Vertical Pinnacle Tasting at Standing Stone Vineyards

Jim is looking happy here even though it is 90 degrees in the shade! We had a great time at the Pinnacle Vertical tasting at Standing Stone a few weeks back. (Note winery owner Marti Macinski in the background). Pinnacle is a blend of Cab Sav, Cab Franc and Merlot. It started with 80%

Cab Sav, but now is 90% Cab Sav and since 2000 all the grapes used in the Pinnacle are grown at Standing Stone.


Marti gave us the history of each vintage we tasted of the Pinnacle - '95,'03,'05,'06 and '07. 1995 was a good year - hot and dry, 2003 was wet and cool ( like this year?), in 2005 there weren't many reds available because in the winter of 2004 the temperature went from 67 degrees on Jan. 6th to -10 degrees on Jan 10th killing many of the vines. The 2006 vintage is ready to drink now and the 2007 was just bottled last month and has not yet been released. We had wonderful food pairings - olive bread and spreads, duck, sausage. Overall a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. We left with several bottles of their 2005 Pinnacle and a Chardonnay Ice Wine. Here are some upcoming verticals at Standing Stone.

UPCOMING VERTICAL TASTINGS
at STANDING STONE VINEYARDS



September 6, 2009 2-4 pm: Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon



October 4, 2009: Merlot



Cost: $20 per person, call to make a reservation
Standing Stone Vineyards9934 Route 414Hector, NY 14841 (607) 582-6051www.standingstonewines.com

Raspberries and Wine

Anyone who has raspberry bushes knows what I have been doing several times a day every day for the past 3 weeks! Yes, it's been a bumper crop of berries. I have created pies and more pies, muffins and more pies. I have frozen them by the bag full! There is absolutely NOTHING to compare to having raspberries in vanilla yogurt in February. You are instantaneously transported back to July. Heaven.

Now I don't want to mislead you into thinking I didn't have any help with the picking. But first, flash back a to a year ago to when my helper, Rory was around. Rory would sit patiently by the bushes as I picked. There would be a raspberry for me, one for Rory, and one for the basket as I went merrily picking along. That dog could catch a raspberry tossed at him from any angle. He was a dead-eye! Fast forward to Maggie (aka: Pac-man as shown above). So much work to do on that dog - so little time (and energy!)

Anyway, I got to thinking as I was picking, how growing raspberries is very much like growing grapes (but on a MUCH less intense scale). I worry about how low I trimmed the plants during the fall and winter. I obsess over the little berries as they sprout in the Spring: Will this be a good crop? Will it be too wet or dry this season? As the berries develop, then pop, I become concerned with mold, spots on the fruit, too many berries together on one branch. And now as the picking winds down, I am already planning my growing strategy for next year. Is it worth it? You bet, especially in those seemingly endless days of winter. Just as a smooth, deep red Cabernet Franc or Merlot is well worth the effort as you sip it by the fire on a cold winter's night.

We waited until the cows came home!

It's not every day you run into a cattle stampede on the east side of Seneca Lake on the way to visit wineries! OK, so they were calves and there were only about 8 of them. They had obviously

"escaped" from home and were giddy with freedom. They had traffic stopped in both directions as they merrily darted back and forth down the road (jumping over the white and yellow lines). You could almost hear them talking to each other:

"Hey, let's head for that big wine barrel down the road."

"OK, we're all with you!"

"Well, no, maybe we should turn around..."

"OK let's turn around."

"Hey look, there's some really sweet looking grass over there!"

"Let's go for it - hey watch that white line - come on!"

"No, I really think we should..."

As we carefull drove around them on our way to Damiani Wine Cellars, we couldn't help but chuckle at their great escape and obvious enjoyment of freedom. They reminded me of school kids let out for the summer - free at last and not sure what to do first. Oh, to live in the moment like that!

Damiani Wine Cellars (http://www.damianiwinecellars.com/) is owned and operated by Phil Davis and Lou Damiani, friends and natives of Seneca Lake. They produce limited quantities of "fine, hand-crafted wine." Their wines are dry or "off dry" and they even offer a few unfiltered wines (like tasting it directly out of the barrel). In the white wines, they are currently offering Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio,and Riesling all 2007 vintage. They also offer a Dolce Bianco NV (blend of Vignoles, Cayuga and Vidal grapes) which won the Bronze Medal at the 2007 Finger Lakes International Wine Competition and a Silver medal from the 2008 Golden Nose Competition. The reds include Vino Rosso NV (Pinot Noir and Rougeon,Vincent and Leon Millet hybrids blend), 2006 Pinot Noir, 2007 Pinot Noir, 2007 Cabernet Franc (double gold medal winner and scored an 87 in Wine Spectator), 2006 Merlot, 2007 Merlot (double gold and gold medal winner and Wine Spectator score of 86), 2006 Meritage and a 2007 Barrel Select Merlot Reserve wine. We had a great time doing vertical tastings of the Pinot Noir and Merlot as well as pairing wines with artisan chocolates available at the winery. Damiani's wines were delicious - smooth and flavorful. While we know the reds in the Finger Lakes keep getting better, Damiani's really excel. And what a thrill to see their wines (and the Finger Lakes Region) represented in Wine Spectator! Hard choices, but we ended up purchasing the Cab Sauv (unfiltered) and the 2007 Merlot. Then we found 2 bottles of the Cab Franc at a local liquor store (the winery is sold out), so will try one of them soon and let you know our impression. My friend, Jon, who was at Damiani Cellars earlier in the day, purchased the Barrel Select Merlot (it is a double gold, gold and silver medal winner with a rating of 87 in Wine Spectator). Jon is planning a return trip in October when the 2008's are released! We're with you Jon, we will definately make a return trip to Damiani Wine Cellars! (Hopefully the cows will stay home!)

