Ah, Chardonnay. So common, so versatile that almost every winemaker keeps one in her portfolio. Warm or cool climate, good ol’ Chardonnay performs. The grape offers up a clean slate on which to stamp a style – from steely naked minerality to barrel-oaked creaminess and lots of variations in between. Is that bad? I wonder […]
Of chicken wings and Chardonnay Read More »
“Look out there,” says Scott Osborn, gesturing toward his vineyards. “I bought a wind machine this year. We’re in the tasting room at Fox Run Vineyards on Seneca Lake’s west shore this late April afternoon. The temperature has topped 80 degrees – too early to switch on the air conditioning. I’m wearing a light cotton
Heat’s on, NY wine producers adapt Read More »
Turning down a gravel road toward one of the newest Finger Lakes wineries, I feast my eyes first on long and slender Seneca Lake about a mile ahead. Then I notice the stark-white building at the end of the road, close to the lake’s eastern shoreline. Here’s where I find Bruce Murray, a former newspaperman
Boundary Breaks: ‘All in on Riesling’ Read More »
Once, on a road trip between Pennsylvania and Atlanta, we veered off truck-choked Route 81 and wandered back roads into a small southwestern Virginia hamlet for a bite to eat. We found a family-style restaurant where the locals drawled in a regional dialect we found charming. I’ve long forgotten what I ordered, but I’m sure
Where to find Finger Lakes terroir Read More »
Glacially gouged Lake Seneca is a protective godmother to the vineyards ringing her shoreline. Deep as she is – 640 feet at her deepest – Seneca rarely, if ever, freezes over in winter. She spreads a blanket of warmth over the vines to temper the cold. In summer, she reflects the heat back on the
Seven on Seneca: A wine journey (long) Read More »