Hudson-Chatham Winery: 5 Baco Noirs and Growing

When I first met Carlo he hadn't even opened his winery.  He was a year away from that.  Since he's opened I usually make at least one if not more visits to see him and Dominique and what they are up to.

What was once a small winery nestled in the town of Ghent, New York is growing like a wild vine.

Since it was a beautiful day we sat outside and had a glass of their Rose.  Or has Carlo calls it, his "orange wine." It is made from Seyval, Geneva and Concord grapes. The grapes were all pressed together.

Solera Building at Hudson-Chatham Winery

Shortly after the Rose was poured we ended up walking over to the "Solera building" which will house a maximum of 20 barrels for the purpose of making Sherry.  He is using the technique that they use in Spain, maturing the wine using the solera system.  This is the system where you gradually blend small amounts of young wines with the older stocks in such a way that it is assimilated by the older wine.  It will then pick up the characteristic of the aged wine.

We then moved into their tank and barrel area.  Long and behold they are entering into the Cider relm. Ron Bixby is their new Cider maker and he is from Little Apple Farm, a 5 acre, 100 year old organic apple farm. They have made 150 cases of organic natural apple cider. It is fermented in the bottle like a Belgium Ale. .

The barrel room that use to house their wine, port and sherry, is now dedicated to only the red wine from the 2013 harvest. The port and sherry are over in the solera. Carlo says it's going to be a good year, as it was a super vintage! And he's excited!

This year they will be coming out this year with 5 Baco Noirs. They will have the Estate Baco, Reserve Baco from Casscels Vineyard, Middlehope Baco which come from 40 yr old vines, Old Vines Baco and the Fieldstone Baco. New to their portfolio is Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from Peter Brengall's Farm in Columbia County.

Also new is their Rivers Edge blend which is a wacky hybrid blend of Berden and Chambourcin but it taste like a Pinot Noir says Carlo.  It did have acidity like a Pinot and a little raspberry on the profile.

In addition to the wine they are launching a food program complete with jams and drizzles. Look for a catalog soon or visit their food table they will have in addition to their wine table at many local wine festivals..

Carlo and Dominique are doing some wonderful things at their winery.  If you are in the Hudson Valley for a day or weekend, they are a must stop and taste.

Traveling Through Hudson Valley Wine Country

Now that Spring has finally arrived we are itching to hop in the car and go wine tasting. Travel with me as I travel through Hudson Valley Wine Country.

I'll take you to Millbrook Vineyards and Winery, Whitecliff Vineyard and Winery and Benmarl Winery.

Enjoy the wine!

Getting Some Synergy

I thought I'd try my hand at some video blogging.  Put in a little face time with you.  This is my first attempt at doing this and I'm sure (hope) I will get better as time goes on.

Here goes my review of Glorie Farm Winery's 2010 Synergy.  Make sure you read my followup notes after the video.




After the taping I put the cork in the bottle and waited about 2 hours until Paul came home so we could have a glass together.  I hate to drink alone and didn't think 2pm was a good time to begin my down time.

In those two hours the wine did undergo some changes.  I thought it was strange because I didn't think 2 hours was a long time but I guess the wine did.  First thing I noticed was it lost it's pepper spice finish. It became a bit dull.  There was also a little more black fruit present on the palate.

I still think it was a decent wine, but I was a little disappointed that it fell apart.

A Visit to Tousey Winery

During the holiday my college housemate and her daughter visited from Florida.  Originally from Saratoga, NY she had the urge be cold and see some snow.  Cold it was, but sorry to disappoint, there was no snow. On Saturday of her visit, I took her out to see the wineries of the eastern side of the Hudson River.

Before we went to the wineries, one must show her the main attraction in Poughkeepsie - The Walkway over the Hudson. Now that we had some nice fresh air and a good walk it was off to Tousey Winery in Germantown.

