This photo was taken last week on Ridge Rd close to Ransomville Rd. The tree line in the background is at the top of the Niagara Escarpment with the vineyards just below on the slope. The horse ranch itself is just off the road, and on the day I took this photo, looked very tranquil.
When you talk about the summer picnic season, you can’t avoid mentioning Memorial Day weekend, and with more Americans drinking wine these days, I can only assume beer won’t be the only thing people in western New York will be cooling off with this weekend. Since a recent Buffalo News wine story seems to have left out any mention of local wines in their picnic wine selections, I thought I’d give my two cents on what you should drink from local wineries with that picnic fare.
Chances are when you think of warm weather wines, you think of white, so I’ll start there. If you dig the dry stuff, Schulze Vineyards & Winery has a Siegfried Reserve 2007 wine that will bring that refreshing acidity and green apple fruit your mouth is watering for. If Riesling is your bag then, try either of these Niagara Escarpment AVA Rieslings. For the dry Riesling drinker in you Freedom Run Winery’s Estate Riesling 2008 is my pick, and if you like the hint of sweetness in a semi-dry, Eveningside Vineyards Riesling 2008 is for you.
For both the oaked and unoaked Chardonnay drinkers, I recommend Arrowhead Spring’s Chardonnay 2006. Duncan Ross seems to have a touch with this grape and I’d pour this one for any dry white drinker, no matter their love or hate of oak.
When you can’t decide what to pair with picnic foods, a dry to off-dry rosé usually does the trick. Freedom Run’s Celebration Series Dry Rosé is a great example of a crowd- pleasing summer sipper. With notes of strawberry and watermelon coming through in a supple yet refreshing rosé wine, this one doesn’t disappoint.
If you’re doing some BBQ’d meats you might prefer some reds at your picnic. In my opinion summer reds must be fruity with soft tannins and a medium body, and Leonard Oakes’ Frontenac 2007 is just that. It’s juicy and soft with mellow tannins that will pair well with BBQ ribs, pork or burgers. Schulze Vineyards & Winery’s Cabernet Franc 2007 is another versatile red that will pair well with those choices or even that grilled rib eye steak.
What do you pair with dessert or what do you serve for those sweet wine drinkers? Well Honeymoon Trail Winery’s Pink Catawba is a double-gold medal sweet wine that will win over those sweet taste buds. If wine IS the dessert, then Niagara Landing’s Vidal Blanc Icewine 2007 should fit the bill with its apricot and honey flavors and lengthy finish.
No matter what your eating or who you’re eating it with, it’s more than easy these days to find a Niagara wine to open up with your friends and family this summer. There’s truly something for everyone at these wineries, so don’t let your local wine expert’s silence about local wines lead you to believe that we are just doing sweet stuff out here this summer.
The more I get out and see what some other wine regions sell as dessert wine, and specifically how much they charge, the more I realize just how precious the climate of the Niagara USA wine region really is. While they do get a lot of local press, it's great to see national recognition of these small wineries' icewines. Schulze Vineyards & Winery just received a gold medal for their 2008 Vidal Icewine at the Riverside Wine Competition in California. Ann and Martin Schulze were thrilled when they read the news on the NYWGF’s website. Last time I visited the winery, Ann greeted me with a “Did you hear? We got our gold!"
As recent as last April, Wine Enthusiast included a photo and review of Niagara Landing’s 2007 Vidal Icewine with a score of 86 points. Last year the same wine was awarded a gold at the New York Food & Wine Classic. Arrowhead Spring Vineyards & Winery also got rave reviews from Wine Spectator recently for their 2005 Vidal Icewine with a 90 point score, a rare achievement for a New York State winery.
With 2009 bringing the addition of some interesting varietals other than vidal for icewines, I hope the momentum keeps moving in this direction as the world outside of this small community realizes they don’t need to shell out the big bucks to drink Ontario dessert wine. They may just find comparable quality from Niagara USA’s wineries at half the price.
Let me just say that my first impression of Tastecamp 2009 on Long Island was WOW! Lenn put together a weekend that I will not soon forget. Somehow, he mixed unprecedented access to winemakers and unreleased wines and a gourmet culinary experience ranging from an upscale wine pairing dinner to basically being a guest at Shinn Estate’s Inn, with a casual two day wine tour – all with a great group of other passionate wine bloggers.
