Author Archives: Tracy

When in doubt, drink Tequila

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The view from the balcony was breathtaking – the sand, the sea and the sun all conspired to produce an amazing tableau. Sitting on the balcony every day, we never grew bored with the sight.

Situated in the heart of Cancun, Mexico, we settled into a rhythm for our vacation, foreswearing our usual wine for a week filled with Margaritas. Our visit to the downtown Walmart had yielded an inexpensive, but reasonably nice quality, bottle of Tequila, along with the ubiquitous Jose Cuervo Margarita mix. It wasn’t fancy, but the duo did the trick and kept us awash in cocktails for the week.

Admittedly, a true Margarita should be made with Triple Sec and lime juice (instead of the mix), but we took the lazy journey to Margaritaville.

During our trip, we had the pleasure of visiting the Hacienda Tequila where we were given a brief tutorial on how tequila is made and were reminded on just what it is that makes tequila, well, tequila.

Tequila is part of the larger class of spirits called Mezcal, which are produced from the agave plant. Tequila hails from a delimited area within Mexico, centered around the state of Jalisco, but with differences in aromas and flavors stemming from the various terroirs. In addition, it must be made with 100% blue agave, which is considered to be a superior variety of agave. While these plants resemble cacti, they are actually related to the Amaryllis family.

Jimadors (field workers) harvest the core of the blue agave when the plant is between 6 and 8 years of age. The cores are cooked with direct heat for 36-48 hours and then left in the ovens with residual heat for an additional 24-36 hours. This cooking process is necessary in order to convert the starchy core into a fermentatble sugar. After cooking, the cores are milled to extract the  sugary liquid and remove the extensive fiber. This liquid is fermented into an alcoholic liquid, which is then distilled in pot stills, generally with two distillations.

Depending upon the maturation and ageing, tequilas are labeled as follows:
*Gold or Joven – unaged, with the addition of coloring agents (mostly caramel)
*White or Blanco – unaged or rested a maximum of two months
*Reposado – minimum of two months aging in wood
*Anejo – minimum of one year aging in wood
*Extra Anejo – minimum of three years aging in wood

We tasted through a number of tequilas at Hacienda Tequila, most of which were sipping tequilas — too good to be adultered with margarita mix. One of our favorites was the Casa Azul Reposado, which we purchased in the airport’s duty free shop on the way home. We also loved the Casa Azul Anejo, but it was pricier than we preferred to spend. Now, all we need to do is pour some tequila, close our eyes and be transported back to our Cancun balcony.

Captain, My Captain

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Each year, the American Wine Society (AWS) sponsors two wine competitions recognizing both amateur and commercial winemaking. The wines are judged in Pittsburgh with extra bottles of wine sent to be informally evaluated at the annual conference in a mock competition. At conference, tables are staffed by volunteers who are wine judges, graduates of the Wine Judging Training Program (WJTP) and/or those currently in the program. These table captains are to lead their table members in an evaluation of the wines. Since I had just began the WJTP, I volunteered to be a table captain.

Called up to the front of the room, each table captain had to grab an unmarked box of wine and returned to his/her table. Mine was a flight of Chardonnays. After carefully reading the instructions, and opening the wines, I waited until the participants entered the room and my table was filled. In all, there were five of us at my table, representing one of about 20 tables altogether.

I welcomed the group and explained how a wine competition was run and what they should do this afternoon. Once everyone was fully briefed, we began to pour samples of the first five wines into our glasses, passing each bottle onto the next person. The next step was to begin tasting/evaluating and scoring using the AWS 20-point format. After everyone had completed this process, I asked each person for the total score on each wine, before we discussed each wine on its own. The first wine’s scores ranged from 10 to 16. One person continued to be an outlier at the low end throughout the scoring process. The following bottle seemed to be flawed and our scores reflected it. We continued to taste through bottles 3, 4 and 5 in the same manner. Dumping out wines 1 through 5 (we only had 5 glasses each), we then poured and tasted wines 6 and 7, following the same procedures. We agreed that our bottle of wine 6 was faulted and chose not to score it. At the end, the official scores were unearthed from the envelope and we compared our average scores with the judges.

