Behind the Wine
What’s new at the wineries?
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Money, money, money! $200,000 in state funds has been earmarked for promoting N.Y. State wines in New York City. Larry Perrine of Channing Daughters and Trent Preszler of Bedell Cellars, who represent the Long Island Wine Council on the board of the N.Y. Wine and Grape Foundation, orchestrated the push for funding and will oversee the effort as co-chairs of LIWC’s New York City marketing group.
More money! The N.Y. Department of Agriculture and Markets has awarded the L.I.Wine Council a matching grant of $40,000 in support of next year’s L.I. Winterfest “Jazz on the Vine” program, which was an outstanding success when it debuted last winter.
Pindar Damianos gave a talk on sustainable winemaking practices at Macy’s in Garden City on Earth Day this spring. He also hosted a tasting of Pindar Vineyards’ wines created with sustainable practices. The event was part of Macy’s “Turning Over a New Leaf” ecology awareness campaign.
Osprey’s Dominion has new staff, new sustainable vineyard practices and new plantings. Rob Hansult is now vineyard manager and Fred Sayed is assistant winemaker. An eco-friendly steel trellis system is being installed and they’re using bio-diesel fuel for all farming operations. The new plantings are Malbec, Tannat, Petit Verdot and Carmenere.
This past October, Jamesport Vineyards poured its wines for the Union Square Restoration Project at “Harvest in the Square” in New York City and supported a host of charities, including “Plate by Plate” and the Jamesport Fire Department’s annual 10k race.
Lieb Cellars has released a new wine in honor of Syrah, the canine friend and mascot they lost to kidney disease in May 2007. Longtime companion of general manager Gary Madden, Syrah was a celebrity around town and at the winery, greeting tasting room visitors, riding shotgun in the delivery van and keeping deer out of the vineyard. The people at Lieb Cellars honor the memory of their friend with Syrah, a very special wine produced to help fight kidney disease in dogs and cats. The winery will donate 20 percent of the proceeds from sales of the wine to the Animal Medical Center in New York City. Read Gary’s tribute to Syrah on AMC’s Web site at amcny.org/supportamc/syrah.aspx.
Tasting room news: A September 2008 opening is planned for Jason’s Vineyard’s Jamesport tasting room and winemaking facility. Clovis Point’s tasting room celebrates its first anniversary on July 28. Later this summer, Macari Vineyards plans to open a second tasting room, Macari 2, at the former Galluccio Family Wineries on Main Road in Cutchogue. Over at Sherwood House, plans are being hatched for a second tasting room, but the details are still under wraps; stay tuned. And Wine Enthusiast magazine’s May 2008 issue included Bedell Cellars and Wölffer Estate among the country’s top 25 tasting rooms.
New small producers are swelling the ranks of the Wine Council. Long Islander Lisa Donneson just launched Bouké, a new line of blends made in consultation with award-winning winemaker Gilles Martin and produced at Premium Wine Group. Now in release are 2007 vintages of Bouké White and Bouké Rosé; Bouké Red is slated for early 2009 release. The wines can be found at The Tasting Room in Peconic and Mattituck Spirit Shop. Visit boukewines.com. Gilles is also the winemaker for Sparkling Pointe, a venture started by North Fork residents Cynthia and Tom Rosicki and dedicated exclusively to making “bubbly” by traditional Champagne methods. The wines are also at The Tasting Room. (See Sparkling Pointe’s profile in this issue.) Both of these new labels debuted at Brooklyn Uncorked in May. And Michael and Paula Croteau’s Croteaux Vineyards, whose motto is “Rosé on Purpose,” has opened a weekend tasting room on South Harbor Road in Southold. Rich Olsen-Harbich of Raphael makes their wine. See croteaux.com.
The Old Field Vineyards has extended its sustainable agricultural and winemaking practices into the tasting room. Through the leadership of Perry Weiss, vineyard manager and co-winemaker, The Old Field has introduced a biodegradable, compostable tasting cup made of 100 percent corn. It’s clear, transparent, tasteless and odorless. This dramatically reduces the carbon footprint of hot water and detergents from repeated washing of tasting glasses. The cups are so popular with visitors that many are taking them home as souvenirs.
Gallagher’s Private Reserve Red, a premium private-label blend made by Palmer Vineyards, is now being served at all Gallagher’s franchises. In addition to the Manhattan flagship restaurant, where it has been poured for years, the wine will now be served at Gallagher’s restaurants in Atlantic City, Denver, Las Vegas, Newark and Tampa.
Long Island Merlot Alliance — Pellegrini, Raphael, Sherwood House, Shinn Estate and Wölffer Estate vineyards — have released a second co-produced Merlot, 2005 Merliance. Each winery contributed two barrels representing their individual styles and the winemakers worked together to produce this 100 percent Merlot. Merliance will sell for $35, 60 percent of which will help fund Merlot research, development and education in the region. See longislandmerlot.com.
At the close of 2007’s online voting, Richard Olsen-Harbich received the Local Hero Award from Edible Communities and Edible East End magazine. The Best Beverage Artisan of 2007 was chosen for his significant contributions to the local food movement. Rich, a 27-year veteran of L.I. winemaking, is the founding winemaker at Raphael and also authored the applications for the region’s three American Viticultural Areas: North Fork of Long Island; The Hamptons, Long Island; and Long Island. He’s a founding member of the Long Island Merlot Alliance, serves on the advisory board of Cornell Cooperative Extension, and is a past member of the board of the N.Y. State Wine and Grape Foundation.
May marked 20 years of winemaking achievement for Wölffer Estate, which will celebrate with the debut of winemaker Roman Roth’s Wölffer Anniversary Wine series, available in the tasting room this summer. Each label features the name of a horse in Wölffer Stables, owner Christian Wolffer’s premier equestrian facility, and an iconic horse image. Wine club members will receive a special allocation of these collectible wines, including 2003 Noblesse Oblige Sparkling Brut Rosé; 2005 Casina Barbera, Cassango Cabernet Sauvignon, Caya Cabernet Franc and Claletto Amarone-style Cabernet Sauvignon; and 2006 Descencia Botrytis Chardonnay.
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