Keuka Lake Vineyards

     With the four walls closing in on us after this frigid, long winter, Jim and I decided to investigate some new-to-us wineries. Last Saturday

we set out to do just that. We stopped by Keuka Lake Vineyards in Hammondsport, NY on the recommendation of Sebastien Leseurre from Domaine LeSeurre Winery.
     Keuka Lake Vineyards is located on the south west shore of Keuka Lake near Dr. Frank, Bully Hill and Heron Hill Vineyards. It is the old Taylor Wine Co. land now owned by Mel Goldman. The tasting room is actually the barn on the old Taylor vineyard land; the original Taylor homestead is right across the street. Mel came in as we were having a tasting with the extremely knowledgeable and personable Leandra Morris, Tasting Room Manager.
     We started the tasting with the 2012 Dry Riesling, Falling Man Vineyard, which earned 91 points in Wine Spectator! This complex Riesling has minerality, citrus and honey/flower characteristics.  Definitely something special to try! The other Rieslings include the 2012 Estate Dry Riesling, the 2013 Evergreen Lek Dry Riesling and the 2013 Semi-Dry Riesling. Both Jim and I agree that our favorite was the Evergreen Lek with it's green apple and peach notes along with the citrus.  It was enjoyable to have the opportunity to compare and discuss them with Leandra and Mel. Next we sampled the Vignoles. The Vignoles grape is a hybrid grape originating in France (comprised of either Pinot Noir or Chardonnay and a hybrid Seibel variety). The 2013 Amber Vignoles is what some refer to as an Orange Wine. This was a really fun, deceptive wine. The nose gave every indication that it would be somewhat sweet, but it hit the palate dry and spirit-like (scotch/whiskey).  It changed and morphed on the palate- quite a shocker! The next tasting was the 2013 Gently Dry Vignoles, a much more traditional Vignoles and great summer-sipper with fruit and pineapple essences. The final Vignoles we tried was the 2011 Vignoles and Friends which is semi-sweet and lighter.  (We bought one for our daughter who likes sweeter wines, as this comes across initially on the sweeter side, but the acidity lingers).
     On to the Reds! We enjoyed the KLV Red and the 2014 Leon Millot Nouveau. This is a first Nouveau for the vineyard. These grapes were harvested in September and spend little time in their stainless tanks before being released in November! Nicely fruit forward and smooth, this pleasant wine  has its own cult following! Next we compared the 2012 and 2013 Cabernet Francs. Because of the difference in the growing seasons, these two vintages are very different, but delicious.  Mel told us that it is about a 50/50 split on which people prefer: the deep color and robust spiciness of the 2012 or the lighter colored, complex 2013. We both actually liked the 2013, feeling that it is a slightly better compliment for different foods. Lastly, we sampled the 2013 Hammondsport, a blend of Pinot Noir and Leon Millot grapes in a delicious port-like wine.
     Mel asked us to do a blind sampling of a white wine to determine which Riesling it most resembled. (I believe there was confusion about which Riesling barrel it was pulled from). We thought it most reminded us of the Falling Man Vineyard Riesling due to the mineral notes. I wonder what it actually was!
     We were impressed by all the wines we sampled and we totally enjoyed the time spent with Leandra and Mel. Keuka Lake Vineyards is definitely on our return-to list so we can sample the chocolate and wine flight they also offer!

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)?

Fox Run Vineyard's Harvest Winemakers Dinner

My loving husband, bless his soul, knew that the only way to help me come to grips with my monumental birthday was to wine and dine me! And he made a spectacular choice. Nothing could have been more perfect than our Harvest Winemakers Dinner at Fox Run Vineyards on November 1. You can see by the photo that it was an enchanting evening! From the picture perfect setting in the old wine making room to each course and glass of wine to the company, the evening was spectacular!

Jim and I entered the Fox Run Winery at 6:00 pm sharp and proceeded to the front wine tasting room facing Seneca Lake. Hors d'oeuvres abounded: crab cakes, bacon wrapped scallops, shrimp, cheese galore and more. You could sample any of the wines to go with them. We were approached by a gentleman who asked what wine we wanted to try and of course our first response was "Riesling" . He suggested the semi-dry as we were having the Dry Riesling with one of our dinner courses. We got chatting and the gentleman introduced himself to us as Peter Bell (the winemaker!!!) We had a great conversation about NY State wines, fun wine gatherings (especially our "Try the Tierce" party) and kids in college and otherwise. Then it was time to eat...

