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!