It all began with a visit to Raphael in Peconic on Friday. After receiving my nametag and thanking Lenn for hosting us, I made a beeline for the tasting bar where I was welcomed with a 2008 Sauvignon Blanc. Lately it has been this white grape that I’ve been thirsting for on the North Fork, and this one didn’t disappoint. Fruit forward, bright acidity with a hint of grassiness. It was quickly followed by another Sauvignon Blanc from “heavier soils” on L.I.; this means silt instead of sand, and three year-old vines. Although not as good, I was encouraged by the start of the evening, we were tasting terroir and no one was even using the word.
I quickly realized that this night wasn’t just a Raphael library tasting, it included all four Merliance wineries. Pellegrini, Wolffer and Sherwood House all had several vintages to taste as well. With some of these wines being as old as the early- to mid-nineties, most were surprisingly still showing well. With the oldest ones, it did seem though that as the fruit faded, leaving the oak to steal the show.
The meal was amazing and I did find an excuse or two to open some Niagara wines for my tablemates, a few winemakers, and, well, anyone who made eye contact. Raphael’s winemaker, Rich Harbich, was the first of several winemakers I met this weekend that mentioned they enjoyed my Niagara contributions to Lenndevours. Land prices, soil variance, potential varietals and climate were topics I was too eager to discuss.
The next morning began similar to the night before…with big reds (for NY anyway) at Roanoke Winery. Rich from Roanoke presented his wines with the same passion that I consumed them. It seemed that the thirty-odd merlots I had the night before might have tainted my appreciation for these well-extracted reds at 10 am the next day. Of the wines tasted, I enjoyed the youngest of the flight, the Marco Tulio from 2007. It probably wasn’t a coincidence that it had the lightest oak treatment and smoothest tannins of the group.
Paumonok, with whom I’ve developed a fetish for their whites in recent visits, didn’t disappoint. The ‘07 Sauvignon Blanc was just what I remembered and the unreleased ‘08 Chenin was easily as memorable as their ‘07. I wasn’t exactly holding my breath for more reds but a trip to the barrel cellar convinced me that I was ready. The ‘07s were luscious. Some 16 months in oak and still fruity and fresh, these samples did live up to all that vintage hype bouncing around the media.
The next stop on the tour was Shinn Estate and they are the whole package. Combine meticulous biodynamic methods, acclaimed chefs, great wines and a gorgeous B &B together and they form the utopia that is Shinn Estate Winery. We were all lucky enough to be the guests of David and Barbara Shinn that afternoon and they brought their A-game. We were presented with a gorgeous spread of local ingredients, perfectly executed in a most comfortable atmosphere. I really dug the duck with the Shinn 2007 Cabernet Franc barrel sample. That franc was the single best wine I tasted last weekend, although not a surprise if you’ve read my posts in the past. If listening to Barbara Shinn and Joe Macari talk about vineyard and winemaking practices doesn’t make you want to buy a farm and redefine country chic, then I can’t help you either.
In my experience, Bedell makes some great high-end reds but it’s their $20 ones that show better than anything else. Unfortunately we were treated with their “before recession” cuvées, which pushed the price envelope higher than anything we had seen that day. The cheese plate was delicious though and I think everyone needed a breather anyway.
Eric Fry of Lenz showed us why he is one of the coolest winemakers you will ever meet. Meticulous and serious in his methods, he is relaxed and hilarious in his presentations. After tasting and spitting dozens of samples standing around drain outside the tank room, it was obvious that each of us had our own form and delivery while spitting. I was sold on his reductive winemaking techniques and pre-aged approach to L.I. merlot.
Can you believe after all that fun we still had a BYOB BBQ to attend that night? Incredibly we all made it there without naps. It would have taken three days for all of us to finish the wine we brought, but we did make a good dent into the stash. My faves were the ‘02 St. Nicolas de Bourgeuil and the Clos Apalta. The first was everything I like about Loire reds in a nicely aged package, but the ‘05s I’ve had seem to bring the same vege-ashtray-graphite-red apple skin-deliciousness with a tighter core of fruit. The Apalta was great, just not over $100 great. I do think that it’s the Carmenere that carries that wine and I’m sure there’s some Carmenere blends around $30 that would do the trick.
Since I was driving back home on Sunday, I had to opt out of the South Fork wineries. Unfortunately missing out on Channing Daughters Winery will always haunt me. I bought into the L.I. as Friuli several years ago. While having met Giraldo Dorigo in Southhampton last summer I came to appreciate what L.I. could learn form the Northern Italians. I just wish I could have been there to taste that influence with Christopher Tracy and the rest of the blogging crew.
