Rooster Hill Holiday Party and...the Question?

Last Saturday we enjoyed the holiday party at Rooster Hill as members of their wine club. Owner Amy Hoffman and staff spent considerable time planning and arranging this event and their efforts were well worth it! Picture A Wonderful Life playing in black and white on the flat screen TV, a live band playing holiday and other favorite songs, decorations, stainless steel wine barrels with wreaths on them and cozy tables spread among the barrels for meeting and eating the DELICIOUS tapas on the buffet (seafood crepe, pork tenderloin, turkey, chocolates, roll-ups, cheeses and more)! Of course all were accompanied by the delicious, award winning Rooster Hill wines.

Jim and I started out with the Cabernet Franc/Lemberger blend. It's smooth, rich taste warmed us up after our drive to Keuka Lake. As we searched around the barrels for a place to set our plates, we were invited to share a table with Melissa and Rich. We found we had a lot in common besides the love of good wines and wineries including an intense interest in promoting the Finger Lakes wine industry. We enjoyed exchanging ideas, laughs, perspectives on the state of education today and blog addresses. As we talked, we were offered a taste of the Reserve Lemberger by Barry Tortolon, Rooster Hill's Winemaker. We also tried their award winning Gewurztraminer (fabulous) and others. What a great way to spend an afternoon - meeting new people and enjoying outstanding wine!

But here comes the question that Melissa posed to us when we first joined their table:

Why do we enjoy coming to the Finger Lakes Wineries?

For us it is simple. We love the ability to speak with winemakers and winery owners. Where else could you walk into a tasting room and start a conversation with the person pouring the wine and find out they are the owner or the owner's son, daughter, niece, nephew, sister or brother! Or perhaps you are speaking to the winemaker if the winery owner doesn't make the wine himself. I love to hear their stories - HOW they started their business, WHY they started their business, WHO is working with them (often family members are involved in one way or another), WHERE their winery is located and the special terroir and climate of their chosen spot, or WHAT is the current project? It fascinates us and engages us in the industry. The winery owners that we have met are the salt of the earth, hardest working people I know who absolutely love what they do and who are grateful for the opportunity to make their dreams come true. It isn't about having the most awards (although awards ARE nice), it is about creating a top-notch wine in good years and not-so-good-years. Yup, THAT'S what it is all about for us. Our hats are off to the hard-working Finger Lakes Wineries. We will continue to do all we can to support them.

Barrel Tasting and Vertical at Standing Stone Vineyards

What a fantastic afternoon we spent at Standing Stone Vineyards on the east side of Seneca Lake! Our friends, Pam and Dave joined us for a delicious lunch at the Bistro at Thirsty Owl Vineyards on Cayuga Lake. Then we traveled west a bit and arrived at Standing Stone just in time for the barrel tasting. We joined Jenny and Gary in the big yellow barn that houses the barrels. We tasted several wines - 2 Chardonnays that differed in the yeast that was used in the fermentation process (and yes, they tasted very different), 2 Pinot Noirs, a Cab Franc, 2 Merlots, Petit Verdot and Saperavi. What a great experience to taste wines in process as well as to compare different vintages of the same varietal. Let me give you a heads-up - the 2010 wines are out of this world! Next we filled up our plates with breads, spreads and meats and headed back into the winery for our vertical tasting of Pinnacle. Pinnacle is Standing Stone's Bordeaux style blend, generally comprised of Cab Sav, Cab Franc and Merlot, although the 2007 Pinnacle (Wine Spectator score of 87) has Petit Verdot blended in also. We tasted the following years (vertical tastings compare different vintages of a given wine): 1997, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2010. Love, love, love the 2005 and 2007! Very interesting to see, smell, and taste the differences over the years, plus it gives you a nice experience in tasting the effects of age on the wine. We had time to chat with winery owner and winemaker Marti Macinski, who, while a wealth of information about each vintage, is clearly passionate about her vineyard. This event was a wine-club member special event, so here is my plug about joining a wine club. While getting shipments of wine is great itself, the special events such as this barrel tasting provide for wonderful learning opportunities that you wouldn't ordinarily have.
It was a great time with great friends at a unique event. I couldn't think of a better way to spend a Sunday afternoon in November!

