Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Consider Signing the Fracking Petition

Below is a link to a petition asking for a ban against fracking in the Finger Lakes watershed.

http://signon.org/sign/ban-hydrofracking-from.fb1?source=s.fb&r_by=1553052  

Consider signing it to support the people, land, water, tourism, agriculture and THE WINE INDUSTRY in the Finger Lakes.  Over 500 chemicals, some carcinogens, have been found in the waste water from fracking. Hundreds of trucks moving supplies and the waste water (where does THAT go? Into the ground to contaminate our produce and livestock?) will decimate the beautiful area of the Finger Lakes. Air pollution around the wells is another side effect.  Thanks to former VP Cheney, hydrofracking for natural gas is exempt from the Safe Drinking Water Act's restrictions. What are we doing to our land and what legacy are we leaving for our children?  I recommend watching Gasland to get more information about how fracking has impacted other areas of the country.  Frightening.

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Way to go Monroe County.

"Likely Monroe voters back fracking" is the headline in today's fish wrapper. 55% of the people polled support fracking, 45% oppose and 10% undecided.  Wake up people!  It doesn't look likely the Monroe County will be affected and because it won't impact them directly, why not support it?  I lived in Buffalo during the 1970's and early 80's.  I drove past Love Canal frequently.  Anyone who saw the boarded up houses and empty playgrounds or read the horrific stories of what Hooker Chemical's "safe" way of disposing their toxic waste did to the people in that neighborhood, would understand the impact on health and the environment big companies can have (all the while promising the safety of their procedures). The way the fracking companies have been sneaking in and buying land for cash all around the Finger Lakes is sly and devious, praying on the economic hardships we are facing.   Studies completed in areas where hydrofracking has been done point to destruction, contamination and negative health affects.  Wake up ALL of New York State!  Do you want the beauty of the Finger Lakes decimated?  Drinking water and land contaminated for future generations?  Isn't it about time we stood up for our planet and protected the beauty and abundance we have?  And does anyone honestly think that this will decrease our dependance on foreign energy supplies?  You can live without natural gas, but can you live without drinking water?  The question I would like to ask every person who supports hydrofracking is..."Would you want it in your back yard?"  I think we would have different results.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Wow, it's been awhile, eh? Sorry but we are working on our move to the Finger Lakes Region....
Tonight Jim and I are doing a taste test. We kept meaning to get to Shalestone Vineyards this summer, but because of circumstances way beyond our control, we just keep missing them. So yesterday I went to the McKenzie Child Sale and Festivities for Columbus Day and stopped at the "Bet the Farm" retail shop in Aurora. We tasted "Bet the Farm" wines: Pinot Grigio, Traminette, a white blend, Gamay Noir, Pinot Noir and Cab Franc. I liked what I tasted. They were all light, smooth, but also complex. The winemaker was actually trained by Lou Damiani and does her winemaking at Damiani. Anyway, I bought 2 Shalestones wines at the retail shop because I fear we won't make it there before it closes again this year. I bought the Pinot Noir and Cab Franc. Tonight we opened the Shalestone Pinot Noir. It is full of cherries, nutmeg and coffee with a long finish. Jim, however felt it tasted more like a Cab Franc with green pepper tones. I agreed that the tannins were evident half way through, but then I got cherries again. He disagreed (as we do often these days) and went downstairs to get our benchmark of pinot noirs, Heart and Hands, to compare.
Heart and Hands is like eating a golden delicious apple: smooth, round, full and lush. It gives you that warm fuzzy feeling. The Shalestone is cherry and more fruit forward. I like them both and we are having a discussion about the fairness of comparing them. I think they are both good, though different. Jim prefers Heart and Hands. " That's the way it is" at our house tonight. Try some yourself and let us know your opinion.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

