Mountians AVA.  Bottle number 5708 of 5895. Love that they number the bottles.  Makes me feel special.

This wine scored some high ratings from Wine Spectator - a 92 pointer.

This was a nice one once it opened up!  We should have decanted this wine, but we weren't thinking.  Airing it for 1/2 hour to an hour I think would have made a difference on the first initial taste.

Are you wondering what the initial taste was.  Fruit..one fruit bomb.  The aroma did change a bit once it was aired & swirled.  Aromas of black fruit and a hint of smoke filled your nose.

As the wine enters your palate black cherry explodes in your mouth.  Behind the black cherry, flavors of currents and vanilla are exposed.  The wine is very smooth and has a wonderful mouth feel.  It finishes up with hints of anise.

I had some smoked Gouda while drinking this wine and it was a great pairing.

Happy Bitch Wines takes Hudson Valley Wine Fest by Storm

Happy Bitch Wines had a great weekend at the Hudson Valley Wine Festival.  People had a blast at our booth!  Most of the day people were standing 3 and 4 deep just wanting to be a part of something, to be able to have a say.  It was so heartwarming to hear the wonderful comments and well wishes for us.  I think we were the talk of the festival.

Even the guys were getting into it.  We don't discriminate.  And the stickers were a big hit.  "I Spit!" or "I Swallow."

This picture above was taken at 4:30 Sunday.  The festival had begun to empty out and vendors actually had begun to tear down.  All but us.  Look at the crowd surrounding our booth.

I would like to thank everyone who stopped by whether it was to taste and vote or just say hello.  We had a great time and look forward to many more festivals and tastings in the future.

We are busy tallying the votes.  We should have an announcement in the next day or two.

2011 Hudson Valley Wine & Spirits Competition Results & Pictures

On Saturday I hosted, organized and chaired the Hudson Valley Wine & Spirits Competition at the Hudson Valley Wine Festival.  We had a wonderful panel of judges and I can't thank them enough for coming out on a Saturday morning to judge the wines and spirits of the Hudson Valley.

And the back room staff worked very hard.  It was no easy task...we had 94 entries which was the largest number since I've been involved with the competition.  We had two wonderful CIA students help us.  I hope it was educational for them.

After 3 hours of swirling, sipping and spitting it was time to socialize, eat and taste what wasn't in your flights.  Our lunch was provided by Gigi's in Rhinebeck.

Now for the results that you were waiting for:

2011 Hudson Valley Wine & Spirits Competition Results

The Other Wines in the House - Kunde Gewurztraminer

I don't usually associate Gewurztraminer with California, as it's a cool climate grape and last I checked Sonoma Valley wasn't a cool climate. But this Kunde Gewurztraminer came in my wine club shipment so I thought I'd test it out.   Unfortunately I slacked off and have no visual for you.  Sorry.

The 2010 Kunde Sonoma Valley Gewurztraminer had a nice straw color and a nose that was sweet, floral and lychee.

On the palate I detected the residual sugar of 1.5% right away, but that's me as I'm sensitive to the RS factor.  The wine has flavors of sweet peach and guava with hints of jasmine and white pepper on the finish.  The wine had a nice rounded mouth feel as the sweetness rounds it out and makes it all come together.

Overall, it wasn't a bad wine.  Would go great with Thai food or something with spice to it.

In Search of Rosé - Inspire Moore Grace

As we head into fall this is going to be my last Rosé review.  While I haven't found a Rosé that totally WOWed me, I will keep searching.

We end with Inspire Moore Winery's 2010 Grace .  "The Babysitter" Chrystal picked this up for me at a festival she was working at, so it was only fitting that I invited her over to share it with me.  

This 2010 Rosé spent 48 hours on the skins.  The color is that of  maraschino cherry juice.  It was a much deeper pink/red than I expected.

The aroma of the wine matched the color with the maraschino cherry, lots of berry and soft vanilla.

The palate was bursting with berry, a hint of sweetness and finished with a tart cherries.

This Rosé paired very well with the mussels we had.  I would give this a WO\ on the WOW meter.

