Finger Lakes – Other Whites

In my previous post on the Finger Lakes I focused solely onRiesling. While Riesling is the star of the show in the region in my opinion, I enjoyed several other whites; some of which that are likewise not to be missed. As I did in the Riesling post I will review the highlights of the 25+ non-Riesling whites I tasted.  There was a bit more variability in the non-Riesling white wines and not all producers had other white wines that were as attention-worthy as the Rieslings they poured.

Singling Out Gewurztraminer

My wine drinking friends know I love an ebullient and aromatic Gewurz so I was hoping to give it as much attention as I could on the trip. I tasted it in as many places as I could, and was not disappointed.

Dr Frank 2009 Reserve Gewurztraminer – this was my favorite Gewurz on the trip. Why? Balance. The wine is semi-dry so in order for it to be enjoyable it has to have the right amount of acidity to buffer the sugar. And it does. Add the huge floral nose and you’ve got a winner! The fruit in the mouth follows through all they along the moderate to long finish, extending the enjoyment.

Rooster Hill 2010 Estate Gewurztraminer – This wine was very simply assembled. Moderate nose with some minerality, peach & bit of exotic fruits and a tart finish. Understatement can be an asset .

Red Newt 2007 Sawmill Creek Gewurztraminer – The refinement offered by this wine started with the nose. Flowers and spices rose from the glass. It smells sweet, but drinks dry. It tasted like spicy oranges.

Damiani 2009 Gewurztraminer – this was the first one I tried where I could pick up the lychee flavor that is often spoken of with Gewurz. It had a bit of spice and a nice long finish.

Hermann Wiemer 2010 Gewurztraminer – The abundant flowers in the nose and peach in the mouth made this wine a great sip. It is a bit sweet, but in balance and well worth the time.

Chardonnay Does Well Too

Before I hit ground in the region I was educated enough to know that Riesling and Gewurztraminer were going to get my attention, but I hadn’t looked deep enough to know what to expect from Chardonnay. From the few I had it is clear that the winemakers with a strong passion for making quality Rieslings are equally capable of producing a quality Chardonnay as well. There were both oaked and un-oaked styles that are worth mention.

Ravines 2008 Chardonnay – This was my favorite of the Chardonnay’s I tasted. Twenty percent of the grapes were dehydrated using the appassimento method, some amount of MLF was executed and part of it saw oak. This resulted in a nice blend of melon, peach, fig, citrus, baking spices and warm toasty oak. The body was moderate to full with a nice long finish. This wine is very elegant and enveloping.

Heron Hill Ingle Vineyard 2009 Chardonnay – this wine is un-oaked with a moderate nose. It is very clean and crisp, with flavors of tart apple, citrus. It is dry, but not bone dry so the perception of a bit of body is there.

Lamoreaux Landing 2008 Chardonnay – for an oaked Chardonnay it comes off much lighter than you might expect, but not to its detriment. The combination of spices, buttered toast, fresh herbs and the lime finish was very interesting.

Hermann Wiemer 2010 Chardonnay – this wine had the most complex palate of all the Chards I tasted. It wasn’t the best, the balance wasn’t as good, but being young I was left to wonder what it would taste like in a year. Take note of that for your next visit. Un-oaked.

Best from the Hybrid Grapes

Keuka Lake Vineyards 2010 Gently Dry Vignoles – From my experience in New England Vignoles comes medium-sweet or sweet and while the wines like that I’ve had were good, I always wondered if a dry style would perform. This one does. The nose is full of fruit and flowers, there is pineapple and orange in the mouth with a dry, citrus driven finish. You could easily mistake (not a bad thing) this wine for other aromatic wines like Riesling or Gewurztraminer. KLV was also pouring the 2010 Turkey Run Vignoles which was much more subtle on the nose, but otherwise quite similar.

Six Mile Creek 2010 Seyval Blanc – this wine was notable for because of the huge fruity nose and healthy acidity. It was crisp, focused and clean with a nice hit of citrus on the way out. Seyval shows up quite a bit in New England where I think it is done well. This wine wasn’t quite the performer as my favorite from Jewell Town in South Hampton, NH, but we weren’t in NH, were we?

Other Notable Wines

Keuka Lake Vineyards 2010 White – This is the first year for a white blend from KLV and when presented as a straightforward socializing wine at a good price, I had to mention it. Made from 2/3 Riesling and 1/3 Vignoles, there was enough complexity in both the nose and mouth for me to savor it a bit. Margot said it had a “candle scent” type nose because of how forward it was.

Dr Frank 2010 Gruner – I mention this wine because it was a surprise. I hadn’t heard much about experimentation with Gruner in the Finger Lakes and didn’t see it anywhere else I went. I picked up lime and melon in the mouth and some of that signature white pepper the style can be known for.

