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!

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.

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.