Shaw Vineyard and other spring fieldtrips

This spring Jim and I enjoyed several wine trips and a vertical tasting!

In March we were back at Standing Stone for a vertical wine tasting of Cabernet Franc. Marti (the owner) was full of great information and it is just so much fun to be able to compare wines throughout several years. I believe we tried the 1998, 1999, 2000, 2005, 2007. The type of summer, methods of pruning and wine making improvements all contributed to the taste of the wine in a given year. The wines were accompanied by delicious crackers, breads, cheeses and spreads. It was a lot of fun as always.

April saw us at Hunt Country. Sadly Gus, the Bernese Mountain Dog and winery mascot passed away, but we spied the new puppy in her kennel. The winery said they were planning on releasing a "Sweet Gus" wine in May. As always, their wines are delicious. We stopped down the road at Dr. Franks for some more enjoyable wine tasting. We really liked their Lemberger, which is available only at the winery. We also got quite an education and a demonstration on the use of proper wineglasses for the type of wine you are drinking and the difference (yes, you can tell the difference) it makes in the taste of the wine.

In May the kid came home from college, so we just did more drinking in general as we all readjusted to each other! By June we made the trip to Shaw Vineyard on the West shore of Seneca Lake. Shaw Vineyard http://www.shawvineyard.com/ is a boutique winery that specializes in dry wines and the philosophy of "quality over quantity." Housed in a beautiful timber framed structure, the tasting room opened in 2007. Steve Shaw Jr. , whose father is the winemaker and owner, poured us tastes of their award winning wines. True to their philosophy, they offer the following white wines: Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer, Dry Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc. Being Riesling lovers, we thought the Dry Riesling was excellent and purchased a bottle, however the reds really stood out. They offer a Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cab Sav, and N.V. Keuka Hill Reserve (a Bordeaux style blend). We purchased and last week enjoyed the 2003 (yes, 2003) Cabernet Sauvignon. Steve believes in letting his reds age before bottling them much like what is done in Europe. It was delicious on its own as well as paired with our beef dinner. An interesting note is that Steve Shaw and friend, Morton Hallgren winemaker and owner of Ravines Cellars, share space at Shaws to craft their wines. We highly recommend a trip to Shaw Vineyards- it is well worth the visit.

Coming up: the winemaker's dinner at the Pultneyville Grill and the cattle stampede on the way to Damiani Wine Cellars!

Wine in Supermarkets? What's your opinion?

There has been an awful lot in the newspapers lately about selling wine in supermarkets in New York State. Wineries are divided between those who see it as an avenue for more exposure (and who are blacklisted by liquor stores as a result) and those who remain loyal to their liquor stores. Consumers are divided also between those who feel it would increase drunk driving fatalities and those who would like the convenience of picking up a bottle of wine to go with dinner at Wegmans. I think it is an interesting question and I would like to hear from people in one of those 35 or so states who do sell wine in supermarkets. How has it impacted liquor store sales, the local wine industry and the state's revenues?
Some thoughts:
Will grocery stores be selling the lower end wines mainly and if so how will that impact the local wine industries and liquor store sales? I know I go to the liquor stores for their expertise and to get a "nice" bottle of wine.
How much of the NY State wines will the groceries carry in relation to California wines or wines from other countries? Will it be a huge plus for the local wineries or will just some of the more prominent wineries get their table whites and reds on the shelf?
Why can't the liquor stores expand in other areas to compensate? One wrote that different types/flavors of vodkas alone could take over their stores. What about liquor stores being able to carry beer to make up the losses in wine sales?
As for the ability of youth to get their hands on the wine from grocery stores and therefore increase the number of teen drinking and driving fatalities, I guess I would have to do a little research to get some objective statistics on that.
What about those of you in those states where they sell wine in grocery stores? What can you tell us? I would certainly like to see it happen if it is truly promoting and increasing sales for our local wineries and I find it appalling that local wineries would get their product delegated to the bottom shelf in local liquor stores because of their stand on the issue. How can we find the win-win for liquor stores and wineries in this scenario?

Fox Run's Valentine Dinner - Awesome!

Whodunit?

Most cities have "All of (insert name of your city) Reads" to promote literacy by having a book the whole city or town reads and discusses at their book clubs! Well now we have "All of the Finger Lakes Region Solves the Wine Murder Mystery!" This great promotional idea comes from a Webster consulting firm, CLI, with the goal of promoting Finger Lakes Wineries and their excellent wines. So - go to http://www.areuinthegame.com/home.htm to find out how to play the game and gather clues. The deadline to submit your entry form is January 31 with winners to be announced February 2nd. You will want to start playing now as some clues can only be obtained at the wineries. And yes- there is a cash prize! Wouldn't it be cool if one of us figures out who killed the world renowned wine expert at a tasting conference held in Geneva NY (at a place sounding very similar to Belhurst Castle pictured above)? See you sleuths at the wineries!