A Real Tribute to Deb

As difficult as the evening had to be for Red Newt's Dave Whiting, the Sparkling Winemaker's Table dinner was a fitting tribute to his wife, Debra. Dave's toast to love and celebration (their son's birthday and engagement) was heartfelt and Deb's presence was felt throughout the evening. This was her menu, the last one she had planned. And the staff outdid themselves with each course's creation and presentation.
We started with grilled bacon wrapped shrimp on a white bean and roasted fennel cake drizzled with a lemon-mustard vinaigrette paired with Chateau Frank 2002 Blanc de Noir. Next was organic field green salad with caramelized chevre, duck breast, fried leeks and cherry balsamic vinaigrette paired with Heart and Hands 2009 Brut Rose. The main course was baked almond crusted sea bass topped with apricot relish and apricot verjus glaze served with a garlic scape potato pancake with green beans. This was paired nicely with Lamoreaux Landing 2006 Blanc de Blanc. The dessert was Chocolate Pate with Black Tea and Cardamom Ice Cream paired with Red Newt Cellars 2007 Hellbender Soiree. The food was out of this world and the pairings superb. Contributing winemakers or Dave's sons were seated at each table which made for fascinating conversation about the wine industry, local produce and food pairings.
What better way to pay tribute to Deb than through her passions of food and wine and with her family and the extended family of friends who support it? Thank-you Dave.

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Sad News about Debra Whiting

We would like to extend our condolences to Dave Whiting and family. The Finger Lakes region mourns such a huge loss.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Brut Rose Vertical at Heart & Hands Wine Company

Have you ever been to a vertical wine tasting? Often winemakers will hold back some of their wines for their wine "library". The library wines can then be accessed for special events such as the Vertical Tasting on Sunday at Heart & Hands Wine Company. At a vertical, you are able to compare different vintages side by side. The Heart & Hand's vertical of their Brut Rose included the 2007, 2008, and 2009 vintages. Winemaker Tom Higgins had tasting notes available with information about the vintage season, which Pinot Noir clones were used and his tasting notes from when each was opened Sunday morning. He paired the Roses with Strawberry shortcake (and whip cream - yum) which really brought out the berry flavors in the sparkling wine.
Before I tell you about each vintage, I think a short course in Champagne and Sparkling Wines is in order. For a wine to be called Champagne, it must be made from either Chardonnay, Pinot Noir or Pinot Meunier grapes grown in the Champagne region of France. Since Heart & Hands is in Union Springs NY, they must call their wine Sparkling Wine. HOWEVER, Tom uses the Champagne METHOD (or Traditional method) to make his Sparkling Wine. The Champagne Method is labor intensive, takes longer and is more expensive than other methods used. In the Champagne Method, the final blend of the still wine is bottled with a small amount of wine, sugar and yeast. A secondary fermentation occurs in the bottle which can last up to 3 months (to get those bubbles). Then the bottles are stacked with their necks pointing down and are turned at regular time intervals. In the degorgement stage, the bottle necks are plunged into a freezing solution which freezes the bottle around the sediment (which has traveled to the neck). The bottle is turned upright, the cap popped, and ice and sediment shoot out. Lastly, the bottle is topped with a reserve wine and sugar combo, re-corked and further aged. Using the Champagne Method generally produces a higher quality sparkling wine, and Tom is all about quality.
So - the 3 vintages:
2007: A hot and dry vintage. Dijon Pinot Noir Clones were used. This is important as these clones are from Burgundy and used to make still wines (such as Pinot Noir). The wine was a slightly darker shade of pink than the other two due (according to Tom) to thicker skins on the grapes. This sparkling wine was described by Tom :" Raspberry opens up on the nose leading to ruby red grapefruit, cranberry-raspberry-orange muffin". It was really really good with the strawberry shortcake!
2008: This was a normal vintage. The Pinot Noir clones were Champagne clones (from the Champagne region of France). Tom described it as "Plum skin and delicate floral notes open up to grapefruit and freshly mowed straw supported by a firm backbone."
2009: This vintage was cool and moist. Again Champagne clones were used. Tom's description:" Hints of candied cherries enter the nose followed by a ripe cherry burst on the palate with a touch of dried cranberry tartness on the finish."
All were really good and while there were commonalities among them, each had subtle differences that distinguished them depending on the taster's palate! Needless to say,we purchased the 2009, which is currently in the tasting room. But get some soon, because it won't last long.
New releases also available in the tasting room now are the 2010 Dry Riesling (108 cases produced) and the 2010 Riesling (226 cases produced). Other wines available for tasting are the 2009 Pinot Noir and the 2008 Barrel Reserve Pinot Noir (which is out-of-this-world).
P.S. Thank-you, Tom, for graciously signing a bottle of the Reserve Pinot Noir for Jim to give a friend who is retiring.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Wind, Rain and Chili Oh My!


