Quick Review: Wilhelmus Estate Chambourcin

US, New York, Finger Lakes, Wilhelmus Estate, Chambourcin, 2008 
+ // Fruity // Plum, oak // Red plum, oak, tannin // Medium

Chambourcin is a "hybrid grape" which has only been available since the 60s. It's particularly resistant to fungal disease and works well in cool climates.  

Quick Review... Wilhelmus Corot Noir

US, New York, Finger Lakes, Wilhelmus Estate, Corot Noir, 2008
+ // Spicy // Pepper, petrol // Cherry, pepper, dark chocolate // Full
Tasted almost like Black forest cake.

Quick Review: Wilhemus Estate Semi-Dry Rielsing

US, New York, Finger Lakes, Wilhelmus Estate, Semi-dry Riesling (late harvest), 2008
+ // Earthy // Cloves //Pepper, clove, grass // Medium

Wine on Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving, Nate and I will be sharing a bottle of white wine with our turkey and fixins. We'll decide between the Cayuga White from Wilhelmus Estate Winery or the 2010 Dry Riesling from Dr. Konstantin Frank when dinner is ready.

How did we come up with these two, you ask?  Well, both the Cayuga grape and the Dry Riesling are acidic. Acidic wines (also described as "tart" and "crisp") work well with fatty foods. And, fixins are traditionally fatty. The acid serves to rinse away that fattiness. Ironically, the one thing the white wine probably won't go well with is the white meat from the turkey (Tina's preference), but it should go very well with the dark meat (Nate's). No matter, it all ends up in the same place, anyway.

So, today, think acidic if you are planning on a white wine. Think very light if you are going with a red.

And, Happy Thanksgiving, all!

QUICK REVIEW

US, New York, Finger Lakes, Wilhelmus Estate, Traminette F-R, 2007
+ // Fruity // Grape, floral // Grape, some spice // Light

For more information, read Tina's article on the Traminette grape, published in Palate Press!

QUICK REVIEW

US, New York, Finger Lakes, Wilhelmus Estate, Noiret, 2009
+ // Spicy // Pepper // Black pepper, green pepper, oak, dark berry // Full

The Noiret grape is one of three new grapes released by Cornell in 2006. This grape produces a spicy/peppery red wine.

Best of the Finger Lakes (Day 1)

Today, instead of our usual "quick review," we wanted to share the top five wines sampled on day 1 of our August 2011 trip to the Finger Lakes. Wines that received a ++ rating were included. 

US, New York, Finger Lakes, Wilhelmus Estate, Razzle NV 

++ // Fruity // Raspberry // Ripened raspberry, minerality // Medium

Reminiscent of Sauternes, will make an excellent sipping wine. The heavier notes balance the sweetness - it's not as sickly sweet as you'd expect for a dessert wine.

Wilhelmus Estate "Razzle"

US, New York, Finger Lakes, Dr. Konstantin Frank, Riesling, Chateau Frank Celebre NV
++ // Sweet // Citrus, leather // sweet green apple, pineapple // Full
A surprising find, a sparkling Riesling made in the champagne style.

Chateau Frank's "Celebre"

US, New York, Finger Lakes, Dr. Konstantin Frank, Muscat Ottonel, 2010
++ // Sweet // floral, honey, vanilla // honey(start), mineral(finish) // light
A complex wine, with nearly equal notes of crispness and spice.

Dr. Frank's 2010 Muscat Ottonel

US, New York, Finger Lakes, Dr. Konstantin Frank, Dry Riesling, 2010
++ // Crisp // Apple, vanilla, mineral // Lemon, Green Apple // Medium
As was expected, this is an amazing a vintage. The long growing season mellowed the usual citrus crispness of the Riesling grape, with hints of sweet fruit.

Dr. Frank's 2010 Dry Riesling

US, New York, Finger Lakes, Hunt Country Vineyards, Vidal Blanc, Ice Wine, 2007
++ // Fruity // Honey // Fresh apricot, Peach pie // Full
A speciality of the region, made in the true ice wine style. 26% residual sugar. Paired with a Cherry Apricot White Chocolate, it almost entirely overpowered the dessert.

Hunt Country Vidal Blanc Ice Wine

Check back Thursday to see the Best of the Finger Lakes, Day 2.

We *Heart* the Finger Lakes

Nearly two years ago, we got married among the falling leaves of Lake Seneca in the Finger Lakes region of New York. The area has become a hot spot for us: we've spent numerous trips there, enjoying time away from the hustle and bustle of NYC. It's a great place to get away, take the time to enjoy the slow drive between wineries and the views from the hills overlooking the lakes,

the historic towns,

and farms. 

We love the small wineries of the region, small producers close to the land. While the wineries don't have the age and history of the Californian producers, there are opportunities for these small wineries to really focus on their craftsmanship and highlight some very different styles of wine. And of course, since the region is lesser known, the costs of everything from the wines, to the accommodations, to the tastings themselves are a great value, especially compared to Napa and Sonoma Counties. We look forward to something new every trip we take up there.

This trip, we let the wind take us where it may to help us select the wineries. We had just a couple of days in the area, so we looked over the map of the Finger Lakes wine trail and tried to pick a range of places. We had to visit Belhurst, to relive our wedding day, and, given the expectations of the 2010 Rieslings, we knew we had to visit Dr. Konstantin Frank's, but otherwise we just picked a path, and selected places to visit as we travelled. In all we visited nine wineries:

• Dr. Frank’s Vinefera Wine Cellar {http://www.drfrankwines.com/}
• Wilhelmus Estate Winery {http://www.wilhelmusestate.com/}
• Hunt Country Vineyard {http://www.huntwines.com/}
• Belhurst Winery {http://www.belhurst.com/winery-at-belhurst.html}
• Silver Springs Winery {http://www.silverspringswinery.com/}
• Red Newt Cellars {http://rednewt.com/ww2/}
• Leidenfrost Vineyard {http://www.leidenfrostwine.com/}
• Thirsty Owl Wine Company {http://www.thirstyowl.com/}
• Swedish Hill Winery {http://www.swedishhill.com/}

This entire week we're writing about our recent trip to the Finger Lakes. Check back for more!