Red Newt 2007 Pinot Gris – This wine was vexing and pleasing all at the same time. The combination of peach and spices in the nose led to an unusual substance in the body and a spicy flavor that followed through on the finish. I need to return to this wine to study it more.

Hermann Wiemer Late Harvest Chardonnay – Using Chard for a late harvest wine isn’t the norm, so I had to try it. I found it to be restrained with an exceptional balance. At 9.8% RS it has plenty of sugar, but it also has the acidity to tame it to a manageable place. This wine is nuanced, but not aggressive. Bought some!

Rooster Hill 2009 Late Harvest Vignoles – This dessert wine really brings it home. Fig, honey and caramel in liquid form! There was something in the nose I couldn’t define and that elusiveness added to the enjoyment.

What Does it Mean?

Clearly there is a great range of white wines made in the Finger Lakes. Those winemakers who are committed to making high-quality wines are clearly adept at making them from a variety of grapes and in different styles. There is something there for everyone.

Next time I will share my thoughts on the red wines I tasted. There was great Pinot, an exceptional Merlot and several distinctive Cabernent Francs.

Cheers!

Jason

Ancient Fire Wine Tastings Are Back!

( Brian has a great eye for a shot. )

It’s been a while since we had wine tasting at our place. There weren’t any particular reasons for that, it just kind of happened. This past Saturday we gathered a crew of new and veteran Ancient Fire tasters together to enjoy some good food, good wine and great conversation.

( Smiles are always a good sign! )

There were two themes with this tasting, snacks with cheese in them and blind tasting. The blind tasting was based around a mix of commercial and homemade wines and would offer everyone the opportunity to see how many wines they could classify correctly. I was interested in how well I would recognize my own wines against similar styles from commercial producers.

( Just waiting for us to dig in! )

The wine lineup consisted of the following:

• Ancient Fire 2010 Strawberry
• Ancient Fire 2008 Riesling/Gewurztraminer Blend
• Ancient Fire 2009 Petit Verdot
• Ancient Fire 2009 Chateau du Roi (Southern Rhone style blend)
• Ancient Fire 2010 Oaked Chardonnay
• Ancient Fire 2010 South African Chenin Blanc
• Isaaks of Salem 2010 Popp Road Raspberry Mead
• Rodney Strong 2008 Chalk Hill Chardonnay
• Chateau Beauchene 2008 Cotes du Rhone
• Columbia Winery 2007 Cellmaster’s Riesling

I was excited to have Brian from A Thought For Food join us for the tasting. His interest in my Jalapeno Dessert and Chocolate Raspberry Port wines resulted in us meeting up for drinks a while back. We both enjoyed the social time and agreed it shouldn’t be the last time. Both he and Eric made the trip up from Southie to party with us, and I am pretty sure a positive impression was mutual! The rest of the tasting crew, Ed, Jim, Amy, Brian, Wayne, Meredith, Richard, Missy, Melanie and Margot have all enjoyed a number of our wines before and always approach our tastings with curiosity and excitement.

We had just enough food (it seems so often we have way too much) and an excellent diversity to enjoy with the wines.

Rosemary Cheddar Straws (I made these, and will share the recipe later in the week)

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Baked Camembert w/ Carmelized Onions & Sage

Mini Cheesecakes w/ Burgundy or Rum Orange glazes

Italian Skewers w/ 3 cheeses, tortellini, tomatoes and vinaigrette dressing

Make your own fruit skewers

The best pairing was the Chenin Blanc with the baked Camembert. That wine was a late addition after Wayne asked me about the Vouvray Margot reccomended he try. We had had it at Christmas and she loved it so much she was passing on a solid find. While not quite the same style, my South African Chenin is nice and soft with lemon flavors and just a hint of residual sugar. Up against the earthy cheese and sage affected onions, all were taken to a new level. The cheesecakes with the Strawberry wine were also a good match, but I felt the cheesecakes were too good on their own. The cheese straws were best for me with the reds, especially the Chateau du Roi. The rosemary and baked cheddar flavor weren't lost in the wine, which added a bit of spice to amp up the cheese flavor.

( Some bottles got hit harder than others. My reds poured well this time too. )

Margot bagged up the wines so that I wouldn’t know what was what. I did however know what was included so it wasn’t truly blind for me. I was able to guess 8 out of 10, with the two I swapped creating a good deal of curiosity as several others mixed up the same commercial and homemade selections. These two ended up being the Rhone blends. I thought for sure the drier, more acidic selection was my own, but it ended up being the Chateau Beauchene. Having spent the last week tasting Cotes du Rhone wines I was heartened to find that my own version was truer to those I had tasted from the source. I’d surely make that wine again because I definitely enjoy the style.

