By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor As I've mentioned before, I was first introduced to Atwater Estate Vineyards wines in the Roanoke Vineyards tasting room here on the North Fork. That was when I found myself seriously interested in pursuing Finger...

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor When Rich Olsen-Harbich left Raphael to take his creativity and native-yeast fermentations to Bedell Cellars, there was no doubt that the wines there would change. At the mid-way point of his first harvest at Bedell,...

By Evan Dawson, Managing Editor One day of rain can't ruin a year-long growing party, right? Despite the stellar conditions that have run from March to the fall, last Thursday's rains (up to four inches in parts of the Finger...

This is what our editors and contributors were drinking last week.... Bryan Calandrelli: Creekside Estate Winery Sauvignon Blanc 2008, Ontario When I think of Niagara -- Ontario or New York -- whites usually its chardonnay and riesling that come to...

By Evan Dawson, Managing Editor For our next guest commentary in this series, we wanted to turn to the retail side of wine. Daniel Posner is very well known in the world of high-end wine and online wine discussion. He's...

By Evan Dawson, Managing Editor Photo: Owners Fred and Maressa Merwarth work the sorting line on the last pass of gewurztraminer Don't pick everything at the same time. It's a simple enough idea, and the reasoning is clear: By picking...

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor A month ago, Hurricane Earl threatened East End vineyards with its high winds and rain -- only to pass off to the east and have little impact on developing grapes. Now, an un-named line of...

By Lenn Thompson The NYCR's Niagara USA contingent -- regional editor Bryan Calandrelli and beer editor Julia Burke -- talk a lot about their home region's pinot noir, and with good reason. I've only had a few, but at least...

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor Harvest East End, last weekend's two-day celebration of Long Island wines and foods organized to raise money for East End Hospice and the Peconic Land Trust, was an absolute success by any measure. Congratulations are...

By Evan Dawson, Managing Editor Photo by Morgan Dawson Photography If there is a more loaded, more controversial, more debated word in the world of wine than "terroir," I don't know what it is. Well, perhaps you could argue that...

Corinne and Mike Oleksyn, owners of Kings Garden Vineyards, report that they've picked the chardonnay and pinot noir from their estate vineyards. Both grapes were harvested on September 18, with the chardonnay coming in at 2.5-3 tons per acre, 22...

By Julia Burke, Beer Editor More fall seasonals are trickling into my local shops, so the search for the best examples continued this week with another opposite-ends-of-the-state comparison: Blue Point Oktoberfest and Southern Tier Harvest Special Ale. I?d heard raves...

By Aaron Estes, Cheese Editor I was not familiar with Byebrook Farms or its location, Bloomville, NY (in Delaware County) prior to this past weekend. However, after tasting one of their cheeses, I would like to learn more about it....

By Lenn Thompson Over the last two weeks, Shinn Estate Vineyards has done something that no one else has on Long Island -- harvest their first 100% organically grown grapes -- their first year working towards organic certification. Pictured at...

By Lenn Thompson Back in July when I wrote about a 10-year riesling vertical tasting I attended at Peconic Bay Winery, I described riesling on Long Island as "a bit player, a character actor that will never take center stage...

By Lenn Thompson Every wine has a story behind it. All too often, those narratives are joyless and dispiriting ones filled with nefarious characters, corner-cutting, over-manipulation and mass-production. Then there are the tales of incredibly meticulous artisans, their dedication and...

Visitors to Long Island's North Fork have been driving right by the McCall family's Corchaug Estate for years -- without even knowing it. Located directly across the road from Pellegrini Vineyards in Cutchogue, the 21-acre vineyard is planted with 11...

Photo courtesy of Dave Falchek By Evan Dawson, Managing Editor "Who decided that the purpose of wine competitions was to deliver valuable information to consumers? Other than Tasters Guild, I cannot think of any." -Chris Cook, Michigan Wine Competition Superintendent,...

By Julia Burke Fall is in the air in a big way here in western New York, and as far as I?m concerned, fall is beer season. Oktoberfests, pumpkin ales, harvest ales, bocks?the styles brewed during this time of year...

Jake Perdie reports that Jamesport Vineyards harvested 4 tons of pinot noir from owner Ron Goerler's "Early Rising Farm" on Cox Lane yesterday morning. Those vines are 22 years old and the fruit came in at 24.5 brix with TA...

By Tom Mansell We now come to some of the most famous and well-known preparations in biodynamics, the field sprays. Cow manure or silica fermented in the ground in cow horns is practically the very symbol of biodynamics. These preparations...

By Evan Dawson Winemakers love to tell you that wine is made in the vineyard. Sometimes it's schlock. Sometimes it's humility. Often it's true. But in vintages like 2009, when the vineyard has been challenged, wine is also made in...

By Lenn Thompson You just can't discuss Long Island sauvignon blanc without a mention of Macari Vineyards in Mattituck. For years they've put out consistently good renditions. In recent years, they've added a second sauvignon with subtle oak influence, but...

This is what our editors and contributors were drinking last week... Lenn Thompson: Persimmon Creek Vineyards 2008 Cabernet Franc (Georgia) Anyone who knows me -- or at least my wine tastes -- knows that I'll at least try cabernet franc...

Photo courtesy of Michael Croteau Michael Croteau, co-owner of Croteaux Vineyards, Long Island's only rose-only winery, picked sauvignon blanc last week. Yes... sauvignon blanc for a rose producer. He reports via email that: "We picked Sauvignon Blanc on Sept 8th....

By Lenn Thompson With a handful of local winemakers changing addresses this summer, Long Island wine lovers are left to wonder how the changes will play out in their favorite wines. Rich Olsen-Harbich has made some of the North Fork's...

Paul Deninno of BashaKill Vineyards sent an email this morning reporting that: "We pulled 4000 lbs. of Cayuga on Monday off 200 vines! This is going to be our Estate White Tail. It is 100% organically grown and I'm thinking...

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor Today's harvest update is a little bit different, but comes from long-time NYCR reader and former contributor Rich Olsen-Harbich, now the winemaker at Bedell Cellars: "With the 2010 vintage -- the 30th anniversary of Bedell...

There are still a few days left to purchase your tickets to the NYCR's Angelman Syndrome benefit at Roanoke Vineyards this Sunday at 1 p.m. And, to help entice those of you on the fence (and prepare those of you...

By Lenn Thompson For the most part, New York wineries have been slow to full adopt blogging and social media as a way to reach their customers and the press. More are dipping their toes in the pool every day,...

This is what our editors and contributors were drinking last week.... David Flaherty: Sorachi Ace, Brooklyn Brewery Brooklyn Brewery Brewmaster, Garrett Oliver, is a mad man. He could easily rest on his laurels with all the great beers he's produced,...