Thursday, November 25, 2010
Thanksgiving Wine Suggestions - Not One From New York!
Like many wine lovers I get e-mails from wine shops in New York City like crazy. I'm on everybody's list. So as Thanksgiving got closer the listings came in for the perfect turkey wine. I counted all the selected wines - a total of 75!!! Wines from France, Spain, Germany, South America; all the usual suspects. Sadly, there was not one New York State wine selected as a wine for the holiday! Not one! You would think the various wine councils and promoters of Long Island, the Finger Lakes, and other regions would at the very least by some newspaper space and do a little promoting - let alone radio or TV time. Come on, spend little money!
Monday, November 8, 2010
Two great New York Gewurztraminers - really great
One Woman Vineyands, Southold Long Island 2007 Gewurtztraminer $25
Wow!!! I first tasted this about a year ago at the vineyard. The nose on this is among the most floral I've never had. I thought it was a moscato at first. I was expecting a sweet wine when in fact it is bone dry and wonderful. We had this again the other night with a coq au vin chicken dish I made and it cut thru the strong taste of the food no problem. The wine has actually improved a bit in the last year and the only reason this is not a four star wine is that it was just a little short on the finish, but I suspect that may improve with age and fortunately I have a few more bottles. I'll e-visit this one in a few months. For right now;
Outstanding to Extroadinary World Class Wine
*** 1/2 three and one half stars and value priced - in fact given the quality $25 is a bit of a bargain. Spend $25 on a wine from Alsace and you will not get this quality.(I saw some for sale at Michael's in Riverhead Long Island - East Main Street (Route 25)
Treleaven Cayuga Gewurtztraminer 2008 $19
Made by King Ferry Vineyards in the Finger Lakes. We had this wine the same night as the One Woman wine- Interesting contrast - This wine had lower alcohol and was more food friendly - certainly a tamer wine compared to One Woman. With just a touch of sweetness (and I mean just a touch) the wine had an elderberry sort of taste to it and its great strength was the finish; long and lasting and subtle.
The richness was there but not overwhelming and our dining partners preferred this wine over the One Woman in terms of its food compatibility.
Overall we rated it:
Outstanding
*** three stars and at $19 well priced. Again there is nothing in comparison at that price coming out of Alsace. So far I have not seen this wine in any New York Area wine shops (I've been asking for it) - its available at the Manhattan farmer markets up by Lincoln Center and in Stuyvesant Town, and of course you can by directly on line.
Wow!!! I first tasted this about a year ago at the vineyard. The nose on this is among the most floral I've never had. I thought it was a moscato at first. I was expecting a sweet wine when in fact it is bone dry and wonderful. We had this again the other night with a coq au vin chicken dish I made and it cut thru the strong taste of the food no problem. The wine has actually improved a bit in the last year and the only reason this is not a four star wine is that it was just a little short on the finish, but I suspect that may improve with age and fortunately I have a few more bottles. I'll e-visit this one in a few months. For right now;
Outstanding to Extroadinary World Class Wine
*** 1/2 three and one half stars and value priced - in fact given the quality $25 is a bit of a bargain. Spend $25 on a wine from Alsace and you will not get this quality.(I saw some for sale at Michael's in Riverhead Long Island - East Main Street (Route 25)
Treleaven Cayuga Gewurtztraminer 2008 $19
Made by King Ferry Vineyards in the Finger Lakes. We had this wine the same night as the One Woman wine- Interesting contrast - This wine had lower alcohol and was more food friendly - certainly a tamer wine compared to One Woman. With just a touch of sweetness (and I mean just a touch) the wine had an elderberry sort of taste to it and its great strength was the finish; long and lasting and subtle.
The richness was there but not overwhelming and our dining partners preferred this wine over the One Woman in terms of its food compatibility.
Overall we rated it:
Outstanding
*** three stars and at $19 well priced. Again there is nothing in comparison at that price coming out of Alsace. So far I have not seen this wine in any New York Area wine shops (I've been asking for it) - its available at the Manhattan farmer markets up by Lincoln Center and in Stuyvesant Town, and of course you can by directly on line.
Monday, October 25, 2010
No wine in Quebec
One would think that with its French history and great restaurants wine would be readily available in Quebec's two big cities - Montreal and Quebec City. Well its apparently not unless we looked in all the wrong places. The SAQ - or state owned stores were woefully overpriced and poorly stocked - despite the five employees working the floor at the SAQ in the Hotel Fontenac in Quebec City. We found one good Seyval Blanc Quebec wine in a restaurant, Orpailleur Vineyards, but way overpriced. There was plenty of apple cider, good cider, hard cider. At the border crossing at Route 87 on the way in we stopped off at the duty free store, hoping to load up on cider. Wrong!!! For some reason cider was not for sale at the crossing; plenty of Scotch though. Great to be back in New York State with all its dumb wine laws, at least you can find good vino!!!
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Our Trip to Quebec
OK - wife and I in Montreal - nice town - got here at 4:30pm - wine shops closed at 5pm - OK
Restaurant we ate at in the Old Town - all wines are French - none even Canadian!!!
The local grocery store across the street? French wines only.
To be continued
Restaurant we ate at in the Old Town - all wines are French - none even Canadian!!!
The local grocery store across the street? French wines only.
To be continued
Friday, October 15, 2010
Why Can't Treleaven Wines Be Found At PJ Wines?
