Back from TasteCamp East

We just got home from the first TasteCamp East organized by Lenn Thompson and this is the first chance I've had all weekend to post something. Actually, I'm totally wiped from a marathon tasting Saturday of over one hundred wines and five separate wineries (and several more represented) so, this is going to be brief. I just want to put up a few pics and impressions from the weekend.

Before this weekend we'd tried less than five Long Island wines. I was impressed by the overall level of quality of the wines tried this weekend but more so, I was impressed by how attuned the wine makers seem to be with the land. The weekend's featured wineries may not represent the whole of Long Island winemaking but, the philosophy was echoed often enough to indicate an obvious trend in Long Island toward sustainable and bio-dynamic farming practices. Anyone can make wine in a test-tube but it takes a certain commitment and zeal to make it in the vineyard.

Macari and Shinn seem to be well on their way to organic certification. The area has it's difficulties which has made it a particular challenge to move away from chemical pesticides and fungicides. The practices at Shinn and Macari are even informing Cornell's organic viticulture experiment which nearly "failed" but has ultimately achieved some success thanks to Barbara Shinn's coaxing. They are changing the vineyard management paradigm over there.

There was such a number of tremendous wines (plenty so-so wine too) that I don't even know where to start. My tasting notes fizzled after Roanoke where they had the foresight to seat us at a table (note-taking surface) and bring the wine to us (kudos Roanoke). I will say that as an outsider, I think the biggest challenge for Long Island wines is their price to quality ratio. Yes, they are making some kick-ass wines but a lot of them are priced beyond their peers in other regions. Most (emphasis on the most) are staying true to the region and not trying to mimic another style, so perhaps with time the QPR will improve.

Having said that, I think Shinn will be able to fetch a tidy sum for their 2007 Cab Franc once it's released. This is a wine that goes deep. At the end of the day, we found the best QPR for our money at Lenz. Eric Fry wine maker and all-around character*, seems to be on a mission at Lenz. When you visit Eric's tasting room, he will not impose his preconceptions (or your own for that matter) on you by doing anything so covertly influencing as announcing the varietal being poured. That would be mind control and Eric doesn't do that. But wait, there's more: He is a die-hard protagonist against the evil Astrigent Tannins. He has also taken it upon himself to age his wines for consumers (because if he doesn't do it, chances are nobody will). All of this adds up to some mighty fine juice (depending on the vintage). He likes it. We kinda did too.

* Sorry, we were too distracted to capture any photos of Eric Fry

Eagerly Anticipating a Heady Blend of Wine Country and Bloggers

Ever since the Wine Bloggers Conference in Sonoma last fall, I've been looking forward to the next gathering of wine bloggers. It seems like the bloggers out in California get together all the time, but on the east coast, we are somewhat more isolated. Enter TasteCamp East: A Long Island wine country excursion planned by bloggers for bloggers! Actually, Lenn of LENNDEVOURS did all the work, and is already talking about accomodating more bloggers in another (bigger) TasteCamp East next year!

Of course, there is a full schedule of tastings designed to give us as much exposure as possible to a lesser known wine region. We'll be visiting the tasting rooms at Roanoke, Paumanok, Bedell, Lenz, Shinn Estate, and perhaps Wolffer Estate (time permitting). We'll also taste dozens of other wines over the course of a few meals. Perhaps it is also fitting to mention (given recent wine writer related maelstroms) that all the bloggers are paying their own way to travel to, and stay in Long Island, as well as for the majority of meals (I think there are two sponsored meals). Well... All, except Lenn who managed to finagle a TasteCamp in his own back yard. ...I kinda wish I was going on a junket... Anyway, I am SUPER PSYCHED about this thing and can't wait to see my old pals and meet some new ones. Look for some post-TasteCamp summary posts next week.

Vintage Gold Seal Chablis Nature

Here's another goofy wine commercial vintage 1979 for Gold Seal Chablis Nature reminiscent of the Miller Lite/Reese's Peanut Butter Cups genre (you'll see what I mean). The French Wine Masters referenced in this ad were actually Charles Fournier, from Veuve Clicquot-Ponsardin, and Dr. Frank. Check out this article from the New York Times archives for a little more of the history of New York wine.

East Coast Merlot

We picked this bottle up last spring when we visited the Hudson Valley. It's actually a Long Island wine but, Rivendell sells wines from all over New York and we'd been happy with a Cab Franc we had from this producer before.