Saturday started out hot, humid and breezy at Standing Stone Vineyards on the East side of Seneca Lake. The tents were set up with the Chili-meisters stirring and cooking like mad. There was the "Cheese-head Chili" man (yes, Packers fans, he does have the Cheese-head hat!). There was Gary's Hot Highland Drunkin Cow Chili, Chicken Wing Chili, Jamaican Me Crazy Chili, Dr. DD's Chili or Dr. DD's wife's Chili....all were very good and I was glad I wasn't judging. (I was told to stay clear of the cheeky red-head with the British accent as she might try to sway the votes toward the Drunkin Cow Chili)! Jim was chosen to judge, so "PHEW" to me!
There were the busloads, the limo's and the hard core chili tasters. The tasting room buzzed with people, then rumbled with people - wait- that wasn't the last tour bus, that was thunder! You could see the dark clouds and rain crossing the lake...headed right towards us! The wind hit! The tents and chili flew and the rain came down sideways and in torrential quantities. In came the soaking wet Chili chefs. Fortunately the judges had had enough time to make their decision. So when the thunder clapped, the lightening struck and the electricity went out, all was serene on the porch of Standing Stone as the awards were given out to the best Chili on the East side of Seneca. I believe Chili #6 won - Dr DD's wife(?), but I'm not sure as I was busy chatting, and pouring. All I know was when all the left over chili was mixed together and we had a moment to try some, the conglomeration was great! What wine would you have with chili you might ask? Well, it depended on the chili: hot and spicy - maybe Gewurztraminer or Smokehouse Red, sweeter - maybe the semi-dry Vidal. Whatever your preference, it was a fun day to taste and experiment with pairings. (And yes, after about 4 hours, the electricity did come back on)!
P.S. Marti hinted that there may be some vertical pairings coming up in August, so stay tuned!

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

An Enchanted Evening with Heart and Hands and Evan Dawson!