Here is how our scores compared:
Wine 1 – 13.7 (Us) vs. 14.0 (official judges)
Wine 2 – 10.3 vs. 14.17
Wine 3 – 11.7 vs.12.0
Wine 4 – 12.3 vs.11.83
Wine 5 – 14.2 vs.12.67
Wine 6 – Not scored vs. 8.67
Wine 7 – 14.7 vs.16.0

As evidenced from the above comparison, while our scores didn’t fully match the official judging, we were relatively close with the exception of Wine 2, for which there may have been a problem with our bottle since we felt it was flawed. 

All in all, I thought it was a very interesting and instructive exercise and look forward to volunteering again in November 2010.

Building my strengths in the American Wine Society Wine Judging Training Program

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As an educator, it is important to recognize your strengths and weaknesses. While strong on wine knowledge, my blind tasting skills are my weakest area. Therefore, I enrolled in the American Wine Society (AWS)’s Wine Judging Training Program (WJTP) as a way to discipline myself to keep my skills sharp. Presently, this three- year program is only offered in conjunction with the society’s annual conference, held in various locales. I began the program in November 2009, with the conference held at the Grand Sandestin Resort in Destin, Florida.

In advance of the conference, program participants are provided with a required reading list, syllabus and learning objectives and are instructed to arrive prepared for an exam – written and practical. As to be expected, all instructors in the program are graduates of it themselves.

We spent the morning reviewing important aspects of a wine’s appearance, paying attention to clarity, color and depth, led by Ken Brewer. Ken also spent considerable time discussing wine judging in general and the characteristics of being a good wine judge. Above all is the need to be objective in your evaluation, regardless of whether you absolutely adore a wine or positively hate it. 

Next, Richard Ulsh, a chemistry professor at the University of Pittsburgh, spent considerable time explaining the nuts and bolts of our sense of smell. Given that evaluation of a wine is heavily focused on its nose for both aromas and flavors, understanding this process was especially helpful. Rich then shifted from how to what by explaining all of the various faults one might find in a given wine and the reason for their presence. Participants also had an opportunity to smell through a line up of wine glasses, each of which contained one of the aroma faults we had just reviewed.

For the last presentation of the morning, Betty Nettles led us through an insightful set of tasting exercises where we experienced various components both separate and then in tandem to see how they interacted with one another. More specifically, we tasted through multiple component flights — ethanol on its own in varying proportions; synergy of alcohol and sugar; synergy of alcohol and acidity; synergy of sugar and acidity; and the eynergy of sugar and tannin. The final flight illustrated how alcohol, acid, sugar and tannin can come together to create a balanced wine.

At the conclusion of the day, we were presented with five samples wines for which we were to write an evaluative note and assign a score based on the AWS 20-point scoring system. Our last assignment was to identify which, if any, faults or imbalances were present in 10 samples. After which, we were done with Year 1. The results were posted the next day (5 Passes, 1 Conditional and 6 Fails — this is not an easy program) and I was pleased to find that I had passed, ensuring my promotion to the second year.

I am now preparing for Year 2 of the program, which will be offered in Cincinnati this November. I will also present two sessions at the conference — one on Italian sparkling wines and another on South African wines.

Wine Shopping in NYC: Behind the scenes at Wine Portfolio

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Television show, Wine Portfolio, hosted by Owner/Executive Chef of Wild Fire Steakhouse and wine enthusiast, Jody Ness, takes people around the worlds of wine and food and around the world. As Jody says, “Life is my passion, people my inspiration, and wine my muse…Life is meant to be enjoyed, a great glass of wine is made to be shared, so we created Wine Portfiolio: The world of wine uncorked.”

Among Jody’s travels, an upcoming episode will feature the wide range of wine shopping choices available to shoppers in New York City, along with tips and tricks for all wine lovers on how to shop for wine. I was asked to join Jody and his team (Kevin Fox, Michelle Lin and Norm Ness), with segments filmed at three very different retail stores in Manhattan.