( One empty and one almost. Definitely a message! )

My strawberry wine is an easy giveaway, but my purpose for including it was to get feedback on the newest vintage which again underwent some recipe tweaking from the year before. The consensus is that I have truly nailed it and improved on it once again. Accomplishing this mission for my flagship wine is a very proud moment for me. Otherwise it was pretty much split as to how many folks could classify the wines as mine or from a commercial producer. My Riesling/Gewurztraminer Blend fooled several folks and based on the feedback should be on my “make” list for 2011.

My heavily oaked Chardonnay wasn’t a big hit, too smoky and too buttery, but when I asked how many people had drank that style in the 70’s and 80’s (we are all too young!) and explained that is was in vogue for a time, it helped with a little context. I also added that there will be some excellent summer BBQ parings, like turkey burgers and smoked turkey, most tasters agreed to revisit it and see how it goes. The Rodney Strong Chardonnay was also oaked, just not as much, and a few tasters compared it and felt that the difference was noticeable, but not extreme. I expect, and hope, my version will calm down a little bit in a few months.

( Richard was digging my Chateau du Roi and appears to be studying it. )

We had a second unfortunate experience with mead from Isaak’s of Salem. The bottle of Popp Road Raspberry poured like a champagne and after two hours of breathing it still poured the same way. There were no flavors in the mead, it was immensely dry and had some off aromas, something Margot likened to perfume or rubbing alcohol. Clearly something has gone wrong and the remedy offered in response to the first experience we had with the carbonation in the Sweet Tooth, let it decant for 30 minutes, was not successful here. I tasted this several months ago and was able to enjoy the raspberry flavor and subtle honeyed sweetness that was intended for this product. I was sad that I didn’t end up being able to share that with my friends.

As always the socialization and conversation was the most fun element to the tasting. Margot and I had the chance to share tales from France with the slideshow going on the computer. Being able to say you stood inside a building that is 1,000 years old, is pretty cool any day of the week!

Our next wine tasting on March 26th will be a fundraiser for our Relay For Life event. Margot and I will supply the food and wine as a thank you to our family and friends for supporting us. Guests are being asked to make a $20 donation, either by check or online, as admission to the tasting. I am also hoping to have folks join us on Twitter during the tasting, raising a glass in support of the fight against cancer.

I also have to thank Brian for taking several great photos (#'s 1,3,4 and 8 in this post) and applying a set of stunning effects to make the pictures look vintage. Be sure and check out his portfolio of photography at http://www.briansamuelsphotography.com/.

Cheers!

Jason

Easy Meatless Tacos

Some nights cooking a good meal just can't take a long time. When you get home from the city at 7 and back from a walk with the dog at 7:45 getting food on the table before 9 can be a challenge.

Tonight we combined a Zattarain's Low Sodium Dirty Rice Mix kit with other simple ingredients to make tasty no meat tacos.

1 box Zatarain's Low Sodium Dirty Rice Mix
1 onion
1 red sweet pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp dried mexican oregano
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp lime juice
1/2 cup shredded cheddar or mexican cheese blend
4 soft tortillas or wraps
salt & pepper
salsa, sour cream
diced green chilies

Prepare the rice according to the instructions with the following exception. When using no meat we have found reducing the water in the rice mix by 1/4 cup will ensure it isn't sticky. Slice the onion and pepper, and keep them separate. Over medium heat sauté the pepper with olive oil until just starting to brown, remove from pan. Add butter and sauté onions until well wilted and beginning to brown. Add peppers back to pan. Add chili powder, cumin and oregano and mix well. Add lime juice and mix again. Sauté for a five to 10 more minutes and season with salt and pepper before removing from the heat. Assembling the tacos is more a matter of preference. In the picture above you will see that I first placed rice on the wrap, then onion & peppers and covered that with cheese. I used a medium salsa, sour cream and some green chilies for a bit of zip. You could choose to use lettuce and tomato or a whole range of other toppings to accent the core ingredients.

I attempted a wine pairing with this dish using a 2008 off-dry Gewurztraminer/Riesling blend from my own home-made collection. The wine has definitely improved since I last sat down to evaluate it. The aromas are more pungent and some tropical flavors have come through that weren't noticeable before. The wine definitely is a little hot, something I knew from a super speedy fermentation that took me by surprise at the time, a facet that was magnified with the tacos. While the pairing wasn't a huge success it was tasty and is something I will attempt again with another wine with similar flavors and sweetness.

Cheers!

Jason