I hate to even admit this, but I haven't been to Tousey since they opened.  I've tasted their wines at events, but for some reason I never headed north until that Saturday. We had perfect timing, when we arrived at Tousey, Ben was there and we had him all to ourselves.

We were tasting mostly whites and I was very impressed with their 2011 Riesling.  It's 100% Hudson River Region from their vines.  It did lack  acidity, but that would be the from the wonderful storms (hurricane & tropical storm, back to back) that we had in September of 2011.

In the glass, the Riesling had aromas of white peaches and a hint of honeysuckle.  The palate brought you apricot and peach.

The 2011 Cabernet Franc are from the grapes at John Bruno's who owns Oak Summit.  Beautiful site!  Aromas of cherry and a hint of spice reflect also on the palate.  The spice comes in mid palate with some oak on the finish.

Then took us where he doesn't take many women - the barrel room....

New for next year there will be a sparkling wine. If you look closely at the picture on the left, you can see the wine aging on the lees.

Then we tank sampled the whites

And Barrel sampled the reds

We had a great time.  Thank you Ben for showing us around.  You've come a long way since my first visit, keep up the good work!

Carlo DeVito Talks Baco and Hudson Valley with Kevin LoVullo

Summer Tasting Itineraries - Hudson Valley Wine Country

Benmarl Winery

When I travel to a wine region there are a few things I like to sort out before I travel.  One of course is the wineries I want to visit then is the route I am going to take.

In the Hudson Valley, it's not that simple, wineries aren't door to door like they are in the Finger Lakes or Napa.  You need a plan and a little understanding of the region. 

I would break the region up to  East Side and West Side then North, Middle and South.  I also suggest beginning the day the farthest from where you want to end.  It's always nice to end a day of wine tasting with not to far to drive.

Here are my suggested itineraries for a day of wine tasting in the Hudson Valley.

East Side of the Hudson:

•South to North:  Beginning @ Millbrook Winery travel to Clinton Vineyards, Tousey Winery, Hudson-Chatham Winery, and Brookview Station.

•

West Side of the Hudson

•Northern Route: Begin at Robibero Vineyards and travel to Whitecliff Vineyards & Winery, Adair Vineyards, Glorie Farm Winery, Stoutridge Vineyard and end the day at Benmarl Winery.

 

•Southern Route: Begin at Palaia Vineyards and travel to Brotherhood Winery, Applewood Winery and end the day at Warwick Valley Winery.

 

•Mid Route:  Begin at Brotherhood Winery and

• travel to Baldwin Vineyards, Brimestone Hill Vineyards, Whitecliff Vineyards & Winery and end the day at Robibero Vineyards

•Or – travel to Benmarl Winery, Stoutridge Vineyards, and Glorie Farm Winery.  If you have time end the day at Adair Vineyards.  

East/West Combo

•Begin at Clinton Vineyards and visit Millbrook Vineyards & Winery, then travel across the river to Marlboro and visit Stoutridge Vineyards, Benmarl Winery and if time permits visit Glorie Farm Winery.

 

Remember these are just my suggestions, you may visit any winery in any order, in any direction.

 

 

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.

Hudson Valley Wine History - The Wineries

The first commercial winery in the Hudson Valley, Jacques Brothers Winery, was established in 1837 for the production of altar wines. Renamed Brotherhood in 1885, the Washingtonville winery is the nation’s oldest continuously operated winery.