The first stop was Sherry-Lehmann, a 76-year-old store launched in the months just after that experiment gone wrong (aka Prohibition) was lifted. With nearly 7,000 different wines available, the store has both breadth and depth in its selection. Long-time strengths continue to be France, especially Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne. Our visit to Sherry-Lehmann was hosted by long-time friend and colleague, Robin Kelley-O’Connor, Sherry-Lehmann’s Director of Sales and Education. Robin shared a bottle of the Lafite Reserve Speciale 2006 (Medoc) from Baron Eric de Rothschild with us while we toured the store, a great bargain at under $20.00/bottle.

Heading downtown and a bit west, we arrived at Tom Geniesse’s Bottle Rocket. Tom was out of town on a much-deserved vacation and he left us in the capable hands of manager, Gary Itkin. Bottle Rocket’s unique approach to wine sales groups their carefully curated collection (365 bottles) by type (whites, reds, dessert), food categories (seafood, meat, take-out) and gifts (boss, friend, date), making it easy for a novice to pick out a wine with confidence. Jody was intrigued by Jam Jar Shiraz with its bottle designed to mimic a jar of jam, and treated us to a taste of this fruity, off-dry red before we departed for our third location.

To beat the heat, we took a taxi the few blocks necessary to get to Chelsea Market where we visited with David Hunter, general manager and wine buyer for Chelsea Wine Vault. A pioneer of the Market, Chelsea Wine Vault has been there since 1997. The store caters to a collection of tourists and locals alike, with wines arranged by country and region. All of the wines are selected by David who tastes hundreds of wines each month, in his search for the best set of wines for the store. Below the retail floor, a temperature-controlled storage facility, run as a separate venture, is available for customers to correctly store their wines.

After filming at all three stores, the team stopped for some lunch and then proceeded to the High Line for some final shots, including an interview with Jody and me.

All photos courtesy of Michelle Lin, Re:Source Media

 

 

Women in Winemaking: Simi & Franciscan

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When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up? Not surprisingly, winemaker was probably not on your list. Similarly, while Janet Myers and Susan Lueker are now both successful Napa Valley winemakers, they each came to their craft by a circuitous route.

Janet grew up in Southern Illinois with a family fruit orchard and maternal grandparents from Italy, but her interest in grapes didn’t come until later. She studied biology in college and initially pursued anthropology. Janet eventually moved to London and, while waiting tables there, developed a love of wine. As her passion strengthened, she chose to study enology at UC Davis. 

Meanwhile, Susan studied chemistry when she first went away to school, but then changed her mind and majored in child development. After working with hospitalized children, which she found quite depressing, she decided to switch careers. Susan had always liked wine and her parents had met at UC Davis, so it seemed like a natural place to investigate. After a great meeting with one of Davis’ professors, Susan enrolled at the university. 

Arriving at the same decision around the same time, Susan and Janet found themselves as lab partners and became friends. Today, Janet is the head winemaker at Franciscan, a post she has held since 2005, while Susan is at Simi, where she has been for the past 10 years.

A recent “Women in Winemaking” dinner featured both winemakers and their wines at the Crosby Hotel in New York. During the reception, guests had the opportunity to taste Simi’s Sauvignon Blanc and Franciscan’s Napa Valley Chardonnay as well as two red wines. Moving to the dining room, additional wines were paired with dinner.

Simi Chardonnay 2007, Russian River Valley, CA
This wine was made from 20-year old vines planted by Zelma Long. It showed butter, apple and citrus aromas on the nose owing to partial malolactic fermentation and ageing in G. Ferrer barrels. Dry and full-bodied on the palate, its flavors included apple, oak, nuts and vanilla.

Franciscan Cuvée Sauvage Chardonnay 2007, Carneros, CA
Named for the use of ambient/wild yeast used, this wine takes twice as long to ferment and Franciscan was the first producer in Napa to bottle a wild ferment wine. This wine has aromas and flavors of oak, yeast and green apple and spice, which can be attributed to the wild yeast, barrel fermentation and lees stirring.

Simi Landslide Vineyard 2006, Alexander Valley, CA
The 290 acre (180 of which are planted) Landslide Vineyard was planted in the mid1980s by Zelma Long and has three different elevations, each of which delivers a unique quality to the grapes. The lowest elevation results in ripe character and softer tannins, while the highest provides vibrant, vivacious fruit. A blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, the remainder made up of the other four Bordeaux varieties, floral, blackberry smoke and cherry aromas greet the nose. A full-bodied palate shows notes of blackcherry, spice, vanilla, oak and smoke. 