If you're into trying New York wines, I think this bottle is worth the $10.50 we paid. Do I sound a little hesitant? Okay, the truth is, this isn't a stellar example of varietal character. I got Long Island wine blogger Lenn Thompson's (from Lenndevours.com) take on it: He asked me what vintage it was, and whether the label said "North Fork" on it. I replied that it was a 2004 and it did say "North Fork." He explained that in 2003/04 Palmer had to get a lot of fruit from California because of a poor harvest, and that it was a cool year. He also said the Palmer wines sells for around $20 at the winery. Good to know--I'm glad I consulted him.

So, what we have here is a true North Fork vintage, but from a cool year. Luckily, it wasn't $20, it was $10.50 which is only a few dollars more than you'd pay for a homogenized, mass-produced fermented grape-juice product. Here are the tasting notes:

Palmer 2004 Merlot

ABV: 12.8%
Price: $10.49
Aromas: Cranberry, cherry, smoked meat, barnyard
Flavors: Tart cherry, veg, licorice

Summary: This wine isn't particularly Merlot-esque and I guess the cool 2004 temps are partly to blame for that. It's a little brighter and more vegetal than what you'd find in a typical soft and rounded Merlot. The nose on this wine is a blend of tart red fruit and herbal notes with some barnyard in there as well. On the palate there is quite a lot of cherry: Tart cherry on the front, and canned cherry on the moderate finish with a hint of black licorice that almost goes toward petrol. Good balance of acidity and tannins that mostly carries through to the finish. By the second day, I pick up some tomato on the nose, and some of the tartness and finish has dissipated. It's definitely ready to drink now--some visible oxidation can be seen at the edge in the glass. I haven't had many New York wines, but this seems pretty true to type for the region if not the variety. A solid NY wine for the price.

NY State Wine Tasting Room

Turns out there is a Tasting Room in the Hudson River Valley where you can sample wines from all over New York: Rivendell Winery in New Paltz, NY. Besides their own wines, they have 75 wines from the Hudson Valley, Long Island, and the Finger Lakes. Like all the wineries we visited, there is a charge for tasting but, here you get many more choices because all the offerings are open and available to taste. Also, they will apply your tasting charge toward any purchase above $50.

Hudson Valley Table Wines!

When last we left the Hudson Valley Wine Trail adventure, we had just got done with a dessert wine tasting and were wondering where we would find some Hudson Valley table wine…

We found it, a little further east at Millbrook on Wing Road. The approach winds us through a small hill-planted vineyard to the winery at the top of the hill where we are met by greeters-a-plenty. It was pick up day for Club members who’d purchased Williams Selyem futures hence the abundant staff on hand. We had two friendly greetings outside, and were whisked inside to the Club counter to purchase our tour and tasting tickets.

Millbrook Vineyards is on the site of a former 130 acre dairy farm and the first vines were planted about 25 years ago. Currently, Millbrook has 30 acres planted to Chardonnay, Tocai Friulano, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Franc. The Millbrook wine family also owns Vista Verde Vineyards in California’s Central Coast (near Gilroy), Villa Pillo in Tuscany, and Williams Selyem in the Russian River Valley AVA.

We got to taste one of the Vista Verde offerings (a Chardonnay) which exhibited tropical fruit on the nose and chalk and mineral on the palate. I would have liked to taste some Villa Pillo wine but, we did get to sample their excellent olive oil. We also tasted a Pinot Noir which featured aromas and flavors of cherry, pomegranate, and raspberry with a hint of bell pepper; a Merlot with juniper berry on the nose along with other earthy aromas, iodine on the palate and a mint/leather finish (more of that bell pepper as well); and finally a Cab Franc with aromas of smoked meat, blackberry and currant that were also echoed on the palate along with allspice and leather, and some green flavors.

Overall, the wines we tasted from the Millbrook Vineyard were very lean and expressive of the terroir. The grapes are harvested at 22 brix resulting in slightly more acidic very dry wines with many vegetal notes. We tasted several wines from the 2006 vintage which could be a tad young yet and would probably benefit from time in the bottle but, if you are a fan of Loire Valley reds, I would definitely recommend seeking out Millbrook, especially if you are in the Northeast (Think Global. Eat Local). If you aren’t a fan of lean, green, short-season wines (no budbreak yet here), then Millbrook may not be for you.

It is at this point in our journey that we notice that we have spent half a day driving around and have only managed to hit two tasting rooms. Wouldn’t it be great if there was one tasting room where we could taste all of wines from this area? Somebody really ought to do that around here…

Hudson Valley Wine Trail: Clinton Vineyards

On Sunday we scampered down the thruway from the Albany area to visit some wineries in the Hudson River Valley. After about a 70 minute ride we exited at Kingston and took the bridge to the east side of the river to head over to Red Hook. The first winery we tried to hit up (Alison Winery in Red Hook) was actually closed. Not sure if it was closed for the season or what. So we went downtown to find some lunch before heading further south.