The group all went downstairs into the candle-lit Barrel Room and took our seats at the beautifully set long table (There were 30 of us). As we were taking our seats and chatting to the people around us, Peter came over and sat next to me! The owners of the winery, Scott and Ruth Osborn sat down at the other end of the table. Scott got up and introduced himself , his wife, Peter, executive Chef Frank Caravita and then spoke a little about the winery and the dinner and what to expect.

Peter then got up to tell about the first wine/food pairing:

Celery Root Soup with Bacon and Green Apple along with Fox Runs 2006 Chardonnay. Delicious! Our next course was a mixed Baby Green Salad topped with Fried Brie Cheese and Walnut Dressing. This was paired with their exquisite 2007 Dry Riesling. Course 3: Cheese Raviolis with Pumpkin and Sage Sauce paired with the 2007 Reserve Pinot Noir. The fourth course was Roasted Pork Loin with Root Vegetables and Pear Chutney paired with the 2006 Lemberger (very much like a Shiraz) and finally dessert - Normandy Apple Tart paired with Tawny Port. PHEW! Everything was out of this world. In between courses, we had plenty of time to learn about how wine glasses influence the wine's taste, what good things are in wine that keep us healthy, what "umami" is (google it!) and mostly about the wonderful wines this winery produces (and has produced for the past 15 years). Fox Run has been chosen as one of the top 100 wineries in the world by Wine and Spirits Magazine and Peter Bell is considered one of the top 22 winemakers in the United States! This dinner is proof positive of why they are so successful.

After the dinner/feast we were able to purchase some wines, so we happily left with a bottle of 2006 Lemberger (which we have already enjoyed with Jim's famous smoked pulled pork) and a bottle of the 2005 Reserve Cab Franc that we will save for an occasion. We also had time to chat with the Scott and Ruth and let them know what a fantastic time we had at the dinner.

Fox Run will host another winemakers dinner in February (Valentine's Dinner) and Jim and I are already looking forward to it!

Mayers Lake Ontario Winery and Vineyards

Wow! Another stunning fall day! We have been so blessed this fall with the warm weather and stunning fall colors... AND everything I read says that this year's grape harvest is the best in many years. I can't wait to start tasting the '07 wines!

Jim and I took a few minutes out of our weekend to visit a small winery close to us - Mayers Lake Ontario Winery and Vineyards located at Mayers Cider Mill. Mayers makes their wine currently in Webster, but grows their grapes on land in Hilton, NY. They are planning on building the beautiful winery in Hilton that they depict on their labels. We had visited Mayers this summer to purchase beer-making supplies (they have wine making supplies and classes also!) and knew they were working on the new wine tasting room and deck. The room is quaint - nicely decorated with a small wood bar, tables and shelves. They offer polo shirts and baseball caps with their logo as well as unique wine bottle bags and other wine paraphernalia. We both started out with a delicious semi-dry Riesling (of course). I went on to sample the Pinot Grigo (appropriately light and smooth) and the Pinot Noir (light, fruity with a nice finish). Jim sampled the Oaked Chardonnay (nice and oak-y!) and the Cabernet Franc, which he especially enjoyed. They also offer specialty wines (reds and whites), a Blush Chardonnay, a nice middle-of-the-road-in-sweetness Cayuga wine, and sweeter Niagara and sweet Riesling wines. As new wines are bottled, they are added to the sampling list. If you are up North in the Webster area, it is well worth the stop (pick up some cider while you're there, too!). We are eagerly anticipating the opening of the new winery in Hilton when it is complete. We'll keep you posted!

Rate Dr. Frank's Salmon Run Riesling!

It's Dr. Frank's 45th Anniversary today so we chose his 2005 Salmon Run Riesling as our first poll. This wine is very affordable at about $12.99 per bottle. Buy one, try it and get back to us with your opinion! (The poll is along the right hand side). If you respond, you will be listed as honorary "Pack" members!