J.R. Dill - New Winery on Seneca Lake

Columbus Day Weekend
While Jim and I were busy with our annual October trek to Niagara on the Lake, "Rover" Jon diligently scoured the East side of Seneca Lake to report on the latest happenings. He discovered a new winery, J.R. Dill's which he said has really great dry wines. It is located 6 miles north of Watkin's Glen. Young J.R. (26?) is making wines from vines his great grandfather worked over 100 years ago. I am looking forward to visiting this new winery as well as Damiani's new tasting room, which is now open.
Jim and I have been helping out at Standing Stone this fall. They have a wonderful Saperavi, the 2007 Pinot Noir is out of this world as is the 2007 Pinnacle (Cab Sav, Merlot and Cab Franc blend with the addition of the Petit Verdot grape). The 2006 Pinnacle is also really good. It is fun to ask tasters their opinion when sampling the two, because it is pretty much 50/50 as to their preferences between the 07 and 06. I can't say enough about the ice wines from Standing Stone either. There are 4 to taste: Chardonnay, Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Vidal. Each is unique and de-lish (with 91+ Wine Spectator ratings)!
We are looking forward to Standing Stone's First Ever Loyalty Club Event: Barrel tastings and Verticals.... Nov. 21st. Check out the Standing Stone website for more details.
In the mean time, pour yourself a glass of a Finger Lakes Wine and enjoy the beauty of the fall!

California? PUH!

So here again is a plug for joining wine clubs at your favorite Finger Lakes Winery. Why? Because...

• You get wine DELIVERED TO YOUR HOME 4-6 times a year.


• Often the wine is exclusive to wine club members: limited productions, library wines, or a new release.


• You can be invited to special events such as pig roasts, dinners, vertical tastings, barrel tastings, etc.


• There is a discount on wines purchased in the retail shop.


• Newsletters, food pairings, recipes...


• No tasting room fees.

Our Finger Lakes region is so beautiful and the wines are emerging as world-class (don't believe me, check out the Wine Spectator). Who needs California?

Joe Beans Coffee Roasters

Did you ever notice that the Wine Spectator writes articles about coffee? Why? Because coffee and wine have a lot in common : both compliment a meal, both enjoy complexity in flavors, and both leave lasting impressions. Did you ever have a wonderful dinner, then get served a poor to mediocre cup of coffee at the end? It literally leaves a bad taste in your mouth and usually your whole impression of the evening suffers as a result. Here in Webster, NY, we have the answer to your poor coffee dilemma: Joe Beans Coffee Roasters! Owner Kathy Turiano offer the alternative to that lousy cup of coffee. Deep, flavorful, locally roasted coffees. Check out her link and philosophy of using fair trade certified products. Like Finger Lakes Wines, Joe Bean is a local treasure.

Rooster Hill Pig Roast

The month of August is here and we started it with a bang at Rooster Hill's Wine Club Pig Roast. Again, another fabulous day on the east side of Keuka Lake! The view from their patio is stupendous! Their patio also hosts a huge wood fired pizza oven. So while we arrived, distributed our raffle tickets, and enjoyed participating in a blind wine tasting, the pizza oven was cranking out gourmet pizzas! (Seafood, pineapple, pepperoni and plain with huge chunks of tomato in the sauce...yum!) The band played Jimmy Buffet and other favorites while club members tasted wines and socialized. We were able to try all the newly bottled 2009 wines which are not yet released. We especially liked the Pinot Noir (young but complex, so it will only get better), the Gewurztraminer and the Estate Late Harvest Vidal Blanc. Watch for these releases and give them a try! The dinner was fabulous: awesome pork with fresh salads, baked beans, rolls and cookies!

As the sun slowly sank in the sky, we sat on the patio enjoying our last glass of wine with new friends Dave and Barb, and made plans to meet them again at the Holiday Party! Thank- you Amy Hoffman (president and co-founder) and staff for a well-organized and enjoyable afternoon.

Fox Run Happenings

I am sipping Fox Run's Dry Rose as I write this. It is the perfect dry wine, well chilled, on a warm evening! Which reminded me that Fox Run Vineyards has several events coming up. Most immediately is their 18th Annual Garlic Festival happening this weekend August 7th and 8th. This is a huge event with food, music, and of course wine! Also coming up are more Tapas Tastings. These are held Thursday evenings from 6-8 pm and cost $20 per person. Winemakers Peter Bell and Tricia Renshaw will discuss the wines and the food pairings. The upcoming dates are Aug 19, Sept 2, Sept 16 and Oct 7. These informal gatherings are a great experience because you get to meet the winemakers and chat about the wines you're drinking. And Executive Cheft Heather Tomkins and her staff always do a bang-up job with the food pairings. Hope to see you there!

