Wine Country: New York - Finger Lakes Sparkling And Iced Wine

The fine folks from the Finger Lakes wine region in New York have been staging a series of virtual wine tasting events.  The wine tasters gather on Twitter - channeling the conversation through the hashtag #FLXWineVT - while Finger Lakes winemakers gather in a live UStream broadcast.  A representative from each of the wineries tasted was present on the webcast, so we got to hear a little of each winemaker’s thoughts on the wine of the moment.  We tasted and discussed the sparkling and iced wines of the Finger Lakes on October 17, 2012.

The Finger Lakes Wine Alliance provided samples of the wines to the tasters across the country for this project.  The wines we chatted about this time around were formatted in two flights.


First Flight - Sparkling Wines

Atwater Estate Vineyards Cuvée Brut 2008

On the southeastern slope of Seneca Lake, Atwater’s vineyards are about two-thirds vinifera grapes and one-third hybrids, with a smattering of native varieties.  Almost 3/4 of their inventory is white wine.  On the UStream panel, winemaker Vinny Aliperti talked about his Cuvée, which is made from 66% Pinot Noir and 33% Chardonnay.  The wine stands at 12% abv and is dry as a bone with no residual sugar.

Aliperti called 2008 a "lower brix, moderate acid" vintage, which played right into the making of this wine.  The Cuvée is made every two years, in the méthode champenoise.  The grapes are whole cluster pressed and the two varieties are co-fermented.  Aliperti noted that both grapes conveniently ripened at the same time.  He explained the méthode champenoise very well, showing the labor-intensive process and leaving no doubt as to why wine made in that way is sometimes a little pricey.  His is sold at $30.

The wine has a pale color and big bubbles which quickly retreat to the side of the glass.  A huge, aromatic nose boasts apples and citrus, with the palate quite dry and fresh.  Toasty, nutty flavors are joined by lemon peel and green apples.  They suggest a pairing with seared scallops and arugula salad with goat cheese and prosciutto.


McGregor Vineyard Blanc de Noir 2008

The vineyards of the McGregor estate are on the eastern side of Keuka Lake, 40 acres of vines that are mostly 30 years old.  McGregor’s winemaker Jeff Dencenburg uses the traditional method, too, to make his Blanc de Noir.  That designation means the wine is made entirely from Pinot Noir grapes.  He also makes a Blanc de Blanc, from Chardonnay, and a bubbly Riesling.  The wine has an alcohol content of 13% abv and retails for $30.

Owner John McGregor represented his winery on the webcast panel.   "Our climate is suited to sparkling wines," he said, hitting on how the weather plays into their early harvest, minerality and acidity.

Pale in the glass, the bubble subside almost instantly.  The nose is subdued and toasty while the palate shows pronounced earthiness and almond notes.  I’d love to have this with oysters Rockefeller.

Swedish Hill Winery Riesling Cuvée 

Winemaker Derek Wilber has 25 years experience making wine in the Finger Lakes region.  His Riesling Cuvée stands at about 12% abv and has 3.4% residual sugar.  Owner Dave Peterson explained the fastidious harvesting and sorting that goes on with his Riesling fruit, and noted that  "fresh, clean grapes make for good sparkling Riesling."  Some tasters on the Twitter feed compared the bubbly to Prosecco.

The wine is a pale yellow and very bubbly.  The medium bubbles hang around for a while, too.  The nose shows an earthy floral aspect with plenty of fruit to offer.  Big apple flavors and toasty notes accompany the generous sweetness here.  They suggest a pairing with fresh fruit and light meals, but holiday entertaining would seem to be right in this wine’s wheelhouse.

Second Flight - Iced Wines

Iced wine is the predominant style of Finger Lakes dessert wine, largely because of the cold weather that comes after traditional harvest time. There are very few late harvest wines from this area, according to the panel.  The grapes are pressed while frozen, giving a sweet and concentrated juice.  Frozen grapes make only half the juice of a regular grape harvest - that's one reason iced wines are more expensive than other types of wine

Casa Larga Vineyards and Winery Fiori Vidal Blanc Ice Wine 2008

Winemaker Mark Patterson is Canadian, so iced wine is a sacred thing to him.  This 100% Vidal Blanc effort is only 11.7% abv, but has 18.9% residual sugar.  It retails for $45.

Poured from a beautiful, slender blue bottle, the wine has a rich, golden hue, like whiskey.  Its nose smells of apricots and pineapple upside down cake. There is a sweet floral aroma underneath the fruit.  The wine is quite viscous, with a honeyed apricot flavor that is lip smackingly sweet.