All in all the weekend was a great success. Hanging out with a large group where everyone can be as wine geeky as they want to be was a blast. I can’t wait to see everyone at the next Tastecamp, I just know I wouldn’t want to be the person organizing it. The bar for Tastecamp 2009 was set extremely high.
The results from the Finger Lakes International Competition are in and Niagara wineries have something to be proud of again this year. The biggest Niagara news of the event has to be Leonard Oakes earning a prestigious Double Gold award for its 2007 Frontenac. I haven't tried it yet but you're darn sure I will soon. Congrats to Jonathan Oakes and the whole gang over there in apple country!
Here are the full results for Niagara area wineries:
Leonard Oakes Winery
Double Gold- Frontenac 2007
Silver- Meritage 2007
Silver- Frose 2007
Bronze- Chambourcin
Schulze Vineyards & Winery
Silver- Cuvee Rosé
Silver- Vidal Icewine 2008
Silver- Ruby
Bronze- Meritage
Bronze- Lotus
Bronze- RCR Red Dessert Wine
Freedom Run Winery
Bronze- Celebration Series Rosé 2006
Bronze- Estate Riesling 2008
Bronze- Cabernet Franc 2006
Honeymoon Trail Winery
Silver- Mighty Niagara
Silver- Diamond 2006
Silver- Pink Catawba 2007
Bronze- Baco Noir 2007
Bronze- Concord
Bronze- Sweet Concord
Bronze- Full Moon
Vizcarra Vineyards
Bronze- Emperor Cherry
Bronze- Joyce’s Joy
Bronze- Merlot 2007
Bronze- Vidal Blanc 2007
Marjim Manor
Bronze- Thursday Afternoon at 3
Bronze- Peach
Martin Schulze of Schulze Vineyards & Winery braving the chilly temps to harvest his frozen crop.
If there’s a buzz leaking out of the Niagara wine region it’s certainly coming from the handful of local wineries producing ice wine. Sure there’s red wines, white wines, dry wines and sweet wines in the region, but ice wine is one of the few varieties that we can declare with confidence is perfect for our climate.
As you know, ice wine is made from grapes left frozen on the vine and then harvested and pressed when temperatures settle below 18 degrees for a few days. The water in the grapes stay frozen and the sweet nectar of the grape is collected for fermentation. The end result is usually a wine with moderate alcohol, a high level of natural sweetness and laser-focused flavors. Usually fetching $40-$100 per half bottle (375ml), these wines are decadent and routinely call for a special occasion to drink.
Recently a New York Post travel writer visited several wineries here to highlight winter wines like ice wine and late harvest offerings. Our local media has considered the ice wine harvest to be newsworthy this season, as articles from the Buffalo News and Tonawanda News have featured some of our wineries that are making ice wine. Magazines like Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast have awarded respectable scores for these wineries, with Arrowhead Spring Vineyards receiving 90 points (WS) and Niagara Landing getting 86 points (WE).
There’s no doubt that this is just the beginning for local wineries that are taking advantage of our predictably cold climate. You can’t deny that the fastest journey to national recognition of Niagara wines may be through our ice wines. Expect more and more wineries to produce it every year as the buzz becomes louder and louder outside of just local media.
There’s no overstating the importance of receiving a 90 point score from Wine Spectator Magazine. A score that high goes a long way to legitimizing a winery to many professionals, retailers and consumers. New York wines have often been associated with a virtual glass ceiling of 90 points, since scores this high have been rare from major wine publications.
Arrowhead Spring Vineyards in Cambria just broke that ceiling when its 2005 Vidal Icewine received 90 points by James Molesworth of Wine Spectator. Their 2006 barrel fermented Chardonnay also received a solid 86 points.
I’ve tasted both of these wines and consider them to be among the best quality wines in the Niagara Region. The chardonnay is well balanced with just enough oak to compliment the zesty fruit. I think this would be an attractive wine for both “naked” and oaked chardonnay fans. Arrowhead’s Vidal Icewine is a transcendent experience in itself. Jam-packed with too many fruit aromas to list here, it shows a complexity that far exceeds that of more expensive icewines.
Since both of these wines were made with purchased fruit, it only heightens my anticipation for Arrowhead’s estate wines. Hopefully these scores will help spread the word that Niagara Region wineries are quietly establishing themselves as serious wine producers that can compete with the very best of other east coast wineries.