Ravines Wine Club Dinner

Wow! Where does the time go, especially in the summer? It has been almost a month since we attended the First Annual Ravenous Wine Club Party on July 10th. It was a hot, steamy afternoon with a gorgeous view of Keuka Lake. Ravine's is located on the east side of Keuka Lake where the lake splits into a "Y". This gives you a panoramic north and south view as well as a nice view of the widest part of the lake. And it was a perfect day for a dinner. We enjoyed scrumptious appetizers while winemaker and owner Morten Hallgren poured his wonderful, dry, European-style wines. Morten's wife, Lisa, is the chef and mastermind behind the food pairings. Her dinner followed with fantastic salads made with local produce: Laurence Francois's Mediterranean Couscous, Cold Green Bean and Lemon Salad and the utterly awesome Lisa's Potato Salad. These were accompanied by Grilled Chicken with Garlic Scape Pesto and followed by desserts of cheesecake and chocolate! (The recipes for the chicken and salads are on Ravines new website http://ravineswine.com/welcome/ ). We truly enjoyed ourselves and had a chance to make some new acquaintances while reconnecting with old. Well done, Ravines!

Update: Standing Stone 2009 Riesling and Heron Hill Ingle Vineyard 2006 Chardonnay

I tweeted a few days back that the Standing Stone 2009 Riesling was excellent. Wine Spectator verified it, giving this Riesling 88 points! AND Standing Stone's Riesling Ice 91 points! Congratulations to Standing Stone! I have said before how much we love Standing Stone wines so it is great to see Marti and Tom get this recognition! Both are available in the winery's tasting room.

I also finally got a chance to try Heron Hill's Ingle Vineyard 2006 Chardonnay that we purchased at the Rochester Public Market (it is also available at the winery). I am not a huge Chardonnay fan, especially of buttery California Chards, but was really impressed with this one. It was clean and crisp, and slightly buttery, but not overwhelmingly so. (The bottle says it is fermented in European oak which is more subtle than American oak). I am saving a bottle to give Pam for her Big 5-0 as she loves exceptional chardonnays. Also thinking about how well this would pair with shrimp scampi, sauteed scallops, or lobster bisque!

Here's Maggie's review of the Heron Hill Chardonnay!

I highly recommend this chardonnay before it runs out!

Damiani Wine Cellar's New Tasting Room is Coming...

Damiani Wine Cellars will be opening their new tasting room in about a month's time. It is located 5 miles south of the current tasting room on the east side of Seneca Lake, Route 414. We will definitely have to schedule a trip there when it opens, but in the meantime, we had a great tasting opportunity with Gabriel Damiani last weekend. Their current tasting room is really a beautiful old house, and it was gloriously air-conditioned! We previously had only tasted their reds and their 2009 Riesling, so welcomed the opportunity to try the other whites available. Gabriel said they don't make any bad wines, and he was right. We have loved their reds for awhile, but now we love them all. The wines are all dry wines, but some taste sweeter or fruitier depending on the type of grape. They are a small winery making a limited numbers of cases (from 100- 600). We started with the whites. The Sav Blanc (188 cases made) was exceptional. Lots of grass and tropical fruit flavors. The Riesling (2009) is made with grapes from Argetsinger vineyards. I love this Riesling; it is so crisp and clean. We sampled and liked the Gewurztraminer. The Pinot Grigio was also lovely and Gabriel was glad everyone in the group liked it as he said he planted all the vines for this grape by hand, and that the vineyards are truly a labor of love that he hopes will be there for the family's descendants to enjoy.

Then came the reds. We really, really liked the Cab Franc Barrel Select, The Merlot, the Cab Sav and the Meritage. The Pinot Noir was well done also. Lastly we tried the 2007 Sparking Brut. All I can say is if you have a special occasion or even don't have a special occasion, but like champagne, try this! It was truly a taste experience as it goes through many changes as soon as it hits your mouth! The effervescence changes from sweet to citrus to vanilla. Wow. Needless to say, we purchased a bottle of the Brut to accompany the Barrel Select Cab Franc and Riesling. As we were driving home we realized we didn't grab a Meritage. Guess we'll just have to go back when the new tasting room opens!

P.S. Today "Rover" Jon sent me this photo of the wines he purchased at Damiani this weekend: the Barrel Select Cab Franc, the Barrel Select Pinot Noir, and the Cabernet Sauvignon Barrel Select! As a fellow Damiani lover, he is enjoying his purchases in celebration of the 4th. His review of these Damiani wines: "awesome"!

Heron Hill Scoops

We attended a wine tasting of Heron Hill Winery wines the other night. This vineyard has a drop-dead gorgeous wine tasting facility north of Hammondsport on Keuka Lake. We tried several delicious wines, but also found out the scoops on an upcoming exceptional vintage: the 2007 Cab Franc. Watch for it when it is released! We also heard that the 2006 Ingle Vineyard Chardonnay is outstanding. While it was not available for the tasting, the word is that it is available at the Public Market at the Heron Hill booth. We will check it out this Saturday and let you know...(or get to the Market yourself, try it and let US know what you think!)

Rendezvous with Riesling at the NY Wine and Culinary Center

OK so that's Fox Run's Merlot in the glass, but it really makes the words stand out!