The McGregor Vineyard

What can you do these long, hot dog days of summer? Well, Maggie keeps busy fishing the Nylabones out of the bottom of her pool. However, since we don’t enjoy the prospect of sharing a slimy, dog-hair and grass-filled wading pool with Maggie, Jim and I took off to visit McGregor’s Winery.
The winery is located off Route 54 on the east side of Keuka Lake (up Hyatt Rd, with a left turn on Dutch Rd). The McGregor family established the winery in 1980; John McGregor is the current owner. The 36 acres of land that they own support their estate-grown wines. McGregors has a casual, rustic atmosphere that invites you to slow down, sit down and enjoy your samplings of wine. If you are not a clan member, the tasting of five wines of your choice costs $5.00 and you get to keep the glass! You are also provided with a “cheese tray” that includes a nice sampling of cheese, crackers, pesto dip, mints and a scrumptious Concord grape bread. We joined four others at a picnic table with a tartan plaid runner and a small vase of Black-eyed Susans. As we peered at the long rows of Sunflowers outside the window, our server, John (not McGregor) provided us with the Summer Tasting Record that lists 20 wines from which to choose our tastings.
Jim started out with the 2006 unoaked Chardonnay, while I tried the traditional Chardonnay. We remembered to use the 2-sip rule: the first sip clears your mouth of the previous tastes that have lingered there, so the second sip gives a truer taste of the wine’s flavors. The unoaked chardonnay was aged in stainless steel barrels as opposed to oak barrels, which gives it a crisp, citrus-like flavor much like a Sav Blanc. This dry, medium- bodied wine was delicious. Really a nice summer wine.
The Chardonnay, made from a blend of 2003 and 2004 harvests was aged in French Oak. This produced a more traditional chardonnay, but lighter and crisper. We learned from John about the different flavors different types of oak barrels infuse into the wines: French Oak barrels give wines an almond-y flavor, American Oak gives a strong nutty flavor and Spanish Oak (John’s favorite) imparts a soft, cashew-y flavor.
We also sampled the 2006 Dry Riesling, the 2006 Gewürztraminer Reserve, the 2006 Rkatsiteli-Sereksiya, the 2006 Semi-Dry Riesling and two reds – the 2002 Rob Roy Red and the 2004 Rob Roy Red.
OK – a word about the two “difficult to pronounce” wines. Both are white wines that have interesting stories behind them. Gewürztraminer: Gewurtz means “spicy” and Trimine is an Italian village in the Alps. McGregor’s Gerwurtz lived up to the name. It was a delicious, rich wine with a nice, spicy kick at the end. Rkatsiteli grapes have a LONG history. McGregors is one of only two wineries in the Finger Lakes that grow Rkat vines, the other winery being Dr. Konstantin Frank. Stay tuned for more about the history of Rkatsiteli grapes in a later column. McGregor’s is also the only Sereksiya Rose producer in the USA. The 2006 Rkatsiteli-Sereksiya is a limited release for McGregors and is an outstanding semi-sweet white wine that is light and crisp with finishing hints of Clementine. It is meant to be consumed within the next 2 years.
The Rob Roys are “Meritages”. A Meritage is classified as a Bordeaux blend that must contain at least two different Bordeaux grapes in the blend. Both the Rob Roys are blends of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. We both agreed that the 2002 was smoother and richer than the 2004. However, the 2004 was heartier with a smokier flavor.
We “retrieved” the Semi Dry Riesling for our pack to sample and rate, so we won’t tell about it now!
McGregor’s has a wine club they call their "Clan". By joining the clan, you are sent wines on a regular basis as well as attending special events. Jim and I were fortunate enough to join one of the special events in March a few years back, even though we were not clan members. We were taken, with the clan members into the large barn. Inside we saw a long table illuminated with large, lit candlesticks and set with many wine glasses. It looked like something out of a medieval, Scottish castle! We sat around the table with John McGregor hosting and sampled many of the winery’s reserve wines. John spoke of the history of the winery and the specific wines we tasted. What really stuck out in my mind was the sampling of some Rieslings that were aged so that we could see the effects of aging on the wine. One bottle was 25 years old! It had a distinct taste of petroleum! From the wine tasting barn, we went into the winery where a delicious buffet was set up for our enjoyment. We mingled with the other “clansmen” and John McGregor. This experience was truly memorable and speaks to the down-to-earth atmosphere of the winery and its owner. You will enjoy a visit to the McGregor Winery.