It seemed as if it had rained 40 days and 40 nights, but sometime mid-afternoon on May 20th, the rain stopped, the sun came out and the sky cleared. By the time Jim and I arrived at the Aurora Inn on Cayuga Lake, the sky was blue and the air was warm. You couldn't have ordered a better evening. Evan Dawson set up his book signing station on the patio and Tom and Susan Higgins arrived. A lovely library wine was served: the 2007 Riesling while Crab Cakes Dijonaise, Beef Carpaccio and Shitake, Leek and Asiago Croustades were passed among the crowd by the staff from the Inn. We chatted with a couple from Baltimore who got into Heart & Hands wines through their daughter. They had flown in for the evening's dinner!
We walked through the french doors from the patio into the Lakeview Room where the tables were set (with lots of wine glasses) in preparation for the dinner. Although it was hard to leave the natural beauty of the lakeside patio, this room was gorgeous - with beautiful murals painted by Cleveland artist Glenn Moore Shaw in 1958 surrounding the room. The murals show scenes of the village and were originally hung in the front hall of the Inn. Shaw's murals were joined by four new panels of other Aurora scenes painted by local artists with the newest being the Wells College Boathouse painted by local artist Derwood Crocker. They were stunning.
We sat at our table and met new friends Terry and John, and Vicki and George. The meal began with Red Endive, Fennel and Frisee Salad topped with pistachios and ruby red grapefruit vinaigrette perfectly paired with the 2010 Dry Riesling. With each course, Tom gave information about the wine being served. Next came Coriander Crusted Scallops drizzled with carrot ginger puree and served on kohlrabi slaw paired with 2009 Polarity, another library wine. The Polarity, a chardonnay-like wine made with Pinot Noir grapes, was awesome. Tom tells us that more Polarity is in the future of Heart and Hands. The entree of grilled lamb chops on warm berry pilaf with spring vegetables, watercress and natural jus was served with a flight of Pinot Noir (2007 Barrel Reserve, 2008 Pinot Noir from the Sawmill Vineyard, and the 2008 Pinot from the Hobbit Hollow Vineyard). I loved the idea of the flight so that each wine could be tasted, appreciated and compared to the others. (And I also loved the lamb!) The meal was finished with a delicious fresh strawberry shortcake paired with sparkling 2009 Brute Rose while Tom and Evan Dawson entertained with "the stories that didn't make the book."
The wine was delicious, the food outstanding, the company wonderful, and the surroundings beautiful. Our hosts, Tom and Susan couldn't have been more excited about the evening. Evan Dawson obviously enjoyed his role and had a lot of fun as well. What a great evening!

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

May Day and a Barrel of Fun!

This is very late in coming, but Jim and I attended a marvelous barrel tasting at Ravines on May 1st. This encompassed several vertical tastings paired with phenomenal food. At the end, we got to mix our own Meritage blend! But let's start at the beginning.
Finger Lakes Wine Retriever's friends and "Rovers", Maggie and Jon arrived at Ravines before we did, but saved us a couple glasses which were immediately filled with Keuka Village! We chatted outside until the preparations were all ready for us inside. Then we entered the tasting room to find tables set and wine ready to be poured. Winemaker extraordinaire, Morten Hallgren took his place behind the bar as we took our places at the table. Then the food pairings and wine tasting began! We knew the wines would be delicious, but we never expected the extensive food pairings which accompanied them. Still more unbelievable was that the kitchen equipment in the new kitchen area below the tasting room was not yet hooked up, so Lisa Hallgren made to make do (and did so exceptionally), with toaster ovens! We were able to taste the 09 Riesling that was awarded 90 points by the Wine Spectator, Merlot, Pinot Noir, some 2010's from the barrels and compare them to earlier vintages. Paired with quiche, salad, chocolates, and I wish I could remember what else, it was a meal, an education and beyond our wildest expectations. Everyone enjoyed sharing, talking and meeting each other and Morten enjoyed it all! Thank-you Ravines, Morten and Lisa for a wonderful afternoon.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Chapter 3 The Emerald City!