My friend John said the other day that he doesn't like going to big wine events because you never get to speak to the owners or winemakers and such personalization is the beauty of visiting the Finger Lakes wineries. The Rendezvous With Riesling event, however, was exactly that. Practically everyone we spoke with was either a winery owner, winemaker or both. With 44 wineries represented from throughout the Finger Lakes (and a few from Long Island), we barely scratched the surface because we had such fun talking to the owners/winemakers. The New York Wine and Culinary Center provided a beautiful backdrop in which to showcase these wineries without ever feeling crowded or uncomfortable. There were 7 gourmet food sponsors who provided samplings also as well as Rohrbach's Brewery. It was the perfect venue to get to know new wineries that we haven't visited on our "retrievals".

Several stand-outs beg to be mentioned first such as Anthony Road's 2008 Martini-Reinhart Selection Riesling Trockenbeeren (Wine Spectator 93 points). The comment I wrote about this late harvest treat was - WOW. Truly a treat. We were also able to sample Dr. Konstantin Frank's 2008 Bunch Select Late Harvest (Wine Spectator gave it 92 points). Again this was an exceptional treat that we were thrilled to be able to try. We also enjoyed Damiani's 2008 Riesling. They are just starting to bottle it so it is still young, but very zippy, crisp, citrus-y and full of promise. (And yes, this is the Damiani Wine Cellars that we have come to love for having exceptional red wines...)

We visited several favorites, but were very impressed with a winery we had never visited, Keuka Spring Vineyards. We spoke a length with Len Wiltberger, the owner, who poured us the most delicious glass of 2008 Gewurztraminer (Best White Wine at the San Francisco Chronicle Competition). It had just the right balance of flowers, citrus and pepper. We were also able to compare the 2009 Riesling (just taken from the barrel for the event) to the 2007 Reserve Riesling. It is always fun to taste the differences in young vs. older vintages to taste the effects time has on taste. Both were excellent; the 2009 has the promise of mellowing out nicely. Other new wineries we tried and enjoyed were Highland Cellars/Hickory Hollow and Boomer Creek Vineyards.

Least I forget, we had some awesome gourmet sausage from Hartmann's Old World Sausage in Canandaigua. I wish I had written down the names of all the sausages, but one was better than the next. We will definitely get some for our next wine party!

So, the evening truly was all about meeting the winemakers and hearing their stories; the pride in their voices as they told the tales of their favorite wines or newest creations. Where else on earth could you make the connection with these hard working people who are so passionate about their craft? THAT'S what makes our Finger Lakes wine region so unique.

Camp Good Days and Special Time's Dinner and Live Auction

Saturday night was an evening to remember! Jim and I volunteered to help Camp Good Days and Special Times at their Wine Dinner and Live Auction last Saturday night. This is a cause we feel strongly about and it was made even more poignant with the sudden passing of my friend and coworker, Steve, 2 weeks ago from cancer. Jim and I both lost our fathers to cancer and my uncle is currently in hospice. Yes, Gary, we too would like to see a cure for cancer in our lifetimes.

Last Thursday we began by attending the training on what we would need to do as wine ambassadors. We learned we would each be responsible for a table of guests; bringing them wines and helping them with their bids! We were nervous and a bit apprehensive of the unknown.

Saturday dragged until we left the house at 3:00 to head to the Rochester Plaza Hotel downtown. As soon as we arrived, signed in and received our aprons and boas, we were whisked away on a tour by Chris Van Zile (that's what she does!) and we learned our positions for the evening.

Job #1 was to man pouring station #5. We were located in the main dining room (see the beautiful photo of the classy set-up) We had a lot of fun pouring wine for silent auction bidders, especially because the wines at our station were of the raspberry, honey/mead, hard cider varieties. (Tough sell, but had fun doing it). Then we grabbed our bottle of the Best of the Show Chardonnay - Prejean's 2007 Reserve Chardonnay and a red (we both took great Cab Sauv's) and lined up for the grand entrance of the wine ambassadors (I SHOULD have taken a picture of Jim dancing with his boa wrapped around his neck!). Campers from Camp Good Days formed a drum line signaling the opening of the dinner event and our entrance. We danced to our tables and got ready for...

Job#2 and the main job for the rest of the evening! To make sure our table was happy and enjoying themselves and bidding on the fabulous items for the live auction. How about a 2 week stay at your own private villa in Argentina? Or an Executive MBA Program Scholarship at RIT? Not academic? What about touring the Finger Lakes in your own private turbine jet helicopter? Or joining the pit crew at Watkins Glen Race track? If you were merely thirsty you had many opportunities to bid on cases of award winning wines, library wines, wine and food pairings and dinners and many, many more fabulous items. As the evening wound down (around midnight), the wine ambassadors and other volunteers were all treated to pizza and gold medal wines, a band playing, and a chance to connect with others and re-live the evening!