 In 1804 Croton Point was purchased by a Quaker gentleman named Robert Underhill  along with his brothers Joshua and Abraham, they operated a grist mill on the Croton River and began to cultivate vineyards on the southern slopes of the point.   After the death of Robert his two sons Dr Richard and William divided the property. Although a trained doctor Dr. Richard gave up his practice in NYC and became one of the leading agriculturalists in the country and the producer of Croton Point Wine.   Dr. Underhill carried on numerous agricultural experiments and at one point developed a yellowish green grape which came to be known as the Croton Grape. In spite of the high quality of the fruit and its valued flavor for wine it did not become a popular grape because the vine was difficult to grow except in a certain type of sandy soil. The fruit was first exhibited by Stephen Underhill, nephew of Dr. Richard, in 1868.   They did establish a winery in 1850, which was the region’s second winery. By 1873 the vineyards had fallen into decline as the family turned its interest to the local brick industry.  The wines remaining in the vaults were sold to Thurber & Co. of New York.  Although there is no longer a winery there, the subterranean brick caves built by the founders to store and age their wines are still in existence.  The area, in the village of Croton-on-Hudson, is now a Westchester County park.

Underhill Wine Cellars, Croton Point.  Photo by Brickcollecting. com

The third winery, also named Brotherhood, operated in Amenia in Dutchess County from 1860-1867, when it moved out of the region.

The Hudson Valley Wine Company was opened in Highland (Ulster County) in 1904 by Alphonso Bolognese. The company made altar wines for local monasteries and then became Regent Champagne Cellars. Regent Champagne Cellers has since closed it’s doors.  

High Tor Vineyards, which operated on a scenic mountain site in Rockland County back in 1949, was one of the east’s most prominent wineries. Its owner, Everett Crosby, tried to get New York to change its laws and do away with the expensive $1,000-per-year licensing fee. He was unsuccessful and he sold his vineyards in the early 70's.

In the 1970s, New York Governor Hugh Carey appointed John Dyson as state Commissioner of Agriculture.
A wine enthusiast himself (he currently owns Millbrook Vineyards in Dutchess County), Dyson formed a
task force that drew up the Farm Winery Bill. With testimony from Benmarl Vineyards owner Mark Miller
and support from many other vintners and organizations, the bill was passed in 1976, paving the way for
rapid growth of the Hudson Valley wine industry. Annual fees were dropped to $125, making the endeavor
easier to afford for the smaller wine-makers.

Today the Hudson River Region, given this name in 1982 by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms,
has more than 25 operating wineries.

Hudson Valley Wine History - Viticulture Characteristics

The Hudson River Wine Region is referred to as the most complex geological regions of the world. Located parallel to northern Spain, southern France and central Italy, warm ocean breezes extend the growing season to between 180 – 196 days.

The steep Palisades are an important conduit of this maritime air and weather generated by the Atlantic Ocean.

The Hudson River is a tidal estuary, which expanse serves a dual purpose. The flowing water helps keep the climate temperate, and the valley serves as a conduit for maritime breezes from the south.

Glacial deposits of shale, slate, schist and limestone form the soil throughout the region, which
is in a geological division known as Taconic Province.

Valentine's Weekend in the Hudson Valley

Chocolate, wine and roses, that's what Valentine's Day is all about.  In my house it's just a Hallmark Holiday, so no card, chocolate or roses, but there will be plenty of wine.

If you are itching to get a weekend away or get out of the house for a day there are plenty of special tastings going on at the wineries in the Hudson Valley for Valentine's Day.  So take your loved one out and get some romance at the wineries.

Here are some of the tasting specials you will find.

• Weekend of February 12 & 13
• Applewood Winery Frostbite Weekend
• Millbrook Winery - Guests can choose to enjoy a standard Portfolio wine tasting or a special holiday weekend Reserve Tasting. This Reserve tasting will include four of our Reserve wines along with cheese and chocolate fondue. This special tasting will be offered on the hour between 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. both days. Reservations are strongly recommended as this event sells out quickly.
•  Robibero Family Vineyards - Sat. Feb 12th 4pm-5pm. Celebrate Valentines Day Weekend and come discover the romance of pairing wine with some of life's greatest pleasures. Indulge yourself with chocolate, cupcakes and wine in sinful combinations. You will be sampling 4 different wines while learning about the history of the grapes and the art of pairing $15 per person Reservations required.
•  Whitecliff Vineyard & Winery - Locally Grown: Art, Wine & Truffles Tastings will feature an organic truffle from Rosendale's fabulous Lagusta's Luscious, a rare tasting of Whitecliff's Sparkling Wine, and demonstrations on Saturday by two diverse Hudson Valley artists, sculptor Robert Breur, and painter Vince Natale, who are producing Whitecliff-inspired works as part of the year-long event, Art & Wine in the Hudson Valley.