Last weekend The Niagara Gazette published the most in depth, in your face news article on the Niagara Wine Trail in its weekend section of the paper. With the simplest idea of just visiting all twelve wineries and reporting back on each, the article hopefully made it to the breakfast tables of locals who haven't heard about the 800-pound gorilla in the room of Niagara tourism.
The article is fun and informative, stressing the differences amongst the wineries, instead of constantly highlighting the inconsistency of our wines and their obvious youthfulness in relation to Ontario's wineries as I've read in Buffalo Spree magazine. This article is just simply a report by a journalist who writes about the trail in a tone that I believe represents the locals who make their way into these tasting rooms; that is, with curiosity and without an unreasonable expectation of a Napa or even Finger Lakes maturity level.
Here are some quotes:
"It should be pointed out that the wines of Niagara County run a gamut from bland to sensational. There are dinner wines, ice wines, dessert wines, casual dining wines and silly wines."
"The Niagara Wine Trail itself has nearly become a tourist destination of it own, with a bright future. See our falls, then taste our wine. As the number of wineries and available retail outlets increases, word is getting out that some quality work is being done here."
While some publications like to focus on what it's not, this article focuses on what it is, AND what it can be. I only wish more newspapers and magazines can report back from the Niagara Wine Trail with the same kind of open-minded curiosity -- and without the Wine Spectator magazine-wannabe sommelier- attitude.
Caught this rainbow over Freedom Run Winery a few weeks ago. So far this season has been wet and cool. This week has allowed us to dry out a bit and more seasonal weather is in the forecast for the coming weeks.
The results are in for the NY Food and Wine Classic for 2008. The competition which has been called the "Oscars" of NY state wine is an all NY wine contest in which hundreds of wineries participate every year. The biggest prize, the Governor's Cup award was given to Swedish Hill Winery of the Finger Lakes for their 2007 Vidal Blanc still wine. They also picked up "winery of the year" based on number of awards given.
Niagara USA wines did well again this year as Niagara Landing, Schulze Vineyards & Winery and Honeymoon Trail Winery collectively scored eight medals. What I can only assume will be one of the next wineries to join the Niagara Wine Trail, Mayer's Lake Ontario Winery picked up two medals as well.
Here are the results for our local wineries:
Niagara Landing:
Gold- Vidal Blanc Ice Wine 2007
Gold- Chocolate Dream 2006
Bronze- Baco Noir NV
Honeymoon Trail Winery:
Bronze- Pink Catawba NV
Bronze- Frozen Niagara NV
Bronze- Full Moon NV
Schulze Vineyards & Winery:
Silver- Vidal Blanc Ice Wine 2008
Bronze- Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
As much as I think these awards go along way to bringing recognition to the Niagara Wine Trail, I also think that the way in which wine competitions are judged are generally flawed and that people shouldn't except results like these as an objective measure of quality. I would also like to add that more than half of the Niagara Wine Trail did not submit wines to this competition, so if your favorite winery didn't wine a medal they probably did not submit any wine. But those shiny medals sure look great hanging on those bottles in tasting rooms.
Even though I am originally from the Niagara region and spent most of my adult life in Miami, I really feel as if I came of age while living close to my friends in New York City. Long Island Wine Country will always have a place in my memory as the most influential wine experience I've had so far. Last week I reconnected and dug deeper into that connection when I attended the Stony Brook Cool Climate/Maritime Wines in a Global Context Symposium in Southampton, NY.
The two day conference featured nine speakers from across the globe who talked about cool climate viticulture and winemaking challenges and methods. When I first received the list of speakers it was the very first one from Friuli, Italy that piqued my interest. In my eternal search for interesting cabernet francs and cool climate merlots I had stumbled upon the wines of Alessio Dorigo and found them to be uniquely delicious.
That morning of day one of the conference, even before I got my pass, I ran into Lenn Thompson of Lenndevours to which I am a contributor. If you walk into a room of Long Island wine industry players, Lenn is the one guy you can count on to know the majority of people in the room and before I knew it I felt at home amongst the crowd. We sat down in the auditorium and I was immediately struck by the intimacy of the setting. Using every other row of the theater style seating gave the pourers access to us and just as Alessio Dorigo kicked off the event, the first wine was poured. Dorigo's 2001 Montscaplade reminded me of why was looking forward to his wines. This blend of Bordeaux grapes was fruit forward and perfectly balanced with subtle spice and a long finish. It was easily the best wine I've ever drank before 10 AM.
