Inside Premium Wine Group in Mattituck. (Credit: Katharine Schroeder)
The pumpkin-picking throngs have subsided. The turkey and stuffing have been eaten (a lot of it, in my case) with some really good wines and we’re squarely in Peconic Bay scallop season. It’s a good time of year — and a good time to check in on this year’s red wine grape harvest. (more…)
Bedell Vineyard (Credit: W Studios NY)
Every fall I find myself wanting to write a harvest column to share what I’ve heard from grape growers and winemakers about the grape-growing season. Often there is a lot of “spin” involved — no matter how bad the season, wineries still need to sell the resulting wine, so they don’t want to paint too dire a picture. I also think that winemakers are generally hopeful people. They have to be in a region like this one! (more…)
The grape harvest is upon us. In fact, all of the grapes intended for sparkling wine are in already. So are many of the white wine grapes. Reds will start coming in, too, but right now everyone is hoping for a string of warm, dry days to get a bit more development, a bit more ripeness.
Look for a harvest report soon. This week’s column isn’t about the grape harvest, but rather about harvest season. (more…)
A view from Koenig Vineyards in Marsing, Idaho last fall. (Credit: Linda Paul/Flickr)
There are a lot of regions in the United States that have been anointed “the next big thing.” Long Island is on that list, of course. I’ve seen it said about the Finger Lakes and northern Michigan, too. And Idaho.
Yes, Idaho. It’s not all potatoes and trout streams, after all. (more…)
Some of my favorite columnists — in wine, sports and beyond — occasionally write columns that touch on a variety of topics, quick-fire style, rather than writing about a single topic. I like those columns, but have rarely written one myself.
However, as local vineyards swell with ever-ripening fruit that is soon to be picked, I have a lot of things I want to write about. So I’m going to give it a shot this week. (more…)
A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to travel up to Watkins Glen on Seneca Lake to judge this year’s New York Wine Classic — colloquially known as the Oscars of New York wine. It was a great and eye-opening experience, and something I wasn’t sure I’d ever get the chance to do.
Bedell Cellars sparkling rosé. (Credit: Vera Chinese)
This time of year, dry rosé and crisp white wines get a fair amount of press. I find myself writing a lot about those wines, too. Long Island wineries produce some great rosé, sauvignon blanc, chenin blanc, unoaked chardonnays and even rieslings. All are well suited to summer sipping, either with food, on your patio, at the beach, by the pool or on the boat. (more…)
