by Dean Morretta
Estate-bottled. Terroir. In the wine world these have long been terms that evoke respect for certain bottles and fetch higher prices. It’s significantly less typical to see an estate bottled spirit, where all the variables of production occur in the same location... until recently! Thanks to the reemergence of the farm distillery, gazing out from the distillery tasting room on a field of grains is now a more common experience for the spirits lover.The movement goes by many names: grain to bottle, farm to glass, field to bottle. Whichever the term, distilleries are now embracing farming and producing real land-based products.Every bottle starts at the beginning: the base ingredient. If you are a distiller in the United States or a famous whiskey producing country like Scotland and I...
by Dean Morretta
A field in upstate New York is waiting to release a prize. Six shipping containers sit on grass, bearing the weight of the entirety of Taconic Distillery’s barrels. They contain Bourbons and Ryes that have aged slowly and exposed to the volatile New York seasons. What will soon be released is guaranteed to taste great, but these containers can't even begin to hold what Taconic Distillery has planned for the future...I walked through that field on a ferociously windy day with Matt Frohman, avid outdoorsman, former Westchester County science teacher, and one of Taconic's passionate team members. In all directions we viewed the rollings hills that are home to Taconic Distillery in Stanfordville, NY. Founder Paul Coughlin purchased the 113 acres, formerly devoted to beef and corn, in 20...
by Jim Curtis
Have you come by the Heritage Oak Winery in Lodi, California lately? Well if you haven’t, and you can, you should. Following the warmth of February and the rains of March, the beautiful grounds surrounding the winery are awaking from their winter slumber, shouting out “SPRINGTIME IS HERE, SPRINGTIME IS HERE!” The mulberry trees on the patio are all leafing out, pushing out a delicate green and creating the wonderful shade over the patio area. Under and around the trees are violets with their delicate light purple flowers that lie as a colorful carpet around the paved areas. And the roses and the agapanthus were all pruned back during the dreary winter days and now are pushing out new growth that will bring us colorful flowers in the blink of an eye. The venerable old fig tree...
by Susanna Gaertner
Egg-based dishes present a problem from a wine-pairing standpoint; Rieslings, even dry ones, are too citrus-forward and acid-edged, and any other white will overpower the delicate fluffy-flavored egg-cheese balance. So I’m happy to say that I’ve found a wine that works: Grenache Blanc to the rescue!While it is now the fourth or fifth most planted white variety in France, Grenache Blanc is still relatively unknown in this country, and then only as one of the Rhône white components: rousanne, clairette, bourboulenc, and viognier. But the California climate of hot days and cool nights seems to be perfect for the varietal and encourages its two prime qualities: richness with crisp acids. And that is exactly what is needed for quiches and savory cheese pies.Winemaker Jeff Emery of Santa Cr...
by Liz Bates
Who would have thought that in 1971 it was both creative ingenuity and a bit of reverse psychology that inspired Alice Waters to open her tiny unknown restaurant, Chez Panisse, in Berkeley, California. Through her open-heartedness in feeding for free her closest friends because she simply loved to cook and dreamed of having a place to nourish them, an empire and national movement was born. Little did she know that in feeding those she cherished and possessing the dream to “build it and they will come” mentality, would actually work out so brilliantly. And gather together to dine they all certainly did - who in their right mind would’ve missed a meal at Alice’s table even back then? She had a hunch that one day all her friends (and their friends) would not only come to gather aro...
by Jess Andrenelli
Many people do not associate Vietnamese food with wine but think again. First what makes Vietnamese food special? It's those fragrant elements which play an important role in just about every dish in the Vietnamese cuisine canon. Each dish could really have its own bottled fragrance. L'eau de Pho would be redolent of mint, cilantro, lemongrass, garlic, star anise, and ginger, with long-simmered beef bones, tear-inducing chilies, and the essential drops of fish sauce. If you are thinking of Vietnamese food for dinner be adventurous and order at least half a dozen different dishes and share with friends over a selection of wine. Now what would be the perfect wine to pair with these fragrant dishes? The range of flavors from spicy to sweet, to salty then sour variations within each bite can m...
by Dean Morretta
You are sipping dry Riesling in the summer sun, perched high on the inclined shore of Seneca Lake, on a winery porch cooled by lake breezes. Hard to imagine 22,000 years ago you’d be covered by a mile of glacier ice!New York State is home to the only prominent American wine regions to be gripped by glacial tentacles in the last major ice age. The Finger Lakes and Long Island American Viticultural Areas can forever thank the large ice sheet that once covered North America. What was 'left behind’ makes for a magic formula: unique geologies plus ideal climates equal world class wines.The Final Icy AdvanceWith 70 degree days this winter it’s difficult to picture a New York ice age. Yet, a massive swath called the Laurentine Ice Sheet covered millions of North American square miles st...
by Ron Kapon
Le Verre de Vin technology was developed in the early 1990’s by a team of engineers and wine professionals in the UK and is now in use by more than 45,000 wines-by-the-glass programs around the world. While at the International Restaurant & Food Service Show of New York at the Jacob Javits Center I watched as Richard Hewitt, the President of Bermar America and the distributor of the unit in the US, explained and demonstrated its use to a captivated audience. His clipped British accent and common sense language drew me to the M.Tucker booth.Le Verre de Vin is a wine preservation system that effectively preserves an unlimited number of still, sparkling and fortified wines. Each use of the system takes two to five seconds (depending upon the amount of wine remaining) during which time a pre...
by Eve Hunt
Looking for alcohols, wines and champagnes are two of the most popular beverage that you will find in every bar, restaurant or any party hub in NYC. When it comes to wine, this aromatic and bubbly drink came into existence centuries ago. The production of wines started in 6000 BC with a process known as fermentation. With different types of grapes, several categories of wines were introduced to mankind. This is when one of your favorites - red wines, saw the light of the day. LET’S HAVE A LOOK AT ITS BENEFITS:-Lowers the chances of heart diseases. It has tannis and procyanidins that protect you against heart diseases thus prolonging your life. It helps in hardening your enamel and prevents the tooth decay. Apart from this, it also contains polyphenols to decrease the gum infections.This ...
by Dame Liz Palmer
The 13th Edition of Anteprima Amarone was held in Verona on January 30 and 31st when 74 producers revealed their wines from the 2012 harvest to international press, industry insiders and general public.This preview was promoted by the Consortium of Valpolicella and was held at the beautiful historical Palazzo della Gran Guardia, Verona.In addition to tasting, the program included a conference on opening day, moderated by journalist Andrea Scanzi who, together with Christian Marchesini, President of the Consorzio Valpolicella, discussed the Consortium. There was also a technical presentation of the vintage curated by Dr. Diego Tommasi of Cra di Conegliano, along with the performance of the denomination on foreign markets was presented by Denis Pantini of Nomisma Observatory.Christian March...