Gunter Küntsler of the Rheingau, Germany followed with two elegant mineral packed rieslings. His thoughtful and meticulous presentation just reinforced my perception that German winemakers are all about precision and dedication to their craft and style. Self-proclaimed Deadhead Thomas Laszlo of Heron Hill Winery on Kueka Lake took the discussion in the total opposite direction as his humor-filled presentation concentrated on his winemaking style in the Finger Lakes. While he was laid back in demeanor, he was very opinionated and didn't hesitate to tackle controversial topics in viticulture and what is needed to make world class riesling. His 2005 Ingle Vineyard Reserve Riesling was amazing as it didn't follow any of the fruit driven, hugely aromatic rieslings of his region.
Albariño was the next topic, presented by Katia Alvarez, winemaker for Martin Códax of the Rías Baixas region of Spain. Since her presentation was extremely technical and her accent a bit strong, I didn't initially get as much from her presentation as those that came before it, but it may have also been mental fatigue from my liquid breakfast. Both albariño wines poured were pleasant and reinforced my appreciation for that grape and its refreshing acidity.
The last presentation of the day was a roundtable with each winemaker moderated by Paul Grieco, owner of Terroir (a wine bar in the city) and a bunch of culinary ventures. Terroir was indeed the focus of the discussion and how it relates to minerality was often referenced. When asked what advice these winemakers may have their L.I. counterparts, most of them said that they should limit the amount of leaf plucking in the fruiting zone of the trellis systems. Ironically enough during the last conference some 20 years ago, it was the Bordeaux winemakers who offered advice that they should have been plucking more. Thomas Laszlo again added some fuel to the organic debate as he said he wasn't a believer, especially when the acceptable practice of spraying copper turns vines blue. While I do understand his view, he sure does put it bluntly and unapologetically. A few more wines were poured including a Refosco, a native grape to Friuli from Dorigo that I couldn't get enough of. Surprise, surprise... right? Next up: the grand tasting. That's fodder for my next post. Stay tuned!
Warm Lake Estate in Cambria, NY has hooked itself up with a program sponsered by the New York Wine and Grape Foundation where their 2006 Pinot Noir will be available to Virgin Atlantic passengers at London's Heathrow International airport as well as JFK airport in NYC. Buffalo Business Journal posted this story the other day.
I assume that each wine trail or region in New York has a wine representing them and Warm Lake is representing the Niagara Wine Trail. Since it's probably the only pinot from NY on the NY wine list, I bet there will be many business travelers tasting that wine who wouldn't normally have a chance to drink a Niagara wine. And like Martha says..."That's a good thing."
The Niagara Wine Trail's marketing effort has been expanding lately as it is focusing on Niagara Falls tourists and tourism operators and locals who still haven't made it to the wineries. The Niagara Tourism & Convention Corp. put together a who's who of tourism industry insiders to see for themselves what the area has to offer. One of those stops was Niagara Landing Wine Cellars in Lockport, NY. Obviously the goal is to draw tour operators to the wine trail, and hopefully add wineries to their packages.
The Vino Visa Pass is an innovative idea that promotes the "one price" ticket to visit each area winery. I've heard that in addition to it being available at the wineries, the pass will be sold at area grocery stores, thus reaching new customers that may not have been motivated to take the first step in visiting the wineries. The pass is $20 and is good for tasting at each of the twelve area wineries. The pass is good for one full year and makes a great gift.
Finally the wineries are offering a special for the next wine trail event, The Wine and Cheese Weekend, on June 14 & 15th. Each winery will have cheese from Yancy's Fancy to pair with wines. With a coupon, two tickets will cost $35 instead of the usual $40. I believe this is to encourage those whom have participated in past events to come out again. Local cheese with local wine, what could be better?
The Niagara Wine Trail is on the receiving end of another large grant from New York State for the sole purpose of marketing the trail. Similar grants were awarded last year, the results of which can be heard in radio spots, seen in brochures and read in press releases. This money will most probably be spent the same way.
The news article, which was released on memorial day, quotes the current president of the wine trail, Oscar Vizcarra.
"(It) allows us to promote our businesses and also be competitive to other attractions with bigger budgets than we have,” Vizcarra said. “It’s a good thing for all our wineries.”
Since operating a winery is a huge financial investment, grant money for marketing is key for sustaining growth. Most of the wineries on the trail do not have marketing cash on hand and how the trail spends these funds greatly affects each winery.