All Summer long Treleaven Wines have been sold at the Sunday Farmers Market in Stuyvesant Town on New York City's east side. I'm usually out of town on the weekends so I didn't get over to the market until after Labor Day but I am no stranger to these wines made by the King Ferry Winery on Cayuga Lake, having sampled them before. These are seriously good wines and I will be reviewing some of them soon (sneak preview -get the rieslings, they are both superb). So as I finally get to taste at the Treleaven stall a few weeks ago I strike up my usual mantra with the server (believe his name was Dick) - "why can't I find your wine or other New York wines in wine shops in Manhattan, the Mecca of wine consumers in North America?" Now as it turns out Treleaven's semi-dry riesling is available at Chambers Street Wines, that bastion of French, German, and Italian wines where there is virtually nothing from California let alone New York, and, if Chamber Street Wines carries the wine it has to be something good. But I was not surprised by the answer to my question "we're a hard sell, owners think all our wines are sweet, and we're not cheap. PJ Wines wouldn't even talk to us, they threw us out!"
PJ's huh? Well now, I know that shop well and PJ's is a major retail player in Manhattan though you wouldn't know it to see it. Tucked up on 207th Street and Broadway in Inwood at the last stop on the "A" train, it looks more like a big store for whinos, but looks are deceiving. They stock tons of vino. So, this required a trip to PJ's to inquire as to the availability of Treleaven wines. After a long ride on the subway I enter the shop, peruse the offerings, and spot only a handful of New York wines, all Finger Lakes. I spot the manager and flag him down. "Got any Treleaven? I'm looking for the rieslings."
The response, "Treleaven, never heard of it, oh wait, some New York State wine right?" I nod, and the follow up is "I have enough German wines and they don't sell well, I don't need another wine no one ever heard of." I responded by pointing out how good the wine was and at about $16 or so it wasn't that expensive given the quality. Response? "People think of Kosher wine and sweet stuff when they see New York on the bottle - I can't sell it."
That only goes to prove my point and an education effort has to be made by the various wine associations in this state to let people know times have changed and New York is on the world map. A really major serious effort and not just self serving pats on the back.
PJ's huh? Well now, I know that shop well and PJ's is a major retail player in Manhattan though you wouldn't know it to see it. Tucked up on 207th Street and Broadway in Inwood at the last stop on the "A" train, it looks more like a big store for whinos, but looks are deceiving. They stock tons of vino. So, this required a trip to PJ's to inquire as to the availability of Treleaven wines. After a long ride on the subway I enter the shop, peruse the offerings, and spot only a handful of New York wines, all Finger Lakes. I spot the manager and flag him down. "Got any Treleaven? I'm looking for the rieslings."
The response, "Treleaven, never heard of it, oh wait, some New York State wine right?" I nod, and the follow up is "I have enough German wines and they don't sell well, I don't need another wine no one ever heard of." I responded by pointing out how good the wine was and at about $16 or so it wasn't that expensive given the quality. Response? "People think of Kosher wine and sweet stuff when they see New York on the bottle - I can't sell it."
That only goes to prove my point and an education effort has to be made by the various wine associations in this state to let people know times have changed and New York is on the world map. A really major serious effort and not just self serving pats on the back.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Trader Joe and Hosmer Cayuga Lakes Dry Riesling 2009
Trader Joe's on Union Square in Manhattan is a busy store - they proudly advertise that 70 wines are available for under $8. Some are OK, most are average. As far as New York State goes, TJ is currently carrying two NY wines, the above mentioned Hosmer and 2009 Corey Creek Rose from Long Island.
Let's talk about the Hosmer. It is a well made food wine with a refreshing 11.7% alcohol level, making it crisp with nice peach undertones with that nice flinty flavor a good riesling should have. I served it with a pork tenderloin encrusted with thyme and served with cooked apples - a Rachel Ray recipe. Great pairing.
I rated the wine **1/2 stars, which puts it in between "good" and "outstanding" (I'll explain my personal rating system with the next post. ) Now there's the price - $10 at TJ's -that makes for a Price Quality Ratio of "Positive". Compare this quality to a Mosel, you would have to spend twice that for the quality of the Hosmer.
Summary
** 1/2 stars
PQR - positive
As for Trader Joe's - c'mon Joey - I know you're based in California and it seems about 60% of your wines are those overly fruity bombs Robert Parker likes. That's the best you can do for New York, only 2 wines? At this point TJ's is not New York wine friendly.
Let's talk about the Hosmer. It is a well made food wine with a refreshing 11.7% alcohol level, making it crisp with nice peach undertones with that nice flinty flavor a good riesling should have. I served it with a pork tenderloin encrusted with thyme and served with cooked apples - a Rachel Ray recipe. Great pairing.
I rated the wine **1/2 stars, which puts it in between "good" and "outstanding" (I'll explain my personal rating system with the next post. ) Now there's the price - $10 at TJ's -that makes for a Price Quality Ratio of "Positive". Compare this quality to a Mosel, you would have to spend twice that for the quality of the Hosmer.
Summary
** 1/2 stars
PQR - positive
As for Trader Joe's - c'mon Joey - I know you're based in California and it seems about 60% of your wines are those overly fruity bombs Robert Parker likes. That's the best you can do for New York, only 2 wines? At this point TJ's is not New York wine friendly.
Why Read This Blog
The purpose of this blog is to promote interest in wines made in New York State. As I live in Manhattan and second home in Westhampton Beach Long Island I am amazed by how little New York State wine is sold in area wine shops and restaurants. I plan not only to critique New York State wines but also wine stores, commenting on New York State wine availability and even chastise those who do carry the product. Everyone agrees New York State wines have improved of late, but the response I often hear is that our state wines are a hard sell, the consumer in general doesn't want them, the vineyard owners are content to sell at the vineyard cutting out the middleman, and they are too expensive. Personally I do not accept that; while some vineyard owners are indeed catering to tourists most owners want recognition, and why not? When you consider the quality of wine (the "Price Quality Ratio, or PQR") these are wines are very affordable. So let's see if this site can shake up the wine world!!!
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