We found a cheap/tasty lunch at Lucy's Tacos on Rte 199 (I dubbed them punk rock tacos) and headed back out to find our next target: The Clinton Vineyard which is situated off a charming tree-lined lane (The Hudson Valley in the springtime is indeed a scene of bucolic bliss).

Clinton Vineyard grows one grape: Seyval. They make a couple of wines ( a dry white, and a dessert) and a couple of sparkling méthode champenoise wines with their Seyval and claim to be the first vineyard to have planted the Seyval vine in the country. The remainder of their line up is strictly fruit wine. We made ourselves comfortable at the antique bar surrounded by a mixture of French art posters, various award medals, and autographed photos of the proprietor with Senator Hillary Clinton. We tasted the dry white, the sparkling Naturale (dry)'champagne', the Seyval dessert, a blackberry dessert wine, and finally their award-winning Cassis.

We couldn't resist walking away with a bottle of the Cassis which had complex black currant, blackberry, smoke, brandy, and vetiver on the nose, and a tart palate of mixed berry. We definitely have some delightful Kir Royales in our future. The tasting room and grounds are lovely and quaint. Though it's a bit off the beaten-path, I definitely recommend a visit if you enjoy Seyval or fruit wines.

Come back to read the next installment in our Hudson Valley Wine Adventure: Will Tasters A and B taste some Hudson Valley Table Wine?

A Time of Bounty, Palmer Vineyards Cabernet Franc

Christmas dinners can be tough for a wine to keep up with. You have a wide variety of aromatic foods with cinnamon, allspice, sage, rosemary and thyme. The traditional sweet potatoes baked with orange slices, cinnamon and clove add another layer complexity. This may all be served with turkey, ham, roast beef or all of the above. Let’s face it, this bountiful time calls for wine that is versatile and complementary.

As much as we all love wine, this meal is not about the wine. It’s about sharing with family and friends. The wine should be good but we all have a dirty little secret. We are not about to open that very special bottle knowing that Aunt Millie and Uncle Harry have been know to put ice in their box wine at home.

Looking across the table you see the cranberry sauce. I make mine with whole cinnamon, allspice, clove and anise. I put thinly slice oranges in the bottom of a glass bowl. (Okay, people rave about my cranberry sauce. My second holiday dirty little secret...it is quick, simple and looks like I fussed for hours. Take one cup of water, one cup of sugar and bring to a boil. When I’m feeling wild and crazy, I’ll add the juice of one orange. Add one bag of cranberries. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 15 or 20 minutes with the spices mentioned above. Put in a glass bowl with thinly cut orange slices for looks. Set aside to cool.)

Now you have a meal that is a real challenge to pair wine with, sweet, sour, savory and pungent. Do I hear someone knocking at the door? It's Aunt Millie and Uncle Harry with a cheese platter, Brie, Blue, Jarlsberg and Havarti. Oh my! Let’s not freak out.

Here’s what I’d do. I’d pull out a Cabernet Franc, a Sauvignon Blanc, and a Merlot. All these wines are inexpensive, easy going and pair well with just about anything on the table. But the bottle I’d keep close to me would be the Cabernet Franc. We found a nice New York State bottle that just shined through a meal like this. There is just enough hint of spiciness, red current, cherry, earthiness and just the right acidity to go with everything on the table.

Merry Christmas, and may your wine pairings be flawless in the coming New Year.

Cabernet Franc
Proprietor’s Reserve
Palmer Vineyards
Long Island, New York
Vintage: 2003
Alcohol: 12.5%
Price: $14.42

Color:
Intensity: Meduim
Aromas: Cherry, earth, rose, spice
Flavors: Cherry, red current, cranberry, pomegranate,
Body: Medium
Acidity: Moderate
Sweetness: Moderately dry
Finish: Medium

Summary: This wine will compliment a festive meal without dominating it. The balance of earthiness and fruitiness played off of the turkey, sweet potatoes and cranberry. It went well will with both white and dark meat.

I Heart NY Whites - Riesling (Finger Lakes)

So far we are two for two on the New York wines we picked up on our recent visit to the state. Taster A asked me to post my impressions of this 2006 Riesling out of the Finger Lakes region since he's not a big Riesling fan in general. However, he did say this would be an excellent summer wine, and I agree.

Dry Riesling
Ravines
Finger Lakes

Vintage: 2006
Price: $14.32
Aromas: pear, honey, butter
Flavors: pineapple, grapefruit, lemon/lime
Body: light
Acidity: crisp
Sweetness: off dry
Finish: moderate

Summary:
Definitely a great summer wine with a fruity palate and slightly fizzy mouthfeel. Would pair nicely with fish. Also wasn't bad with the goat cheese and proscuitto appetizer (pictured above). Comparable to the Alsace Riesling (Trimbach) we tasted in October.