Happy Bitch Wines Debuts at the Hudson Valley Wine Fest

We've come a long way in a few months and you have all been with us every step.  Now it's time to determine what blend we will produce.  Join us at Booth 45 at the Hudson Valley Wine Festival this weekend for the debut of Happy Bitch Wines and taste 3 different blends and vote for the one you like best.

Come say hi to me and Keryl.  Taste the different blends and vote.  We have some fun things planned for you.

There will be two girls at the glass counter (my daughter Melanie one of them) to hand you a card to remind you to visit us.  Don't throw the card away, the flip side is your invite to the big Launch Party on October 20th.  (and don't forget to wish Melanie a Happy Birthday as her birthday is Tuesday - I love embarrassing her!)  You can find our booth by looking for this banner in Building B.

Keryl and Craig will be pouring Saturday (yes, we do allow husbands to help every now and then) until I finish up with the Hudson Valley Wine Competition.  Then it's Keryl and I, together for the remainder of the festival.

Although we won't have any wine to sell, yes you have to wait until the Launch Party, Keryl will have some copies of her book Happy Bitch for purchase.  I bet if you are a Happy Bitch she will even autograph it for you.

We'll see you this weekend at the Hudson Valley Wine Festival.  If you want to purchase tickets in advance so you don't have to wait on any lines click here.

Testing Grapes for Harvest

Seyval Grapes

This past weekend I was over at Whitecliff Vineyards Winery and we were testing Cayuga and their estate Seyval to see if they were close to harvest parameters.  It's this time of year you play the wait and see game.  Wait to get the sugars up and see if the weather will cooperate.

Michael has already picked the sampling of Cayuga and he sent Paul and I to take samples of the Seyval from the North and South sides of the vineyard. Armed with two ziplock baggies we headed into the vineyard.  We weren't taking entire clusters, but just cutting off samplings of clusters here and there.

When we returned to the winery we crushed the grapes in the ziplock bags with our hands.  This is to get a sampling of the juice and seeds.  The juice was then poured into beakers, just like chemistry class.

From this juice we test the brix level which translates to sugar level of the grape, the ph and total acidity.  The ideal parameters for picking Seyval are brix at 22, ph of 3.3 and 9 g/l of acidity.

Well....this test turned out that the brix were 16.2, ph was 2.9 and acidity was 10.05 g/l.  But this isn't the only test that is done.  Next we tested the seeds.  

We are looking a number of things when looking at the seeds.   We look for the color of the seed, hardness of the shell, the nuttiness of the seed when chewed and whether or not if the meet of the grape starts to separate from the seed.  In this case the Seyval grape seed still had a bit of green in it, was a little nutty, and the shell was hard, but not as hard as it could be.  

The conclusion....is it's best to let the grapes hang for another 10 days or so.  Hopefully the weather will cooperate.

The Other Wines in the House - Buy AGAIN

BUY AGAIN is what Paul said to me after we opened and tasted this Domaine Guintrandy Cotes du Rhone Villages Visan le Deves.  I tasted this during the spring tasting at Arlington Wine & Liquors and purchased this bottle for $16.19.  It is a blend  Grenache and Syrah.

The color of the wine is inky which can be attributed to the Syrah. The nose had hints of menthol and mint that gave way to  black currant.

The palate was filled with dakt fruit, black current, prune, and finishing off with liquorice. I am not a big fan of liquorice, but in wine I seem to be okay with the flavor.

This is a very fruit forward wine.  It's a drink today wine, as I don't feel it will benefit from any time aging in the wine cellar.

In Search of Rosé - Casa Larga Dry Rosé

On a recent trip up to the Finger Lakes I brought back this non vintage Casa Larga NY Dry Rosé.  This rosé had a nice copper salmon color and is made from DeChaunac grapes.

The nose on this wine was clean, crisp and fresh.  The little fruit I detected as hint of cherry.   

The palate had slight hints of cherry with a tart apple finish.  Even though it says the wine is dry I did detect a bit of sweetness.  There was a strong apple aftertaste.  This wine sells in the tasting room for $7.99.

I would give this Rosé a W on the WOW meter.