A few weeks ago my wife and I ventured east on Ridge Rd (Rt. 104) in search of the newest Niagara Wine Trail winery. It was just a few days earlier that Leonard Oaks Winery opened its doors after a lengthy wait for the proper licensing and overcoming red tape that comes with selling wine. The Oakes family has been farming in this area, just across the county line in Orleans County since 1918. Their apples can be found at most grocery stores in western NY, so they definitely have name recognition going for them in this new venture.
After repeatedly explaining to my wife why we were driving through unfamiliar rural towns on the way to a "Niagara Wine Trail" winery in Orleans County, the twenty minute jaunt east ended as we pulled up to the tasting room. Since the winery had just opened, the tasting room wasn't filled up with wine paraphernalia, gifts, and the usual swag that one is used to. The decor that was there was elegant and tasteful with a good size bar for tastings. Since we were there on a weekday, there was only one other person there and we were met with personal service that we are akin to.
The wine list was extensive with dry and sweet, including native blends, hybrid wines, and some vinifera. The woman behind the bar told me that the son of the family is in school for wine making, and plans to be the winemaker for the family business. I believe Dominic Carisetti has been a consultant for this first vintage of wines and the consistency shows throughout the lineup. My favorites whites were the Cayuga white and the Vignoles which interestingly enough is sold in a half bottle.
I was surprised to see so many hybrid grapes on the menu when I browsed the reds. Corot Noir, a Cornell grape, is listed as a fruity semi dry red that "can easily douse the flames of Buffalo's best chicken wings". The trendiest hybrid grape on the list was the Frontenac, a red grape that can withstand temperatures down to -30F developed by U of Minnesota with the intent of creating a grape for that harsh climate. My wife and I truly enjoyed the Chambourcin most. The grape is mostly found in the mid Atlantic states where it is cold hardy, disease resistant and capable of producing dark reds with good depth and minimal native grape characteristics. This one seemed like a great example and we bought a bottle for the cellar.
While the winery is located on Rt. 104 and can be reached easily on the "trail" maps, its location is arguably a long drive from the cluster of wineries in and around Cambria. While that may not be advantageous at first look, their proximity to Rochester is strategic in that they can tap into that large market where they also have the same name recognition. I assume they will attract visitors to the trail that might not have ventured west without knowing they have a winery so close to home. For those wine geeks that really love the details, their vineyards are actually north of the winery, closer to lake Ontario, and I can't wait to see how the vines produce in the future especially with the vinifera plantings of pinot noir, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc.
Last week, the Niagara Wine Trail saw the first release of Ice Wine from naturally frozen vidal grapes grown right here in a Niagara County vineyard. As I mentioned this past winter, Schulze Vineyards and Winery in Burt, NY harvested its vidal on a frozen January morning. Well, after a long fermentation process -- and an equally long winter -- the winery hosted a six-course wine pairing dinner which included the Vidal Ice Wine with dessert.
Dominic Carisetti, winemaker and outspoken ambassador of several local wineries, hosted the two-night event, prepping guests before each dish with detailed background info on the wines. The wine list was entirely white wines, ranging from dry to decadently sweet, offering vidal in its various incarnations and a couple examples of Niagara-grape-based wines. After the ice wine was poured, he took the time to get opinions and notes on everyone's descriptions and impressions. After the last course Martin and Ann invited their guests to taste several other wines on the tasting menu, including reds and sparkling wines.
The star of the night was obviously the Vidal Ice Wine. I've had the luxury of tasting it from grape to glass this year and I was still blown away by the richness, complexity, and laser-focused flavors. The aroma alone is worth pondering for hours as it boasts apricot, fig, honey and mango with each sniff. This wine is meant to be savored, either by itself, with desserts, cheeses, or, if you roll this way, with foie gras. And with a price tag under $40, it comes in at about half of what you'd pay across the border in Ontario. Cheers to that!
The Finger Lakes International Wine Competition results are in for 2008!
Widely considered to be the the largest competition in the east, this event accepts entries from across the globe. The participation of dozens of New York State wineries makes this particular competition extremely relevant to those of us looking to expand our local palates.
Niagara USA Region wineries were in attendance again this year with several medals awarded to our young wineries. Here are some results.
Freedom Run Winery of Lockport, NY clinched three medals:
Silver Medal - Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
Bronze Medal - Cabernet Franc 2005
Bronze Medal - Manning Manor Rose 2005
Schulze Vineyards and Winery of Burt, NY took home four medals.
