The "Empire" strikes White

Hudson-Chatham Winery has released their 2009  "Empire Reserve White."  Empire is a brand that Hudson-Chatham developed by blending wine wine from the three major wine regions in New York State: The Finger Lakes, The Hudson Valley and Long Island.  The release of the Empire White compliments the Empire Red that was released last fall.

The Empire White is a blend of Seyval Blanc from the Hudson Valley, Sauvignon Blanc from Long Island and Riesling from the Finger Lakes. Carlo DeVito of Hudson-Chatham Winery told me this is one of his biggest winemaking risks he had ever taken.  Instead of dimpled jackets and lots of filtering, they packed the barrels of blended wine in giant tubs of ice and tended to them daily.  Their goal was to let the wine form as naturally as possible.  The delicate flavors of the white wine mingled and the result is a grat wine that expresses the terroir of the three regions.

Onto the wine!  The color is a bit of the clear pale yellow of the Seyval and Sauvignon but the Riesling adds another shade of yellow.  On a color palette it would be a light warm golden yellow.

On the nose I immediately smelled yeast which lead way to the citrus of the Sauvignon Blanc and Seyval.  It is a very crisp and light wine with a soft mouth feel.  The taste is a little mineral with limon which leads to a honeydew melon which rounds out the taste and follows by a hint of green apple and grapefruit.  The wine finishes with a citrus ending.

This is a limited wine and is available in Hudson-Chatham's tasting room or at the farmers markets they atttend.

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Celebrate Riesling Month at Applewood Winery's New York Riesling Experience

May is Riesling Month in New York State and Applewood Winery is celebrating this weekend May 1 & 2 with their annual New York Riesling Experience which begins at 12pm each day.

There will be food and wine pairings, chef demonstrations, recipes, comparative Riesling tastings and live entertainment. Admission is $10 in advance (must be purchased by Friday, April 30) and $15 at the door. Tickets can be purchased http://thenewyorkrieslingexperience.eventbrite.com/

According to Jonathan Hull - Owner/Winemaker at Applewood "Riesling vines are tough. They thrive in cold climates, on steep hillsides, and in marginal soil. The green-skinned grapes ripen later than many other varieties, and sometimes are left hanging on the vine to produce sweet late harvest wines or even ice wines when the grapes actually freeze on the vines. The aromas in the wine that the Riesling grape produces tend to be pear, apple, jasmine, lime, honey and some spice. The flavors range from bright, fresh citrus to ripe tropical fruit. During the New York Riesling Experience, customers will have the opportunity to taste the many different variety of wines the Riesling grape produces."

This event is the beginning of a very active event season in the Hudson Valley Wine Country.  I will be covering many of the upcoming events. I will be attending the New York Riesling Experience on Sunday.  Look for my review later next week.  I hope to see some of you there.