We met so many new friends, and felt so privileged to be a part of contributing to such a worthy cause. We soon discovered our fears and anxieties were for naught as we were among a great group of individuals. It was truly an honor to be a part of this wonderful evening.

We got home late, but Maggie waited up for us - sort of!

PS I understand we broke all records! Bidders were so generous that there will be many more children forgetting their illness' for a while and enjoying Camp Good Days and Special Times this summer.

The Competition Continues aka: Wine, Wine and More Wine

Jim set off early this gorgeous spring morning for Fox Run Vineyards. Apparently there were several bottles of wine that didn't make it to the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition a few weeks back due to shipping/receiving/customs problems. So 8 judges gathered at Fox Run and Jim volunteered to help pour and serve the wines to the judges. While I know he deeply regretted not sitting in his windowless cubical punching numbers all day for the fine folks on probation, he just had to make due with the stunning lake view, blue sky and glasses filled with delicious wines. Tough, I know! He dutifully reported back that about 100 bottles were judged. And he didn't spill a drop carrying the trays of filled glasses down into the barrel room. So rest assured that ALL wines submitted have now been judged. Don't forget the 10th annual Wine Auction and Dinner to benefit Camp Good days and Special Times on May 1 - there are still tickets available (visit www.campgooddays.org). At the dinner, you will be able to sample many of the award winning wines along with a delectable dinner!

Also coming up this weekend are the following events:

Damiani Wine Cellars are having a Pinot Noir Release Party in their tasting room Friday April 16th from 5:30 - 8:30. Additionally, enjoy the artwork of Pamela Drix on exhibit. Sounds like a great way to enjoy the sunset!

Winestock NY 2010 is going to be celebrated at 3 Brothers Winery on Saturday April 17th from noon to 6:00 pm. With Live music all day and food pairings, it sounds like fun. There is a $20/person cover charge.

So drink up, drink responsibly and enjoy!

Finger Lakes International Wine Competition Chpt. 3

The FLIWC finished up yesterday. Jim and I had a great time pouring and serving our table of judges. We came home with some great wines and VERY sore legs. This was the tenth year of the competition, so things were extremely well organized and orchestrated. Here is a sampling of what we had to do at our pouring station... First the "corkers" uncorked and brought us the wines in our flight. We had usually 5 judges (the 5th being a "visiting" judge) with flights of 7-8 wines per flight. Therefore we had 40 Riedel wine glasses to stage. First we had to dry and inspect them for water spots or chips. Next, because this is a blind tasting and the judges only know the type of wine not the winery, we had to place a sticker on each wine glass denoting the number of the wine. We then poured the wines into their designated glasses, checked and double checked our accuracy and waited to be called. When the boss man (Tom King) said "lets roll", all the wine stations (there were 15 of us) VERY CAREFULLY rolled our wine carts with our 40 filled glasses out of our room, down a hallway to the judging room. In the judge's room we collected the old scoring sheets and cleaned the previous flight's glasses from the tables, then arranged the next flight before each judge in left to right sequence matching their scoring sheets. But our work was not done. Now we had to take the used glasses to the glass washers, a wonderful group of very dedicated volunteers who washed thousands of very expensive Riedel glasses all day long. We took our cart back to our station and started over again. There was a total of 27 flights of wine over the 2 days!

We were just a tiny part of this wonderful day. The judges volunteer their time and come from Canada, Europe and across the United States because they believe in Camp Good Days and Special Times. We spoke with several who judge year after year and consider it the highlight of their year. Then there are the hours and hours that go into gathering the 3010 wines, numbering them, separating them for the competition and the dinner (May 1st), hauling them into the Rochester Plaza, coordinating the volunteers, the food, the judge's dinner, the rooms for staging, judging and processing the scores, the set-up and dismantling...the list goes on and on and is mind boggling. This is truly a labor of love for the coordinators and planners: Peter Parts, Scott Osborne, Ed Schramm, Tom King and others such as Joelle Cain. I know I have left out tons of important people involved and I apologize for not knowing who you all are. Suffice it to say, I felt a part of something so inspirational that I know I want to return and keep paying forward all the good that this competition and dinner represent for the children who attend Camp Good Days and Special Times.

The afternoon highlight was when Gary Mervis, the camp's founder spoke softly and eloquently to the judges and volunteers about his daughter, Teddi. Teddi was his reason for founding the camp as a place where children dealing with cancer can go - free of charge- and have fun. Having those "good days" at camp and keeping the memories of those "special times" at camp to help them through other, not so pleasant days, is what the camp is all about. Gary went on to explain his vision of cancer research and hopes for the future. I was humbled to be a part of something so important.