Franciscan Magnificat Red Wine 2006, Napa Valley, CA
One of the first Meritage blends, Magnificat was named for Bach’s piece, which was written for five voices. Franciscan has been making this wine since 1984, varying the blend each vintage. Janet noted that, “By varying the blend, we can be more true to the personality of the blend.” The 2006 is produced from 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 3% Malbec and 1% Petit Verdot, with meat, bacon, cherry and smoke aromas. Medium+ tannins, fruit, spice and vanilla linger in the long length.

What’s your Conundrum?

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I was asked to serve as the judge for a special event celebrating Caymus’ Conundrum, which was paired with a range of take-out cuisine in search of the best match. This wine is a “proprietarily secretive blend of California white grapes”, drawing from Sauvignon Blanc, Muscat Canelli, Chardonnay and Viognier, and a combination of stainless steel and barrel fermentation that results in an unusual, but wonderful wine.

Pamela Wittman, owner of Millissime PR & Marketing Services, graciously opened up her home to a group of wine and food journalists, inviting them to each bring a dish of ethnic food, which they felt would pair well with the Conundrum wine. The stakes? A jeroboam of Conundrum.

Guests arrived, bearing their dishes, which Pamela and her team (Patricia, Erin and Matthew) plated, carefully protecting each person’s the identity until the big reveal later in the evening. After everyone had settled in, Pamela offered a brief welcome and explained the origin of the evening’s event. When she first tasted this wine, she felt strongly that it would pair well with a variety of foods and thus, she sought to confirm her suspicions that night. Guests were then invited to dig into the wonderful array of food.

Having been asked to serve as the arbiter for the evening, I took my job seriously and made sure to take a bite of each dish and taste it alongside the wine, keeping careful notes of my impressions. I tasted the food on its own and then took some wine into my mouth, while the food was still in it, to further probe the pairing. It was a fun, but challenging task, as I sought to rank my preferences from 1 (favorite pairing) to 11 (least favorite). Certainly, it was not a scientific experiment, but I did come to some conclusions and submitted my ranking to the Millissime team.

My first choice was a Chicken Tagine with Apricots, prepared by Jamal Rayyis (technically he cheated as it wasn’t take-out, but he did take it out of his kitchen and it was quite tasty, so there were no arguments). I found the dish to be full-flavored and well-spiced with its fruit flavors — fruity, but not sweet — matching nicely with the fruit in the wine. My second favorite selection was Chicken Tikka Masala, the flavors and creamy texture serving as a nice foil for the wine. Sweeter dishes such as General Tso’s Chicken were less preferred by me as their sweetness dimmed the fruit in the wine and made it appear overly dry. Dishes with excessive heat overpowered the wine and were similarly less successful. I also have to mention the Grand Marnier Shrimp, brought by my friend, Lisa Carley, which thankfully made it into my Top 5, otherwise she claimed that she would have had to stop speaking to me.

A popular vote was also taken, and, while there wasn’t perfect consensus, the #1 and #11 spots were the same — Jamal taking home the prize for the evening and my dear husband, Jared, falling short on both lists (and confirming my impartiality as judge). Actually, everyone really enjoyed the Thai pasta dish he had selected, but its heat (and mind you, he ordered it as medium, not hot) would be better suited to a beer or lassi.

So, that was our Conundrum for the evening, easily solved with great wine, great food and great company. What’s yours?

All images courtesy of Pamela Wittman.

Chablis 2008 shines at Drouhin’s Domaine de Vaudon

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Laurent Drouhin, of Maison Joseph Drouhin, wants consumers  to know a few things about Burgundy. The first is that they don’t make Chardonnay or Pinot Noir. Rather, they make Chassagne-Montrachet, Chambolle-Musigny, Pommard, etc. In his view, the grapes, which are in fact Chardonnay for the whites and Pinot Noir for the reds, are merely a conduit through which the terroir can speak.

Another thing that Laurent would like folks to know is that Chablis, a very special terroir for white wines, is also in Burgundy.

And, finally, while he is proud of his family’s heritage as a negociant (a firm which purchases grapes from multiple growers to make wine), they are equally proud of their status as a land owner and producer, particularly in Chablis.