• Weekend of February 19 & 20 Brimstone Hill Winery will give you a second chance at celebrating Valentine's Day if you messed up the weekend before.  Join them for their 13th annual Chocolate, Champagne & Valentines Event.  Visitors receive a flute of exquisite chocolates along with a tour of their storage facilities (including barrel samples of select wines.) They will have gourmet finger foods available to accompany the wines.  There is a $10 per person tasting fee.  

Get up and get out with the one you love and taste of the valley.

Cookies and Merlot

It's that time of the year again where the annual cookie swap comes into play.  With less than one week notice I had to make 8 dozen cookies for our "Wine Night" swap.  So Friday evening found me slaving over my oven and kitchen aid to bake my cookies.  I couldn't do it alone, so I pulled out a 2008 Whitecliff Vineyards New York State Merlot.

A little wine for me, and more wine for me as I made the Coffee and Cream Drops.

When I opened the wine the first aromas that came to me was earth and mocha. I thought that was fitting since the cookies I was making had coffee and chocolate in them.  The earth and mocha gave way to hints of plum and black cherry.

I first tasted the wine before I tasted any of the cookies I was making.  I got a black cherry, bright fruit flavor with hints of raspberry.  The wine was thin with a bitter finish.   Then I had to see how the cookie and wine pairing tasted.  I will say the cookie softened the bitter finish and the black cherry flavor became loud and prominent.

I didn't know much about this wine before I opened it, but I must say it was a nice pairing.  A note to myself, if I am going to make cookies with coffee in them, bake then in the morning.  This way when you eat a couple from each batch, you won't be up all night from the caffeine.

Happy Holidays from the Babysitter

I am singing Christmas carols and decorating my tree , thanks to Brotherhood Winery getting my Christmas spirit charged up.  Tonight I went with two of my crazy girlfriends(only ones kidless)to their Tree Lighting, we enjoyed a bottle of Riesling inside the beautiful warm tasting room. We giggled and enjoyed the art work on the walls, look carefully their are hearts in the stones….

 The tree lighting was beautiful with festive tunes and we all sang along. Santa was there to help and after the lighting there were movies for the kids in the main house.   

Of course where there is Santa there will be cookies and hot cocoa for all…. Great memories and an awesome time with good friends…. I highly suggest you mark this event on your calendar as it is all free except the wine and definitely fun for the entire family.

Harvest notes from Palaia Vineyards

Jan from Palaia Vineyards sent me a note about their Cab Franc and Lemerger harvest.   In Jan's words " It was a windy and cold day to pick, but beautiful when the sun came out on the orange leaves on the edges of the vineyard.  There is nothing better than the smells of fall in the vineyard, and we let the public come and help pick at least once during the harvest season so they can enjoy the same experience.  Now it is time to wrap up the vineyard for the winter and concentrate on making the best wine we can.  Put away the picking lugs and bins, mow and fix fences, wash and wrap the press and crusher, and start thinking about getting ready for snow!"

The Lemberger cam in with brix of 21 and TA of 7.2.  The Cab Franc numbers were brix of 21.5 and TA of 5.0.

Punching Down the Cap

Punching down the Foch

Yesterday I was at Whitecliff Vineyards as they were crushing Chardonnay they received from the vineyard in Hudson NY. While there they did put me to work punching down the cap.  What is punching down the cap?