So here is a photo of our awesome "K" team - Tony, Denise, Jim and I, as well as some of the staging and work areas at the competition.

Thank-you Peter Bell for your recommendation and Peter Parts for allowing us to be a part of this important occasion.

Finger Lakes International Wine Competition Chpt 2.

The FLIWC is half way over. 3,010 wines were entered from ALL 50 States in the US and countries around the world. 666 wineries in total! Wow. We attended the judge's dinner tonight at the German House, sat with several judges and spoke with one from California and one from Prince Edward Island, Canada. The food was marvelous and the wine plentiful (all bottles from today's competition). We had a chance to sample some we had heard about but never tried. We are a little nervous about tomorrow. What will our job entail? What do we wear on are feet? (Joelle tonight told us sneakers were OK but no jeans!) Who will be the judges in our group?
Stay tuned...

Finger Lakes International Wine Competition

Next weekend the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition comes to Rochester. This year there are somewhere around 2800 wine entries from around the world as well as our own back yard. Jim and I are really excited about working at it this year and at the dinner and silent auction on May 1st. ALL proceeds for both events go to benefit Camp Good Days and Special Times. I will keep you posted about these events through the blog, but if you want more information go to these websites:

Finger Lakes International Wine Competition: http://www.fliwc.com/

Camp Good Days and Special Times: http://www.campgooddays.org/

Wine Clubs Are the Way to GO!

Many of the Finger Lakes wineries offer wine clubs. Wine clubs offer several benefits:

• They are a great way to get special bottles of wine from your favorite winery throughout the year.


• Frequently Reserve wines and specialty wines are offered. (Sometimes they are only offered to Club members)


• Discounts are given to Club members for tastings, dinners, other special events.


• You may get a newsletter with information non happenings at the winery.


• If you attend the special events you get a discount to, you will meet fantastic people who share your love of a winery.

Wine Clubs usually involve wine shipments 3-4 times a year. The only catch is that someone over age 21 has to be home to sign for the shipments. This hasn't been too big a deal for us as UPS or Fed Ex will try delivering at another time. We haven't missed one yet! We have been members of several different wine Clubs over the years and have enjoyed the benefits of each. I would highly recommend trying one out.

Dignity Matters

We worked this past Columbus Day weekend at Standing Stone Vineyards. Columbus Day weekend is traditionally one of the busiest for the Finger Lakes Wineries as people want to take in the gorgeous Fall Foliage. We knew there would be bus loads of wine tasters and were happy to help out.

Jim was in his element explaining the wines in detail to small groups of 4-6 people. His strategy: to make the experience as personal as possible; chatting about what brought the tasters to the winery and which types of wine they prefer, then educating them on what they were tasting.

Then there was Joyce, in the "bus load" room in the back, pouring wine for 20 people at a time whose main focus was drinking, not learning.

There were several lessons learned through this experience, but possibly the most important was that dignity matters. This point was brought home last weekend when we read in our local newspaper that the owner of a Seneca Lake winery was assaulted by patrons visiting his winery because he refused to serve people who obviously had had too much already. I know, I know they just wanted to have fun and the owner was bringing them down. But let's take a look at the whole picture. First, you have the bus load of people whose stop at this winery at the top of Seneca Lake could have easily been the last stop of a LOOOONG day of wine tasting. The tourism these bus groups represent are what supports our Finger Lakes Wine industry. However, winery owners want to showcase their products, not deal with the irrational, inebriated public.

My advice to those who go on wine tastings just to catch a buzz is: stop watching the reality shows where obnoxious behavior is glorified and take a long hard look at yourself. You are losing a real learning opportunity and you are portraying yourself in a very poor light. Don't you want others to come to this region because it is a beautiful, classy up-and-coming major wine producing area? Or do you want the area to have the reputation of having to deal with obnoxious, belligerent drunks?

My father told me to always put my best foot forward, that people DO judge a book by its cover and to treat others the way you want to be treated. Yes, dignity matters. And yes, our Finger Lakes Wineries should shine with all the possibilities that await them. Hurray for the owner for not serving them.

Fox Run Vineyards Does It Again!