Owner Steve Richards noted that the wine has won numerous awards.  He says he likes it with savory pairings, like cashews and cheese.

Lucas Vineyards Vidal Blanc Iced 2010

Located on the western side of Cayuga Lake, Lucas Vineyards was established in 1980.  That makes it the oldest winery on Cayuga Lake.  The grapes are harvested late in the season and frozen after harvesting.  Winemaker Jeff Houck - who also moderated the webcast - specializes in Riesling and Cabernet Franc.  He talked about freezing the grapes naturally or artificially.  He likes both methods, but opts for a cold storage facility for freezing his fruit.

This Vidal Blanc dessert wine carries a 10% abv number and has a beautiful golden color, like honey.  Aromas of earthy apricot are intriguing, while the palate is loaded with flavors of apricot and pineapple layered with earthy notes.  A wonderfully fresh acidity makes this a natural for pairing with desserts, and they suggest white chocolate covered peaches, dark chocolate or fresh fruit.

Knapp Winery and Vineyard Vidal Ice Wine 2010

The winery is located close to Seneca Falls, with winemaker Steve DiFrancesco and cellar master Rich Iddings working closely.  Houck commented that “when I need to know something, I call Steve.”  DiFrancesco says the Riesling grape is not as sturdy as Vidal, and that "it won't hold up on the vine" for the extended ripening needed for a dessert wine.  He does like Riesling sweeties though.

This 100% Vidal Blanc wine has a low, low alcohol content of 9.3% abv and an enormous 23% residual sugar.  The grapes were picked in the middle of December, when it was a brisk 13 degrees Fahrenheit.  The wine has a greenish-gold color, a nose of honeysuckle and citrus and flavors of oranges that really wow me.  A candy finish leaves no doubt that you’ve just been "desserted."

Standing Stone Vineyards Gewürztraminer Ice 2010

From the east side of Seneca Lake, this is one of four ice wines produced by Standing Stone.  They also make dessert wine from Chardonnay, Riesling and Vidal Blanc.  Tom Macinski watches over the vineyards, while winemaking wife Martha handles the activity in the cellar.  She said the Gewürztraminer grapes grow over a solid bed of slate, so minerality is abundant.  The grapes are picked after the leaves are off the vines, then placed in cold storage, to be pressed while frozen.

Martha said that artificial freezing cuts down on the loss of grapes to animals.  “We got tired of seeing over half our crop go to the birds and coyotes.”  She started making Gewürztraminer ice wine when she had the opposite problem.  Too large a crop and not enough tank space resulted in the decision to freeze some of the grapes and make an iced wine.  She says Vidal Blanc and Gewürztraminer both have the acidity that makes them work well in an iced style.

The sweet Gewürztraminer has a rich, golden hue and is very aromatic, with floral and spice charging forth on the nose.  An earthy palate is laced with the flavor of dark honey, candied peaches and spices.  They suggest pairing this wine with desserts featuring ginger and cinnamon, as the spices will play right into the wine's flavor profile.  The retail price of $25 makes it a great value in this style.


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Wine Country: New York - Finger Lakes Rieslings 2011

The Finger Lakes Wine Alliance is having their 2011 vintage launch.  It’s a celebratory time which sees the release of the latest vintage of Finger Lakes Rieslings while a new vintage is being brought in from the vineyards on trucks.  The people of New York are rightfully proud of their Finger Lakes Rieslings.

I was invited to participate in a virtual tasting of a group of 2011 Rieslings from the Finger Lakes region, and I jumped at the chance.  The virtual tasting event was held on September 27, 2012, and featured winemakers commenting live on UStream while those of us tasting at home kept in contact via Twitter.  One participant though his head might explode from social media overload.  He had two computers and a mobile device committed to notes, video and Twitter.  I had the UStream on iPad and Twitter contact on iPhone.  No exploding heads to report in my little office.

2011 was a warm and sunny growing season for the Finger Lakes, but late rains quickened the harvest for some growers.  It was generally thought of as a great vintage, and based on the wines I tasted, I would have to agree.  All the wines here are 100% Riesling, all with top notch acidity.  That’s a calling card of the Finger Lakes terroir.

It has come to my attention that American wine drinkers are turned off by the word “acidity.”  W. Blake Gray wrote in Palate Press:

“A 2005 Wine Opinions survey found that the descriptor with the second most negative connotation for Americans is ‘crisp or tangy with distinct acidity.’ (The worst was ‘dry and tannic.’)”  