Remember the Zenith Slogan..."The quality goes in before the name goes on?" OK, so it originated in 1923 and we're not QUITE that old, but the slogan fits Heart & Hands Wine Company to a tee! Tom Higgins is the winemaker extraordinaire who focuses on world class Pinot Noir. From his meticulous search for the perfect property (with limestone) to hand picking and sorting the grapes to his oak barrels, everything that goes into his Pinot Noir is top shelf. And he doesn't stop there. If you stop into the tasting room where Susan pours the wines, you will be offered the opportunity to do a barrel tasting with Tom. Don't say no. You will regret it if you do. Just saying. Tom will take you back to his super cool barrel room. I mean it. There are these magnificent carved doors over 8 feet tall that you enter through. Then his barrel room itself is a consistently cool 50 degrees because the barrel room is BUILT INTO THE EARTH. The earth keeps a constant temperature, thus his barrels stay a constant temperature. With barrels lining the walls, the vineyard dog laying on the cool floor and a chandelier suspended in the middle of the ceiling, you will try samples taken directly from the barrels. Tom will give you the low down on the different processes, barrels and techniques used to make his fantastic Pinot Noirs. You will leave well educated and in awe of all he has accomplished in the few years he has been making his wines on Cayuga Lake. Because really good Pinots are grown only in a few areas of the world, Tom is competing on a global level and doing the Finger Lakes region proud. Tom's wine making knowledge comes from his training in France and California. He has planted his own grapes in 3 terraces so he can study the differences the "sense of place" or terroir has on the grapes produced. Currently he purchases his grapes from Hobbit Hollow in Skaneateles, Sawmill Creek and JW Vineyards on Seneca Lake, and Patrician Verona Vineyard on Cayuga Lake. Tom credits his wine growers on his bottles. Now that's class. Tom also produces a great Rielsing and Pinot Noir Champagne (neither of which was on our radar, but both blew us away). That's it -Pinot Noir and Riesling grapes. Cold climate grapes. He's keeping it limited so he can produce the best. Yup, a visit to Tom and Susan on the East side of Cayuga Lake (Union Springs, north of Aurora) is a must. Heart & Hands is a winery to keep your eyes on. They are all about quality.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Chpt. 2, Dorothy's Not in Kansas Anymore...

Oskar, Oskar, Oskar, you didn't tell us about your marketing department! We met Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard's best kept secret the other day.... Sarah! We went to the tasting room where this lovely young lady was pouring the wines. She was articulate, knowledgeable and friendly. We had a wonderful time sharing the wines with her. As wannabe case club members, we got the royal treatment beginning with the 2008 Chardonnay, of which we bought 2 bottles. Slightly oak-y (Stainless and French oak barrels), but clean, crisp and citrus-y also, it is a great summer wine with seafood. Then we moved on to the delicious Rieslings and the 2009 Gewurztraminer (which we also purchased even though I promised my husband no more Gewurz). The thing is, when there is a really wonderful Gewurz, you just have to buy it! Owner/winemaker Fred Merwarth makes different Rieslings with grapes from his different vineyards such as the Wine Spectator 90 point 2008 Dry Riesling from the Magdalena Vineyard (his northern most vineyard) and the WS 92 point (!) 2009 Dry Riesling from the HJW Vineyard. It was fun doing a side by side tasting and comparing these delicious wines. Lastly, we purchased a 2009 Late Harvest Riesling which was an absolute treat (you'll just have to try it)!
As we discussed the wines, we also asked Sarah about herself. She is here for the year interning at Hermann J. Wiemer from Germany. This astounded us because of her perfect English. OK she has a VERY SLIGHT accent, but hardly noticeable. She has travelled extensively and has accompanied Oskar on jaunts to NY City and Washington D.C. to market Wiemer's wines. Her ultimate goal is something in marketing wines internationally. Then she told us her age. Just to be polite, I won't give exact numbers. Suffice it to say, she can't legally drink in the US and is not even in her second decade of life. (Interesting aside: she was able to drink in her country at 16, but couldn't drive a car until 18. Hmmm...)
This led Jim and I to ponder how mature and capable Sarah is in comparison to American teens her same age. I am a high school educator. Sarah's whole demeanor, confidence level and knowledge base blows away most of my students. Maybe Sarah is an over achiever, but regardless, this speaks loudly to the education of our children in comparison to the rest of the world. While I disagree with thrusting the business model onto education, SOMETHING needs to be done to better educate our children and their parents. If the Sarah's of the world are setting the bar, our children are falling way short.
Kudos to Sarah. We wish her the best and hope that as she deals with wines globally, she'll remember her year at one of the Finger Lake's finest wineries and promote the wonderful wines of the region. (Oskar, how about a raise for her)?