Where could you go to meet great people, learn about wine and food pairings, eat delicious foods, try wines and have a GREAT time? Why a winemaker’s dinner of course! And Ruth Osborn hosted a beautiful evening Saturday night at Fox Run Vineyards on Seneca Lake. If you have never had the chance to experience a winemaker’s dinner, I highly recommend it. The intimate setting where winemaker and chef explain their specialties and why they work so well together is second to none as a truly hands-on learning experience.
We joined about 30 other people at 6:00 sharp in the Lakeview Tasting Room where appetizers where offered with your choice of wine. Jim and I sampled crab brochette which was delicious, but according to the buzz, Executive Chef Heather Tompkins’ baked brie was the big hit! Next we were ushered into the restaurant dining room (it was too cold to eat in the barrel room) where tables in groups of 4-6 were elegantly set with red flower centerpieces on flowered tablecloths. Our dinner companions were winemaker Peter Bell and his wife, Joanna. As we discussed children in and out of college, the first course was served: seafood bouillabaisse (shrimp, scallops, clams and mussels in a saffron-tomato broth). WOW. This was paired with a wine-event exclusive: a delicious dry rose. Only 10 cases of this superb rose were bottled this year, so it is only available to wine club members (see the Fox Run website for details to become a club member). I savored every sip of the rose with the hope that next year more will be bottled. It was the perfect pairing with seafood.
Next we were served house-made crepes filled with Lively Run goat cheese, spinach and leeks topped with wine soaked cherries and hazelnuts. This was paired with the 2008 Riesling. I could have happily eaten this all night long! Heather, a true artist, explains that she starts out with a basic idea, then embellishes the recipe with her own inspirations. The wine soaked cherries were one of her additions on this dish and they just elevated the crepes to truly outstanding.
The main course was Beef Bourguignon (full of beef, root vegetables, mushrooms, and a rich wine gravy) served on a crusty baguette. The 2007 Meritage (rhymes with heritage) was an excellent pairing with the beef’s deep flavors.
And lastly, dessert was an outrageous red velvet cupcake with chocolate ganache and port caramel sauce. Paired perfectly with the Ruby Port, the bittersweet chocolate-frosted cupcake and wine combination was to die for!
Each course and wine pairing was described by Heather, Peter or Kelby Russell, intern extraordinaire to Peter Bell. It was interesting to find out that the wine pairing could be changed at the last minute as each course is taste-tested!
Thank-you Ruth, Peter, Heather, Kelby and all the staff at Fox Run for a fabulous evening and a very special way to celebrate Valentine’s Day!

Step up Danny Wegman!

We have a wonderful grocery store - Wegman's - in our area. Wegman's is a great sponsor of many important initiatives locally and we are glad to have them. One of the areas that they support is the local farmers and local produce. They are an integral part of the New York Wine and Culinary Center located in Canandaigua. OK, so far so good. But I need to call Danny out on his minimal support of the Finger Lakes wineries in the Menu magazine that Wegman's puts out a few times a year. I conducted a little informal research by looking back into the 2009 Menu magazines and this is what I found:
Winter 09 - out of 16 wine and food pairings printed, Wegman's paired 0 (that is the big ZERO) New York State wines with their recipes. Boo.
Summer 09 - out of 18 recipes and wine pairings, Dr. Frank's Salmon Run Riesling is the only Finger Lakes wine suggested. (come on, Salmon Run is Dr. Frank's low-end wine, not his really good stuff, but we'll take whatever we can get).
Fall 09 - of 14 wine and food pairings, only Fox Run's Chardonnay was suggested to represent NY wines. Boo again (NOT to Fox Run, but to Wegman's for such minimal support).
Holiday 09 - again - only Dr. Frank's Salmon Run Riesling suggested out of the 22 wines mentioned.
Finally, Winter 10 - a little better - 2 wines were mentioned: Dr. Frank's Chardonnay and Heron Hill Pinot Noir

Overall, I would say a pretty poor showing for someone as powerful and influential in the Rochester Area as Wegman's. Many of the wines they pair with their recipes are from California. My suggestion is that if Wegman's wants to promote their California wine connections (as I'm sure they are doing), then they should at least suggest 2 wines with each pairing - one from the Finger Lakes and the other from California or elsewhere.
Come on Danny Wegman, Step up and promote the wineries in your backyard!

Upcoming Wine Events at Fox Run and on Seneca Lake!

Something very special is happening at Fox Run Vineyards: Fox Run's Valentine's Dinner with the Winemaker on February 13th! Check out Fox Run's website http://www.foxrunvineyards.com/

because they have a link to my video post of last year's Wine maker's Dinner! I know that will convince you to attend! But seriously, the menu looks great. Heather Tomkins is the new Executive Chef at Fox Run and she is fabulous. It is a very special way to show your Valentine how much they mean to you! Join us - you won't be sorry.