Gray’s suggestion to wine writers is to refer instead to a wine’s “freshness” rather than “acidity,” so as not to scare anybody.

First Flight - Dry Rieslings

Ravines Wine Cellars 2011 Dry Riesling
Morten and Lisa Hallgren operate the winery on Keuka Lake and an additional tasting room on Seneca Lake.  The grapes come from two vineyards of shale stone soil, one of calcareous soil and one composed of gravel on limestone bedrock.  The grapes are whole cluster pressed and the wine carries a 12.2% abv number.  Light straw in color, its nose is light and full of minerals, peach and zest.  The palate also shows peaches and citrus.  The freshness is top-notch, as is the case with all eight Reislings I tasted.  The medium finish is zippy.

Dr. Konstantin Frank Wine Cellars 2011 Dry Riesling
The Frank winery on Keuka Lake is billed as New York's most award-winning winery since 1962.  In fact, It was Dr. Frank who started growing vinifera grapes in the Finger Lakes.  Frederick Frank oversees the operation these days, the third generation of Frank winemakers.  This Riesling comes in at 11.7% abv.  The fermentation was stopped just short of dryness.  It has a very light green tint, almost clear.  The nose is rather slight, with apples most noticeable.  An herbal aspect colors the bouquet nicely.  Lime and pear flavors join citrus zest, and that razor sharp freshness for which Dr. Frank wines are known is fully present.

Lucas Vineyards 2011 Dry Riesling
On the western side of Cayuga Lake lies Lucas Vineyards, the oldest winery on that Finger Lake.  Ruth Lucas is the winemaker for the winery she and her family founded in 1974.  They have been making their own wine since  experiencing the gut shot of seeing their grapes be made into bulk wine by others.  This wine has a light greenish tint, minerals and light fruit on the nose and a lemon-lime peel palate with a nutty flavor lurking in the background.  Its great freshness is no surprise.

Sheldrake Point Winery 2011 Dry Riesling
The Sheldrake Point Winery overlooks Cayuga Lake, but they have a location on Seneca Lake as well.  Two estate-grown Riesling clones make up this wine, which carries an 11.4% abv count.
The light golden straw color is beautiful, and so is the nose - floral notes with aromas of stone fruit. The palate shows a green aspect with peaches, citrus and a hint of guava coming through.  It's a very fresh tasting wine with a nice, tropical finish.

Second Flight - Sweeter Rieslings

Fox Run Vineyards 2011 Reserve Riesling
At 13% abv, this wine is one of the stronger efforts I've found among Finger Lakes Rieslings.  It moves away from dry, but not by too much to my taste - although the sweetness meter on the label sits squarely in the middle between dry and sweet.  The vineyards feature clay, sand and silt on shallow bedrock.  showing a straw color with a very slight green hue, the wife's nose is floral, with apricot aromas.  A fruity palate displays tropical notes, citrus and a shading of pineapple.  It's quite refreshing.

Swedish Hill Winery 2011 Riesling
As do many of the wineries of the Finger Lakes, Swedish Hill boasts three generations of New York winemaking.  In addition to Riesling, they also make Chardonnay, Vidal Blanc and Cabernet Franc, among others.  Their Riesling offers 11.1% abv in alcohol.  Light straw in color, there are plenty of minerals on the nose, with aromas of apricots,  It's medium sweet, but still refreshing.  Despite its sweetness, there's a great, gutsy minerality and a tiny bit of petrol in the mix.  Quite invigorating.

Lakewood Vineyards 2011 Riesling
Founded by the late Monty Stamp on Seneca Lake, Lakewood Vineyards experienced what they like to call "25-year overnight success."  Their Riesling carries a modest 11.4% abv number and gives a light straw hue in the glass.  The nose offers dark shading to tropical fruit - not quite petrol, but close.  The palate is bursting with tropical fruit and minerals.  It's amazingly fresh and has a terrific finish.

Knapp Winery and Vineyard Restaurant 2011 Riesling
Knapp's present owners are relative newcomers to he region, having bought the vineyard in 2000.  It was founded in 1984 on Cayuga Lake.  At 12% abv, Knapp's Riesling is the sweetest of the eight I tasted in this event.  Still, it's only medium sweet on the scale.  There are certainly some unique flavors here, more so than in any of the other seven.  A straw color leads to a nose of tangerines, while the palate kicks in some extreme earthiness that masks the sweetness. I might have thought it a North American variety if I had tasted blind.  In keeping with the Finger Lakes tradition, the wine offers a great freshness and food-friendliness.