After red grapes are destemmed they are put into large fermentation containers, yeast is added and fermentation begins. As a result of the carbon dioxide that is produced as the yeast consumes the sugars in the must (juice) the skins and seeds rise to the top. The skins and seeds contribute phenolic compounds to the wine.  Phenolic compounds contributed are color, tannins, structure, and resvertrol.  In order for this contribution to happen the skins and seeds must be in contact with the must.

Punching down the cap happens every 4 to 6 hours or so.  As the wine ferments and the cap gets punched down it gets easier.  The first day or so of the punch down is tough.   When you stick the pitch fork into the cap it's like cutting trying to get a knife through an ice cream cake you just took out of the freezer.  You punch down in a pattern to get all areas.  As you break through the cap, it does get easier.  As the days go by and the wine ferments the cap does get softer.

Punching down the cap is a great way to build those upper arm muscles!

Hudson Valley Harvest Update

Harvest has begun and is in full swing here in the Hudson Valley.  August 25th began the harvest when Clinton Vineyards harvested their Seyval. (click here for video)

Baco Noir at Slate Hill Vineyards @ Benmarl Winery

Just about one week later Benmarl Winery harvested 4 tons of their Baco Noir at Slate Hill Vineyards. Brix at 22.5


Sunday, Benmarl Winery harvested their Seyval from their Ridge Road Vineyard.

Meanwhile up the road at Glorie Farm Winery, they were harvesting Seyval and processing Leon Millot.

Seyval harvested at Glorie Farm Winery

Hudson Valley Wine Festival

This weekend is the Hudson Valley Wine Festival at the Dutchess County Fair Grounds in Rhinebeck NY.   I will be there at the Hudson Valley Wine Country booth so please stop by and say hello.

The Hudson Valley Wine Festival is a great event.  There are wineries from the Finger Lakes and Hudson Valley that attend this festival. There is a nice variety of wines to taste and non wine vendors to purchase early Christmas presents from.

Visit these Hudson Valley Wineries at the festival:

• Brotherhood, America's Oldest Winery
• Brimstone Hill Vineyard
• Brookview Station
• Cascade Mountain Winery
• Cereghino Smith Winery
• El Paso Winery
• Glorie Farm Winery
• Palaia Vineyards
• Pazdar Winery
• Warwick Valley Winery
• Whitecliff Vineyard & Winery (be nice to my daughter, their cashier for the event - wish her Happy Birthday, her B-day is Monday)

Some of my favorite Finger Lakes Wineries to visit are:

• Atwater
• Hazlitt (ok, my mother-in-law loves their Red Cat, but I like their vinifera wines)
• Heron Hill Winery
• McGregor Winery
• Swedish Hill (actually they won the Governor's Cup - so see if they have their Riesling Sparkling wine to taste)

Tickets to the festival are $30 and there is a $50 two day ticket available.  You can purchase tickets at http://hudsonvalleywinefest.com/tickets.htm .  I hope to see some of you at the event.

Lost & Found - Whitecliff 2003 Sky Island

Search and you never know what you will find.  Recently while searching in my wine cellar for a nice red to have I came across and oldie - well not that old, but old enough - 7 years a 2003 Whitecliff Vineyards & Winery Sky Island Red. I didn't even realize I had a local wine that old in the house.  Quite honestly I was wondering how well it was holding up.

I contacted Michael Migliore the winemaker to tell him of my find and ask what was in the blend.  I know this particular wine of theirs is their Bordeaux blend.  This wine is blended with 78% Cabernet Sauvignon from Ackerman Vineyards in Long Island, 6% Whitecliff Vineyard Hudson Valley Merlot and 6% Whitcliff Vineyards Hudson Valley Cabernet Franc.

With no expectations I opened the bottle.  I was shocked to find aromas of bright bing cherry, vanilla and wet tobacco once I got past the earthiness.  On the taste was dark fruit and black cherry with a hint of plum. It had a quick cherry finish.

I was quite surprised at how nicely this wine did  age.