Another Fox Run event coming up is a Winter Tasting on February 26 from 5:30 - 7:30. Heather will create 4 different taste treats to pair with Fox Run's wines. Peter Bell, Fox Run's winemaker, will be there to explain the wines that will be paired with Heather's delicious creations. Jim and I attended a tasting in the fall where Heather created such wonderful treats such as pumpkin hummus (paired with Reserve Chardonnay), roasted dates wrapped in bacon stuffed with Red Buddy (paired with Merlot) and fried cauliflower with green curry sauce (paired with Riesling). For this event (held near Halloween), it was optional to dress in costume. So Jim and I debated - should we dress up? What is no one else does? What can we"dress up" as that might also pass for normal clothes? We came up with Clark Kent and Lois Lane as you can see. Thank goodness because other than someone with a NY Yankees jersey on, no one else appeared to be wearing a costume! None-the-less, we had a great time eating, participating in the blind wine tasting/guessing the wine game and talking to fellow Fox Run wine lovers!

Also February 12-14, the Seneca Lake Wine Trail will be hosting their Chocolates and Wines at numerous wineries around the lake. You can order tickets to that event at this website: senecalakewine.com

All great fun events to warm you up on these long, cold winter days! See you there!

Canadian Wine Tastings

This morning's local fish wrapper had an article about how Canadians are charged an exorbitant amount of taxes/duty when bringing Finger Lakes wines home. It seems to me a shame that the Canadian government penalizes its people for bringing American wines into their country. Yet they want Americans to head north and spend our money in their country. Case in point, Jim and I spent a weekend up at Niagara-On-The-Lake this fall. We went to visit the wineries in the area. The wineries we went to were sleek; very European in look and style. And - get this- to have a TASTING of ONE of their ice wines...$10.00! Hmmmm

Play-off Wines

I was going to Tweet the wines we served yesterday for the play-offs, but decided I needed more room than a tweet offers, so here goes:
We served Ravine Wine Cellar's 2007 Chardonnay, Hermann J. Wiemer's 2007 Merlot and Standing Stone's Smokehouse White a semi-dry Vidal Blanc. They were all great choices. Karen and Dan really liked the Smokehouse White which is Standing Stone's white table wine. It is slightly sweet and very drinkable - and at under $10 a bottle, very easy on the pocket. A good sipping wine while watching the game. Ravine's Wine Cellars produces dry wines. This Chardonnay, while dry, is very pleasant. It is aged in stainless steel, but undergoes a second fermentation process that produces a slightly buttery taste and feel. Kathy and I enjoyed sipping and having the Chardonnay with our dinner. (Dry wines are perfect to pair with foods). Jim tried the Wiemer Merlot and raved about it. When I tried it later, I could see why. Rich with plum and cherry flavors and oh so smooth, this Merlot is a keeper. Least you think we are all sissy wine drinkers watching manly football games, we also served everyone's favorite beers including a local brewery, Rohrbach's Highland Lager in a growler. Yum.
A couple nights ago we opened Ravines 2007 Cabernet Franc. We had visited the winery last weekend, joined their wine club, and brought a couple bottles home. The Cab Franc is very light and dry - I almost thought it was a Pinot Noir. (Jim makes me guess what wine I am drinking and whose winery it is from). Again this wine pairs nicely with food - we had salmon that night. While I liked the Cab Franc, if I were to choose which I liked better, the Cab Franc or Chardonnay, I would definitely chose the Chardonnay.

Help! I'm sandwiched!

Wow! It has been along time since my last blog. I hope at least you are following my Twitters on this website where I give a brief description of Finger Lakes wines that Jim and I have tasted this fall.

Last spring I found myself suddenly a part of the sandwich generation (aging, needy relatives, kid and work) and little time for anything else (other than drinking wonderful Finger Lakes wines). My blogging obviously took a hit, and this lack of blogging has lead to a New Year's resolution. I would like to open up this blog and invite fellow NY wine drinkers to send me your thoughts about the Finger Lakes (or other NY State) wines you are drinking. I know, for example, my friend Jon loves McGregor, Shaw and Damiani wines. I would love his opinions to be posted here. And I know there are members of the FLWR "Pack" who would be great contributors also. So here are the ground rules to become one of the "Rovers"

1. I am the editor and have the right to edit as I see fit. This is a professional blog and it should remain so, therefore...

2. No inappropriate language, cursing, off color jokes or images will be allowed. I will post only those pieces that are professional, thoughtful and appropriate.

3. You can e-mail your written blog entry to me at fingerlakeswineretrievers@gmail.com along with any photos you wish to be part of the piece.

4. I will post you entry in a timely manner. Please let me know how you want it signed: first name only, whole name, etc.

5. If I have any questions about your entry, I will contact you by e-mail.

6. You will officially become a FLWR Rover when your entry is published.

So get out there and drink some fabulous NY State wines. Several were mentioned in the Wine Spectator the last several months and are available in local liquor stores. I would also encourage you to submit your opinions about wine related topics (ex: wines in grocery stores).

I will also try to catch you up on what wine events we attended this fall and local winery visits. So stay tuned, and PLEASE participate. I would love to have a large number of FLWR Rovers out there!