A recent tasting of the 2008 vintage from Drouhin’s Domaine de Vaudon proves that his pride is justly deserved.

The district level Chablis ($24.50) showed some complexity on the nose with  minerality and citrus fruit, both of which persisted on the palate along with the addition of green apple. The Reserve wine ($29.00), while similar in aromas and flavors, had a more pronounced nose and longer length on the palate.

Moving up in quality, the three Premier Cru wines (from grapes grown on highly rated vineyard land) all presented vibrant acidity, full body and citrus notes. The Premier Cru Montmains ($38.25) seemed to be the most complex of the three, with notes of apple, lime, earth and minerality.

However, it was the jump to the Grand Cru wines (those hailing from one of the seven best vineyards in Chablis) that really showed what world class Chablis is all about. The Grand Cru Bougros ($72.00) – incidently, Laurent pronounces the final “s” – had pronounced minerality, damp earth, bruised apple and a slight woody note on the nose, all of which re-appeared on the palate and remained throughout the exceedingly long finish. Slightly richer, with the perception of riper fruit on the nose and palate, the Grand Cru Vaudesir ($72.00) was slightly fuller and seemed to show a little more of the oak influence on the palate, although the use of oak was still restrained and elegant.

These latter wines were showing beautifully now, but indicated the ability to evolve and gain further complexity with age.

So, whether you drink them young or in time, enjoy these wines to the fullest. Just don’t call them Chardonnay.

Rom: A high point in the Golan Heights

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Courtesy Yarden Rom

A graduate of UC Davis, Victor Schoenfeld has been the winemaker for Golan Heights Winery in Israel since 1992. Zelma Long, who needs no introduction in certain circles, began her career at Robert Mondavi Winery and later moved to Simi Winery before pursuing her own interests. In 2002, the two well-regarded winemakers first came together with the goal of better understanding what limited and promoted quality among nine high quality blocks of vines at Golan Heights.

Describing the Golan Heights as a Mediterranean climate in an historical landscape, for Long, her visit “…felt like [she] was in this mythical land.” She saw its unique personality – wines that reflect the area with an extremely unusual diversity of climates within a small area (50 miles x 40 miles). Calling the wines fruit expressive with soft tannins, Zelma likens the wines to a cross between California fruitiness and Bordeaux restraint. She added that they are wines of complex character and concentration.

After working on the initial project together for several years, the two decided that a natural progression was to collaborate on the creation of a new wine. They recognized that blending wine was a very personal and intimate process, one that is not always easy to share with someone, but, their experience has been positive. Their vision for the wine, ROM, was power/intensity, which comes from the grapes and gives the wine potential for longevity; finesse/balance, which reflects winemaking and is also important for ageing; and flavor/complexity, which is enhanced in the winery through blending and ageing. Overall, they sought a wine of both access and ageing.

Ultimately, they sought out a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah, with each variety bringing a distinctive set of aromas and flavor profiles to the final blend. The Cabernet Sauvignon from cooler vineyards brings black cherry and ripe plum, while grapes from the warmer vineyards result in olive and dried herb aromas. Together, these grapes provide solid, consistent foundation to the wine, which is enhanced by Syrah’s darker fruit, savory qualities and roundness, depth and richness. The Merlot adds fresher notes of raspberry, fresh herbs and orange zest and is responsible for lift and fleshing out the mid-palate. From the Hebrew word for a high place, the name Rom symbolizes Victor and Zelma’s pursuit in creating a wine of the highest quality.  [See the graphs below.]

Members of the press had the opportunity to taste through barrel samples of the component wines from the 2008 vintage: Merlot from Odem, Syrah from Tel Phares and Cabernet Sauvignon from El Rom. This exercise provided a glimpse of how the individual grapes came together to create a gestalt, especially when compared with the Rom 2008 barrel sample.

The first wine to be launched, the Yarden Rom 2006, showed beautifully with aromas of plum, blueberry and blackberry. The well-balanced palate offered very concentrated, rich fruit flavors with a hint of herbal notes and firm tannins. The 2007 had brighter red fruit on the nose and was a bit more structured, while the 2008 (barrel sample) was not as integrated, with the wood notes more obvious on the palate, indicating that this is a wine that will improve with time. A limited edition of 6,000 bottles was produced for the 2006 vintage, with an SRP of $160.00.