Friday, April 22, 2011

Travels to Oz Chapter 1

The sleet and snow pellets didn't stop us as we ventured out to visit favorite wineries yesterday. Yes it was April 21st! First stop - Fox Run Vineyards and Opus At Fox Run for a sandwich. Fox Run's former executive chef Heather Tompkins and Chelsey Madia opened their wildly successful Opus Expresso and Wine Bar in Geneva ( 486 Exchange St.) and, at the beginning of April, opened their second location in Fox Run's tasting room. Yay for all of us who eat there because the food is fantastic! Drooling over the unbelieveable sandwich and salad selection, we finally settled on a hot turkey and cranberry with asiago cheese on a wonderful nutty bread. Delicious!


Just as we placed our order, owners Scott and Ruth Osborn came over to say hi. We hadn't seen them in awhile, so we briefly caught up, then took our sandwiches and sat down to eat. As we were finishing, Scott came over, sat down and we discussed some of the new green plans he has for the winery. He invited us over to the tasting bar where we continued our conversation over several delicious wines. Ever the librarian, I mentioned to Scott that I just finished reading Evan Dawson's Summer in a Glass. (A must read by the way). Scott is part of the way through it, but he started with the chapters on his Winemaker Peter Bell and Assistant Winemaker Tricia Renshaw! Fox Run will host a book signing with Evan Dawson on June 4th.

We enjoyed tasting his award winning Rieslings, the Red Tierce and the White Tierce among others. We had a chance to sample the soon to be released Cab Franc Lemberger which is wonderful, so watch for it's release. (Here is the plug for joining wine clubs because you get first shot at new releases as well as limited productions such as the Blanc de Blanc we just received in our last shipment). We totally enjoyed our time at Fox Run with Scott. Where else but in the Finger Lakes can "average joe's" like us chat with the owner of one of the top 100 wineries in the world? We selected a couple of the Reserve Chardonnay, a Riesling and the Red Tierce to take home. (Red Tierce and the Ruby Port are almost sold out...) We will remember our afternoon at Fox Run as we savor the wines this summer.

Visit us on the Victor Wine Walk Friday Night!

On 4/29 we will be pouring wine for Standing Stone Vineyards at Sans Souci Jewelers 7 Main Street. Hope to see you there.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Join us this weekend at the Canandaigua Wine Walk

Jim and I will be pouring wine for Standing Stone Vineyards this Saturday April 2 from 4-7 at the Finger Lakes Gallery and Frame 175 S. Main Street, Canandaigua. You can buy glasses and join the Canandaigua Wine Walk at any of the merchants hosting the wineries (Pat Rini Rohrer, Bubilu, New York, New York, Pickering Pub) Think about it - we'd love to see you!

JR Dill we finally meet!

We finally made it to the J.R. Dill Winery today and talked to Jeff (the J. in J.R.) while Jimmy Buffet serenaded us in the background. While we tasted the wines in our J.R. Dill glasses (that we could take home after the tasting), we discussed the beautiful Seneca Lake glass bar-top and how J.R. got started. It was a hobby gone wild while economic times offered the opportunity and voila! 8 months ago J.R. Dill Winery was born. We enjoyed tasting the 5 wines: Cab Franc, Dechaunac, Chardonnay, Riesling and Jabber Waulkie Blush. All were dry with the Jabber Waulkie being the "sweetest" at 3.7% residual sugar. We bought the blush and the Chardonnay (unoaked - aged in stainless steel and very clean, crisp and fruit forward). We will definately return! P.S. - the Jabber Waulkie is the monster of Seneca Lake!

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Damiani Wine Cellars Compares their Cab Sauv to the World!