Silver Medal - Thirty Mile Point Niagara 2006
Silver Medal - Cuvee Rose - Sparkling Rose 2006
Silver Medal - Vidal Blanc 2006
Bronze Medal - Siegfried 2007
Marjim Manor Winery of Appleton, NY claimed three medals.
Silver Medal - Heart of Gold NV Hargrand wine
Silver Medal - Sophia's Sunrise NV Blend
Silver Medal - Cherry Concerto NV Cherry wine
Honeymoon Trail Winery of Lockport, NY won a four medals.
Silver Medal - Pink Catawba 2007
Silver Medal - Frozen Niagara NV
Bronze Medal - Baco Noir NV
Bronze Medal - Full Moon 2006 Red Blend
Bronze Medal - While Lace 2006 White Blend
It's been five years since I've classed it up at the South Beach Wine and Food Festival. The event has ballooned into a huge success with tickets becoming more and more elusive every year since its inception some seven years ago. Aside from the Grand Tasting Tent which is actually on the sand of south beach both saturday and sunday, there are several other wine and culinary events, seminars, demonstrations, and tastings all over Miami over the course of four days.
Tonight's event is the Wine Spectator "Best of the Best" tasting at the suites of the American Airlines Arena in Miami. My fiance and I were lucky enough to get tickets and I can't wait to test my palate on what should be the cream of the crop reserve and estate selections of the show. I'm prepared to push and shove my way through well dressed wine snobs and their trophy wives to get samples but I just don't know where I'm going to spit yet.
The Niagara Escarpment AVA added another winery this weekend as Arrowhead Spring Vineyards opened it doors to hundreds of chocolate-eating, wine-drinking visitors during the "Be Mine with Wine" trail event.
The Niagara Escarpment itself provides a spectacular backdrop for vineyards in this area which is quickly making Cambria, NY a wine destination thanks to the six wineries located within a few miles of one another. Temperatures in the single digits and wind chills flirting with minus twenty below didn't stop the hordes of tasters, myself included, from checking out the view from the newest winery and more importantly, tasting the wines.
After winding down an ice-covered driveway that makes you appreciate an AWD vehicle, I popped in with my fiancee. We were greeted by the husband and wife team of Duncan and Robin Ross, who stood proudly behind a tasting table and in front of several large windows that offer a spectacular view that stretches all the way to Lake Ontario: several miles of rural farmland, vineyards, and farm houses. The ambience at Arrowhead Spring is friendly but serious, with Duncan and Robin's wines on full display - several of which were flanked with medals they've won since they started making wine at home many few years ago.
The first wine we tried was a 2006 Riesling with grapes sourced from the Finger Lakes Region. True to form with shale-stone influenced flavors, this wine could have easily been mistaken for one of the established and acclaimed wineries of the Finger Lakes. With a slight effervescence, this crisp, clean young white wine is quite pleasing.
The two red wines that are available to taste are made with grapes sourced from California and elsewhere New York State. The "Apogee" is made in a Super Tuscan style with sangiovese, cabernet franc and merlot. The Arrowhead Red is a familiar Bordeaux-inspired, multi-state blend. Both reds are full bodied, well balanced and extremely smooth with 22 months in French oak. I picked up the Apogee blend as it seemed to have a bigger punch, with more character and complexity.
In what I think is a compliment, you'd never guess that these red are partly made from California grapes, as they don't have any one overpowering quality that dumbs them down to fruit bomb status. Also mentioned as "coming soon" on the menu was a Vidal Ice wine and a chardonnay.
Later that night, when I had a few hours to contemplate another weekend where the success of the wine trail here is getting more and more tangible, I was trying to remember what I thought of the newest winery on the trail's offerings. While I don't have any one big specific tasting note on these wines, I feel that both reds had a seamlessness that points to meticulous sorting of grapes and blending of wines in the cellar. In a region that doesn't really have one big red grape, like merlot on Long Island for example, the careful blending of varietals is going to be the only way to compete with warmer regions that can consistently ripen grapes like cabernet sauvignon to where they resemble what people are used to drinking. From what I tasted this weekend, Arrowhead Spring Vineyards seems like they have the right idea.
Even though their vines were barely old enough to walk this past summer, they did produce a fair amount of fruit due to the hot and dry growing season of 2007. So hopefully it won't be too long before we get to try some estate grown samples from the new winery on the block, and by block I mean that huge limestone shelf we call the Niagara Escarpment.
And for all you other wine geeks out there, you might want to know that they planted syrah (in addition to merlot, cab sauv, cab franc, chardonnay, and an experimental row of malbec). I know, I know. Syrah is a warm weather grape... but don't mention that to a handful of wineries in Ontario, or the few wineries in the Finger Lakes that are gambling on it.