Courtesy - Yarden Rom

Courtesy - Yarden Rom

The future is now – Bordeaux 2009 white and rose

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The 2009 vintage in Bordeaux continues to receive rave reviews, but for now, the only red wines available for purchase are being sold as futures. Instead, consumers can look to Bordeaux’s whites and rosés – yes, you read that right, rosés – for a taste of this vaunted vintage.

Château Penin AOC Bordeaux Clairet 2009, Bordeaux, France
Located within the area of Entre-deux-Mers in the village of Génissac, Chateau Penin has been in the Carteyron family since 1854. Patrick Carteyron, a member of the fifth generation, has been the current owner as of 1982. The château’s white wine is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon, along with Sauvignon Gris. The remaining range of wines is predominantly produced with Merlot, the most widely planted grape in the Bordeaux region. Two of those wines are rosés – an AOC Bordeaux Clairet and an AOC Bordeaux Rosé.

The Château Penin Bordeaux Clairet is 100% Merlot. This wine spends 24-60 hours of maceration on the skins, which accounts for its depth of color. In addition, approximately 25% of the wine underwent malolactic fermentation, rounding out the acidity on the palate, before spending four months ageing on the lees. With its deep rose color, you have to look twice to confirm that this is in fact a rose wine, but its cherry and strawberry aromas confirm its identity. With medium acidity, medium+ body, bright fruit and low tannins, this is a structured and dense wine that drinks more like a chilled red than a rose, but certainly hits the spot on a hot summer’s day.

Château Les Vergnes Bordeaux Blanc 2009, Bordeaux, France
Château Les Vergnes has been involved in viticulture from the very beginning with efforts to establish a national plan to combat phylloxera at the start of the 19th century and experiments with the first use of potassium thiocarbonate in 1879. Today, the château is committed to preserving the environment and qualified for the title, l’Agriculture Raisonnée in 2005 for its sustainable agriculture practices. 

Its Bordeaux Blanc wine is produced from a blend of 55% Sauvignon Blanc, 35% Muscadelle and 10% Sémillon, with grapes sourced from throughout the Bordeaux region. The nose carries aromas of grapefruit, floral and a waxy/lanolin note (likely from the Sémillon). The dry palate boasts vibrant acidity with medium body and flavors of citrus, pith and a slight hint of lanolin, which persist throughout the medium+ length.

Grand Cru Grapevine: From Potatoes to Parker Points (July 2010)

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 We hope you enjoyed the holiday weekend and are having a great summer!

We continue to be busy, but have no complaints. In late June, Tracy participated in a video shoot for a segment of Wine Portfolio, an online television show that airs on CNBC. The segment focused on Wine Shopping in New York City, with stops at Sherry-Lehmann, Bottle Rocket and Chelsea Wine Vault. Host Jody Ness and the entire crew were a pleasure to work with. The episode won’t air for several months, but we’ll keep you posted when we have more details.

This month, Tracy was asked to serve as the judge for a special event celebrating Caymus’ Conundrum, which was paired with a range of take-out cuisine in search of the best match. This wine is a “proprietarily secretive blend of California white grapes”, drawing from Sauvignon Blanc, Muscat Canelli, Chardonnay and Viognier, and a combination of stainless steel and barrel fermentation that results in an unusual, but wonderful wine. 

Later this month, Tracy will present “Born in the USA: American Sparklers” at the Society of Wine Educators’ annual conference in Washington, D.C.

And, back at home, we invite you to save the date for the first HARVEST Wine Auction & Celebration of Long Island’s East End, September 24-25, 2010. Grand Cru Classes will offer its “From Mystery to Mastery” class (Saturday, September 25, 11:00 AM -1:00 PM) through the event’s Wine Salon, as part of this two-day extravaganza, which culminates in a Grand Tasting and Gala Dinner at Wolffer Vineyards.