How does Damiani's Cab Sauv compare to old world and new world Cab Sauvs? Last weekend they hosted a Blind Tasting in which Damiani's 07 Barrel Select Cabernet Sauvignon was compared to Cab Sauvs from Australia, Northern Italy, France, Argentina and California. A crisp,but sunny spring day was the setting and the new Damiani tasting room on the East side of Seneca Lake was the place. Tables were set up in the lower level (which still has a gorgeous view of the lake) for the tasters. A large table with food pairings (sliced meats, peppers, chocolates and cheeses) was available to compliment the nuances in the wine. And so we began. Wines A, B and C were poured and we sniffed, eyed, swirled, pondered, tasted, pondered some more and eventually rated each wine. Terms such as: fruit forward, earthy, minty, minerally were thrown about and the consensus of the group was that these were new world wines. Sure enough, it was revealed that one was a $12.oo Argentine wine - 2008 Mendoza, another Australian - Cover Drive 2007 ($22.00) and the other from California- 2005 Sensorium ($35.00). Next came bottles D,E,F and the process repeated. These wines, 2 of which were old world: 2005 Chateau d'Issan Margaux at $74.oo a bottle and a 1999 Swansburg Castel (?) at $40.00 a bottle, were deeper in color, peppery and delicious. The third wine of this group was the Damiani 2007 Barrel Select at $30.00 a bottle. It was interesting to find out that Cab Sauv grapes originated from Sauv Blanc and Cab Franc vines! So what were the favorites? The French, the Italian and the Damiani. Yay!
Meeting new people, getting educated and drinking great wines, what better way to spend a March afternoon? There are more events coming up at Damiani's: April 24th a Merlot tasting, May 22 - Riesling, June 6 - Sauv Blanc and July 24 - Pinot Gris. Other reds will be tasted in the fall. Thank-you, Damiani Wine Cellars!

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Vacation!!!!

My husband was really taken with Will.I.Am's name (of the Black Eyed Peas) during the SuperBowl. While he was ecstatic that the Packers won and still expounds the greatness of their defense, his mind has been secretly pondering other thoughts. Just days before his birthday he sprang his new identity on us. That's right, Jim will now be referred to as Jam.Es! Pity us here at my house. Soooo, OK that makes me Joy.Ce and the dog: Mag.E. Cool.
"Jam.Es" and I decided to go on vacation the other day. I know, I know, others have taken off for Florida, Belize and the Caribbean in the middle of a LOOOONG, COLD winter, however, we took off for Seneca Lake. Actually, we had to strategically plan our vacation between winter storm warnings. Last Thursday was the day to go (the next storm was to start Thursday night), so we grabbed the window and made it to the lake by noon. Our plan was to stop at the StoneCat Cafe for a bite to eat before hitting the wineries. Unfortunately, there were no cars at all in the Cafe parking lot, so we scraped that idea and headed to Damiani's new tasting room with its glorious view of the Lake. It is large and open with a kitchen area for food pairing prep - really well done. We totally enjoyed our tasting and chat with Gabriel Damiani, and walked away with a 2009 Riesling, the 2009 Dolce Bianco (for our daughter who likes a slightly sweeter wine) and a couple of bottles of Cab Sauv Barrel Select 2008. Damiani is having a dinner coming up in March as well as a Cab Sauv tasting where they compare their Barrel Select to other wines from around the world. Check their website for details. Both sound great!
Next we stopped at the new JR Dill winery, but it is only open Fri-Sun. We really want to try the wines, so will have to come back.
On to Red Newt Cellars, Winery and Bistro, where we knew the Bistro would be open. Debra Whiting (winery co-owner with husband Dave and the Bistro's executive chef) prepares wonderful lunches and dinners at the Bistro. We enjoyed a grilled chicken sandwich with bacon, greens, cheese and cranberry sauce, chicken lentil soup and Riesling. Chris, our server, offered us two Rieslings recently rated in Wine Spectator at 89 and 90 Points. One was slightly sweeter, 2009 Lahoma Vineyards Riesling, and the other slightly drier, 2009 Sawmill Creek Vineyards Riesling. They were both really nice. Then Chris brought us another Riesling to try that has not been rated yet by Wine Spectator, the 2009 Davis Vineyard Riesling. This Riesling's sweetness fell between the other two and was absolutely awesome. It paired the best with the sandwich and soup. We all agreed that this one will also do really well with Wine Spectator. Since there are a limited number of cases of all three (less than 200), we bought several bottles. We really like the fact that Red Newt gives credit to the Vineyard that grows the grapes they use. For example, the Davis Vineyard is that of Phil Davis of Diamiani wines. Another example of the unique cooperative/collaborative spirit of the Finger Lakes wineries.
We made one last stop at Standing Stone Vineyards to pick up some favorites: Pinot Noir 2007, Pinnacle 2007 and Smokehouse Red (their red blend). We had a great chat with Gary and Sandra Smith, caught Marti for a second, then started our homeward trip before the storm hit! We were gone for maybe 6 hours, but what a relaxing, enjoyable day! Now is the time to go to the wineries when it's quiet and you can talk with the staff, winemakers and winery owners. We are so lucky to have this mini-vacation right outside our back door. Needless to say, when the snows hit on Friday, "Jam.Es" and I built a fire, got out a bottle of wine and re-lived our day at the lake!