And please don't bother Duncan and Robin with your questions as to whether they can ripen the star of the Cote-Rotie. It may just make one hell of a spicy sexy fruity red here in the future. That is, if we keep having these growing seasons a la 2007. And you thought pinot noir was a stretch up here.
Anyone who has the pleasure of living in Western New York knows that it's been, well, a bit chilly lately. As in, -22 with the wind chill chilly. As in, wear-four-layers-or-you-might-get-frostbite chilly. As in, leaving the house is for FOOLS chilly. Of course, that could be the Miami in me talking. My mother calls regularly to taunt me with the balmy weather she's been having down south and to ask if I've bought appropriate footwear yet. Apparently Chuck Taylors don't have such good traction on ice. Who knew?
So when Bryan and I were at Wegman's the other day and I asked him what he wanted for dinner, the answer seemed obvious: something warm, he said. Something comforting. We decided on homemade bolognese sauce and pasta -- his specialty -- but I have to admit I yearned for something a bit less weighty. After all, we'd just finished off a huge batch of beef stew, cooked slow with onions and carrots in my beautiful LeCreuset Dutch oven and braised in Saranac Nut Brown ale. The thought of another meal of beefy richness just seemed a bit much. Which is why, when I found myself standing at the fish counter weighing my options, the wild-caught domestic scallops seemed like just the thing to lighten our heavy winter mood.
We're both huge fans of bacon-wrapped scallops, but I didn't want a heavy smoky taste to weigh down the gentle sweetness of what happened to be very beautiful specimens, so I settled on some thinly sliced prosciutto instead. I'd give these babies a quick sear in a really hot skillet, I thought, and pair them with halved grape tomatoes and scallions shaken in a pan of gently warmed olive oil. But what of the starch? I finally settled on mashed potatoes -- the ultimate comfort food for winter. Weird, you say? Not really. The potatoes, into which I stirred some full-fat sour cream and a generous pinch of sea salt, proved the perfect creamy foil for the scallops, which developed this amazingly sweet crust during their hot sear.
What does this have to do with wine, you ask? Well, we happened to have a couple bottles of Freedom Run wines on hand, a Chardonnay and a dry Riesling. Bryan was all about the Riesling, as that grape is known to pair well with shellfish. He poured, he sipped, he ate. He raved about how well the wine went with our meal. It wasn't until we were about halfway through that he said to me, "Does this Riesling taste a bit oaky to you?" Yeah. Well. Turns out it wasn't Riesling he'd poured at all -- but Freedom Run's '05 Chardonnay. Redolent with summer's promise, the wine's slightly oaky notes and citrus flavors did wonders for the scallops, which picked up hints of the prosciutto's mild saltiness. And the tomatoes? Those I cooked over a low flame just until they started to give off some of their juices, and they provided a welcome burst of flavor next to the rich, buttery mashed potatoes. This is a meal whose main ingredients don't need much -- they can stand on their own with the most basic seasoning. Don't get me wrong, this meal would have been happy to be paired with a dry Riesling -- many great varieties of which are produced here on the Niagara Escarpment -- but on this night, Chardonnay was it. We're warmer already.
Prosciutto-Wrapped Scallops with Grape Tomatoes and Scallions
3/4 pound fresh sea scallops, patted dry
1/4 pound thinly sliced prosciutto
2 tbsp best-quality olive oil, divided
1/2 pint grape tomatoes, halved (left whole if tiny)
2 scallions, thinly sliced
sea salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
Method:
* Heat oven to 175 degrees. Wrap sea scallops in prosciutto, gently tearing ham in half lengthwise to fit scallops if necessary. Season with salt and pepper.
* Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in large heavy skillet until nearly smoking. Add scallops to skillet without crowding. Do not move scallops once they hit the pan. Cook for 3 minutes, or until well-seared and caramelized on one side and they pull away from the pan easily.
* Turn and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more or until cooked through (slightly firm to the touch), transferring scallops to oven to keep warm. Repeat in batches if necessary.
* Meanwhile, while scallops cook, heat remaining tbsp olive oil in medium heavy skillet until hot. Add tomatoes and scallions and cook, shaking pan periodically, until tomatoes release some of their juices and scallions wilt slightly.
* Season with salt and pepper.
Serve with warm mashed potatoes and well-chilled Chardonnay.
Serves 2.