Many of our readers are familiar with the East End and understand what there is to celebrate, but for those that are less familiar, we share some of the history and current state of affairs of the East End with you this month.  Drink wisely and well,
Tracy Ellen Kamens, Ed.D., DWS, CWE
CEO: Chief Education Officer
       and
Jared Michael Skolnick
COO: Cork Opening Officer  

 

  

From Potatoes to Parker Points
Agriculture has long been a feature of the North Fork, with the potato industry achieving prominence, along with cauliflower and other crops. But, times have changed. Today, the potato fields have given way to vineyards and vacationers. 

With the first vineyard planted in 1973 by a young, starry-eyed couple fresh out of Harvard, the first seeds (or rather vines) of the Long Island wine region were sown. That couple, Louisa and Alex Hargrave, were true pioneers, bringing vision and bravado to their newly purchased farm. Much like the early English settlers that preceded them, Alex and Louisa came to the task with limited knowledge, but unlimited passion and drive, pushing them to succeed where others were sure they would fail. Before long, they were joined in their efforts by other adventurous souls, all of whom were in love with wine. As time flew by, a fledgling wine region was born, eventually becoming an internationally recognized producer of quality wine.

The region now garners consistent coverage in the New York Times with Howard Goldberg’s bi-weekly column. Howard’s colleague, Eric Asimov, has lauded Long Island’s efforts in his own columns with increasing frequency, for both current and vintage wines. Additional publicity has been accomplished with big spreads in Wine Spectator and other glossy magazines, giving greater credibility to the region. Building on their accomplishments, the return visit of Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, long considered to be among the most influential (albeit controversial) wine publications, proved to be a boon with all wines scoring a minimum of 84 and 23 wines earning scores of 90 or above (the highest score was 92). Across the pond, Decanter magazine has recognized the region with profiles of wineries and medals awarded to Long Island wines.Today, the Long Island wine region is home to 60 vineyards and 51 wine producers (35 of which are open to the public) and has garnered repeated praise in both consumer and trade publications. Moreover, the bucolic region has retained much of its rural charm, making it a true escape from the hustle and bustle of New York City, located only two hours away.

The wineries welcome visitors to their tasting rooms, each of which has its own special atmosphere. Guests can generally taste through a flight of wines for a small fee or can often choose to buy wine by the glass to enjoy in the wonderful surroundings. Of course, wine by the bottle and case is available for sale as well. Nearly year-round, but particularly during season (Memorial Day through Thanksgiving), the wineries play host to a wide variety of activities from jazz musicians and blue grass bands to dog shows, comedy festivals and other special events.

>Learn more about the region’s wineries through the Long Island Wine Council’s website.

Tasting Notes

Brooklyn Oenology Viognier 2007, North Fork of Long Island (NY), USA, $18.00
Owner and winemaker Allie Shaper is also the new face behind the wines at Comtesse Therese. Aromas of melon and spice give way to a dry palate with ripe tropical fruit and melon notes.

Shinn Estate, Estate Coalescence 2009, North Fork of Long Island (NY), USA, $14.00
Restaurateurs turned wine producers, David Page and Barbara Shinn produce elegant wines that are extremely food-friendly. A blend of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot Blanc and Riesling, this wine has a pronounced nose with a dry palate, showing grassy notes with citrus and a hint of floral and spice.

Corey Creek Vineyards Domaines CC Rosé 2007, North Fork of Long Island (NY), USA, $18.00
Corey Creek, a sister property to Bedell Cellars, has always been known for its rosé. Bright berry aromas greet the nose;in the mouth, it is dry with fruity, fresh berries that persist on the palate.

Jason’s Vineyard Merlot 2000, North Fork of Long Island (NY), USA, $14.95
A second generation winemaker on the North Fork, Jason is the son of Dr. Damianos, owner of Pindar and Duck Walk Vineyards. At 10 years old, this wine has an aged bouquet of dried fruit and flowers. It is dry, with medium+ acidity, dried berries and cherries, spice and oak. 

Castello di Borghese, Merlot 2005, North Fork of Long Island (NY), USA, $20.00
The original Hargrave vineyard and winery was sold to Prince Marco and Princess Ann Marie Borghese in 1999 where they continue the legacy started in 1973. This wine shows notes of meat and fruit on the nose with black cherry, plum, oak and meat flavors that linger throughout the long length.