Favorites of 2011... Quick Reviw: Baiting Hollow

This week, we are recapping some of your favorite articles from the year...

While classic Old World Champagne is a favorite topic, Baiting Hallow from Long Island is another sought after review.

Best of 2011... Favorite Wines

This week, we are recapping some of our favorite things from the year...

We had the opportunity to try a lot of excellent wine this year, but there are some that really stood out.

It’s tough to pick just one, but we really came to love Cabernet Francs this year.
They made for some superbly sippable reds, both from New York and Virginia.

While we had some really excellent 2010 Rieslings from the Finger Lakes, it was a Chardonnay from California that really stood out, and reminded us that Chardonnay can be wonderfully deep and complex.

For sparkling wine, the Champagne from Perrier-Jouet was by far the best, and really, it was the most outstanding wine we had all year. But the Moscato d’Asti was an exceptional value, if you have to pay for the bottle yourself.

QUICK REVIEW: Baiting Hollow Farm Vineyard

Baiting Hollow Farm Vineyard, Long Island, NY

Photo courtesy of www.baitinghollowfarmvineyard.com

Cabernet Franc Rosé 2008
/ // Earthy // Strawberry // Watermelon, Grass, Tannins // Medium

Merlot Rosé 2009
++ // Sweet (lush) // Petrol // Raspberry // Medium

Savannah Rosé 2010
+ // Sweet, Fruity // Berry // Strawberry, Jam // Heavy

Chardonnay 2009
+ // Crisp // Floral, Butter // Green Apple, Spice, Butter // Light

Mirage
+ // Spicy // Spice, Oak // Pepper, Cherry, Berry // Full

Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
++ // Fruity // Oak, Grass // Blackberries, Pepper, Jam // Medium

Long Island Wine Tour

We signed up for a Long Island Winery tour through a RueLaLa.com coupon. Waiting in line on a NYC sidewalk at 8:30 on a Saturday morning, sucking down the exhaust of a megabus (it wasn’t even our bus!), low on caffeine and worried that the sprawling mass of people under the awning of Tokyo Restaurant would prevent our getting a seat together. . . more than a few times we doubted our decision to sign up. As soon as our bus arrived, the horde surged toward its door, desperate to secure seats after having realized we could not all fit onto the one bus.Thankfully, another bus soon arrived. The driver took names and directed people to either board or move to the other bus. Eventually, we made it to our seats. Our tickets promised breakfast and entertainment: this was fulfilled through tasty (we were starved), but cold, egg sandwiches that were found “hiding” in bags at the back of the bus, and a DVD of Captain America. No coffee. After quite a long period of boarding, with a lurch, our convoy was off. It was almost an hour late.