Hudson Heritage Wines

If you travel into the tasting rooms of some Hudson Valley Wineries you will see wine labeled "Hudson Heritage." You may ask what is a Hudson Heritage Wine and how did it received it's classification.

The Hudson Valley Wine &; Grape Association came up with two blends; a white and red that have certain specifications and designated them "Hudson Heritage White, Hudson Heritage Red.

The blending of the grapes used are specific to the Hudson Valley Region and MUST be grown the Hudson Valley AVA. The grapes of designation which you will see below are all hybrid grapes that grow very well in the Hudson Valley.

Hudson Heritage White: Must consist of 70-85% Seyval. The rest of the blend can use the following grapes in any percentage: Vidal, Vignoles, Cayuga and Traminette. The wine can have up to 2% residual sugar and malolactic fermentation can not be used. No oak barrels, chips or staves. A Hock style bottle must be used..

Hudson Heritage Red:  This wine must consist of a blend of the following grapes: Noriet 35-55%, Dechaunac 35-55% and 20-30% can be other red hybrids.  You can age this wine in oak and must be less than 1% of residual sugar.  Malolactic fermentation is allowed.  A Burgundy style bottle is used.

Uncork the Experience of Woodstock at Winestock

This weekend "Uncork the experience of Woodstock" at Winestock being held at R Winery at Robibery Family Vineyards.

Relive the experience of Woodstock - listen to the music from the era as the Brian Dougherty Band, 1 Step West and Liquid Lunch get you rocking.  There will be food available for sale from Conklin Catering. They will be providing, hot dogs, hamburgers, barbecue items, shrimp skewers, fruit and cheese platters and more. All food will be prepared on site. There will also be local vendors selling items of the “Woodstock” theme.

Tickets for the event are $10 and include one standard tasting flight in the tasting room. Tickets can be purchased at http://www.winestock.eventbrite.com/.

This is going to be rockin' day!

Get out and drink Cabernet on September 2

Cabernet Day - September 2, 2010 is a community owned celebration of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Blend and Cabernet Franc. Here in the Hudson Valley there are producers of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cab Blends and Cabernet Franc.  There are quite a number of vineyards that grow Cabernet Franc, however the Cabernet Sauvignon is grown on Long Island and transported to the Hudson Valley winery for processing.

As I write this there are four Hudson Valley wineries taking part in Cabernet Day on September 2.

1. Brotherhood Winery
2. R Winery at Robibero Family Vineyards  (offering 10% discount for people who would like to purchase their 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2008 Cabernet Franc to use for Cabernet Day.)
3. Palaia Vineyards (offering 10% discount from August 23 - Sept 2 on their 2007 Cabernet Franc)
4. Whitecliff Vineyards & Winery

Where does this take place - the tasting room, your living room, your deck and on all social media sites and blogs including Facebook, Foursquare, Twitter, Friendfeed, Gowalla, Wordpress, Blogger etc...  Just use the #Cabernet hash tag in your post so it will be trackable by the search engines.

What time - all day - it's 5pm somewhere in the world.  It takes place in all time zones.

Why Cabernet Day? Cabernet is one of the most celebrated grapes in the world. Social Media makes it possible to connect with people who share the same interests as you. When you use the #Cabernet hash tag in your posts it makes it easier for people to find you and see what you are saying.  It also makes it easier for you to find people who are talking about the same subject.  It's like a giant table with all participants sitting together over a glass of wine - on September 2 - a glass of Cab.

How do I participate? Add #Cabernet to any thoughts, videos, tweets, blogs or experiences you have on September 2.  Search #Cabernet hash tag on google, twitter, facebook or any monitoring software you use.  Enjoy your Cabernet.

Any updates to participating wineries I will post closer to September 2.

Here is the link to the master invite to Cabernet Day.  http://cabernet.eventbrite.com/ if you want to publicly RSVP and see the participating wineries, restaurants and wine shops.





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