Finger Lakes Chardonnay

Over the Thanksgiving weekend, we visited my parents in the Albany New York area. On Saturday night, we had some time to kill so we asked, “Where do you get your wine?” They directed us to the Exit 9 Wine and Liquor in Clifton Park, NY. This is a large discount wine store. They price their bottles by the case price, meaning you don’t get a case discount, but you get an excellent deal. We found some wines that we know well and noted the prices to be very competitive.

Now I was on a mission. Our readers may recall that my first wine was a New York Catawba. I was used to producers such as Great Western and Taylor from my youth. I wanted to find out if New York was capable of producing wines that are interesting, fun and something that would keep me going back to my wine glass with strong interest. Can New York produce a wine that would make me shut out the rest of the world as I savored the universe held in my hand?

I told the sales associate that I have been away from the east coast for the last 20 years and I want to know what is being produce locally that is worth while. The week before, they had 20 New York State producers in the shop giving tastings. He pointed me to three wines that fit our request, Lamoreaux Landing was one of them.

Chardonnay
Lamoreaux Landing
Finger Lakes
Vintage: 2005
Alcohol: 12.5%
Price: $9.76

Color: Yellow
Intensity: Pale
Aromas: Pear, melon, litchi, banana, orange blossom, slate, earth, vanilla, oak.
Flavors: Lime, apple, pear, pineapple, grass, mineral, butterscotch.
Body: Light
Acidity: Crisp
Sweetness: Off-dry
Finish: Short


Summary:
Nice explosive fruit forward, very aesthetic color, tree fruit sensations with lime mid tongue tastes. Earthy slate taste. As the wine opened up, the vanilla and oak flavors joined the chorus. Taster B exclaimed, “We need to get a case.” As the wine warmed up in the glass, (I served it a tad too cool), the vanilla and oak flavors just permeated my glass.

For the price, this wine is an excellent value. When we started discussing the wine, we wondered what we paid. I thought it was about $15.00. When I pulled the receipt, we both were stunned! This Chardonnay is oak aged, but it is very subtly done and complements the wine. Very pleasant.

The pairing of this wine, of course, gnocci in vegetable broth, light chicken dishes, and tonight, it was excellent with poached haddock with herbs and rice.

Magic Food, Sometimes you have to Pull a Rabbit out of a Hat.

No, I’m not making hasenpfeffer, it is late, there is next to nothing left in the pantry and I’m hungry. Taster B is coming home from work at 7:30 and although she doesn’t expect dinner, I like to let her know I’m thinking of her.

So there I was, standing in front of the fridge for 5 minutes thinking, "I have nothing to work with". The pantry was missing the emergency tomato sauce. That saved my butt last night. I pride myself on always being able to pull a rabbit out of my hat when it came to matters in the kitchen, but I was ready to give up and to run up to the corner for a pizza. (Oh, that bottle of Super Tuscan is starting to sound good.)

Then out of the corner of my eye, I spied a bottle with a bit of white wine. I’m SAVED! I grabbed two carrots, a handful of kale, two medium onions, two sticks of celery, a finger of ginger, some fresh parsley and got to work.

The vegetables were rough-chopped and put into a five quart pan, covered with water and the remains of two bottles of white wine saved for cooking. This made about two or three cups of wine. The kale is cut fairly fine in long strips. The onions were caramelized in a frying pan with some olive oil and two cloves of garlic while the other vegetables were boiling like mad in the stock pot to which I added some marjoram, rosemary, a half of teaspoon of cayenne pepper, ground black pepper, sea salt, a big cube of peeled ginger, and dill.

I had some frozen gnocci that we bought from a local Italian deli. Oh, this is going to be good.

Cook the veggies until they are done (I mean really done). I let this boil hard, covered for 20 minutes. Usually, I’ll simmer for a couple of hours. Your vegetable stock should be ready now with the color extracted from the kale and carrots. Remove the vegetables (most would have you pitch the veggies because you just want the flavor--I’m going to put some rice vinegar on them and serve them as a salad tomorrow).

Now bring the stock back to a boil and put the gnocci in and cook for five to seven minutes. Oh, this came out perfect. The white wine gave it a citrus flavor, with the ginger in the background and slight taste of cayenne.

Pair it with a New York State Chardonnay and you’ve got a gourmet meal. Save a little for the photo props and you have your snack set aside for later. I'll talk about the Lamoreaux Landing Chardonnay in the near future.