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Let's make a toast to 2011!

Last night, Jim and I celebrated the New Year as we do every year with our dear friends Dave and Kathy. Back in the day when money was tight and we were just starting out, making the New Year's Eve dinner at home was our preference. Then when the girls were little, we changed from New Year's Eve dinner to New Year's Day brunch. Well, the girls are in college and have New Year's ideas of their own, so we are back to having dinner together, just the four of us. It has been a lovely tradition that helps us to catch up on news and ponder possibilities in the new year.

This year it was our turn to have dinner at our house. Jim and I wanted to do something a little different, so we decided to put on our own wine and food pairing dinner. So here is what our menu was and our choice of wines to go with each course:


Appetizers: Garlic shrimp/cocktail sauce, Bruschette/rosemary and sage bruschette toasts paired with Damiani's 2007 Sparkling Wine.

Course 1: Warm Spinach Salad with pears, pecans and Gorgonzola cheese paired with Anthony Road 2008 Semi-Sweet Riesling.


Course 2: Lobster bisque with Standing Stone 2007 Reserve Chardonnay

Course 3: Lobster Ravioli. Here's where personal preference made a difference in the wine we chose. If the sauce was butter/wine sauce the wine choice was to continue the Chardonnay. If it was the vodka sauce, the choice was Van Duzer 2002 Estate Pinot Noir.

Course 4: Beef tenderloin, grilled asparagus and twice baked potatoes. Wine: Whitehall Lane 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon.

Dessert: Cheese cake with Raspberry drizzle and Standing Stone 2008 Vidal Ice.

Midnight: Pillitteri Estates 2008 Sparkling Icewine Cabernet.
It was a wonderful evening. My daughter and I watched Julie & Julia as we prepared the food - just to get in the Julia Child frame of mind. Jim and I mapped out time frames - when to turn this on, when to put that on or take that off. At 6:30 our guests arrived, we poured the Damiani's and the celebration began. OK, so the Damiani sparking wine was a LOT drier than we anticipated or remembered. It was a wonderful, clean,crisp sparking wine. We liked it a lot, but debated whether a sweeter champagne would have paired better with the shrimp. The jury is still out on that one. However, we LOVED the Riesling with the salad. Great choice. As was the Standing Stone Reserev Chardonnay with the lobster bisque. Home run on those. The lobster ravioli choices were great. Jim and I had pondered/obsessed about whether a Pinot Noir could go with the lobster ravioli with vodka sauce. Everything we read said Chardonnay or Champagne with lobster, but the Pinot was outstanding with it! Of course the Cab Sav was perfect with the tenderloin and the ice wine with the cheese cake was also a really nice pairing. Finally our special sparkling ice wine that we bought in Niagara on the Lake was the perfect way to end a great evening with good friends! The evening was a success - really fun to plan and execute! So happy 2011 - may your year be filled with good friends and good wine!