Here in Southern California, I'm not exposed to Finger Lakes Rieslings a lot, so I really enjoy being able to participate in events like this virtual tasting.  If you live in an area where Finger Lakes Rieslings are readily available, you are a lucky one.  If you don't, try to get your hands on a few different bottles.  You'll be glad you did.


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Twitter Tasting The Finger Lakes - Red Tail Ridge Winery

Several weeks ago, a small gathering of wine writers got together on Twitter.  That’s not too unusual, considering the amount of time many of us spend there anyway.  This was, however, a special virtual event designed to celebrate the wines of New York’s Finger Lakes region, specifically the wines of Mike Schnelle and Nancy Irelan.  The husband/wife team are the winegrower and winemaker, respectively, of Red Tail Ridge Winery on Seneca Lake.

The idea was, we would each receive a shipment of wines to taste and tweet about through the magic of social media.  Some of us found that the delivery service had trouble getting the wines to us in time, but I already had a bit of experience with the Red Tail Ridge wines.  I had met Irelan at a wine tasting event in Los Angeles earlier in the year.

Red Tail Ridge, I discovered while tweeting, is the first LEED Gold certified green winery in New York state.  The steps they have taken to leave a smaller footprint has reduced the winery’s energy consumption by over 50 percent.

There were plenty participants in the Twitter tasting making comments about the orange peel they were enjoying on the RTR Dry Riesling, the pairability of the Semi-Dry Riesling and the spicy, leathery notes on the Pinot Noir.  I found the wines of Red Tail Ridge to be outstanding, and a very good indication that the Finger Lakes region is bringing a lot more than Riesling to the table.  Here are my notes on the wines kindly provided by Red Tail Ridge.

Pinot Noir Finger Lakes 2010
This estate-grown Pinot was hailed by the Twitter tasting group for its fruit and earthiness as well as its notes of leather and spice.  It is very light in color - quite a pretty violet hue - and you can see right through it in the glass.  Aromas of raspberry and cherry are framed in a beautiful earthiness.  The palate shows great fruit, with only a hint of tartness - but that mineral-laden earth shows up here, too.  That’s a real grabber for me.  I also like a wine with good acidity, which is present in this Pinot as well.  The tannins are not terribly assertive, and that’s how I like them in a Pinot.  The minerals last into the finish with a bit of citrus in the background.

Blaufränkisch Finger Lakes 2009 ($23)
It’s unusual to run across Blaufränkisch and Dornfelder grapes outside of Europe.  That’s no doubt why Red Tail Ridge makes these two wines under the Obscure Red Varietal Series banner.  The Blaufränkisch comes in a Cabernet-style bottle, while the Dornfelder is packaged in a Pinot Noir-style bottle.

The Blaufränkisch grape is quite popular in Central and Eastern Europe, but it certainly qualifies as an obscure grape in the United States.  This wine is 12% abv, and is aged in older American oak barrels.  The nose smells mainly of spiced cherries - quite aromatic, with an herbal note and a floral aspect, as well as a trace of earth and minerals.  It’s really a beautiful bouquet.  On the palate, spices are at play with cherries.  There’s a racy acidity and a forceful tannic structure giving this wine great backbone.  The medium mouthfeel and the acidity work together to make it a refreshing sip.

Dornfelder Finger Lakes ($20)
This non-vintage novelty is a blend of the winery’s 2009 and 2010 vintages.  The wine is estate grown, aged in older French oak barrels and carries a 12% abv number.  The Dornfelder grape is quite popular in Germany.  It was created in 1955 by grape breeder August Herold, but it was not made available for cultivation and use in German wine until 1979.  The vines on the Red Tail Ridge property were planted in 2007.

Aromas of cherries and blackberries mix with a green floral component, but the nose is not as spicy or aromatic as the Blaufränkisch.  Wonderful fruit shows on the palate, mainly black cherry and plum.  The acidity is nice and refreshing while the tannins are perky, but neither element is as pronounced as in the Blaufränkisch.

Semi-Dry Riesling Finger Lakes 2010 ($16)
The semi-dry is estate grown, from RTR Vineyard.  The wine is fermented in stainless steel with no malolactic fermentation and carries an alcohol content of 12% abv.  It's pale in the glass, with a nice, aromatic nose showing tons of peaches and tropical fruit.  There is also the slightest aroma of petrol.  It is full in the mouth, despite the lack of oak and malolactic.  The sweetness is there, but a tart fruit flavor follows it up and a limeade acidity carries through on the finish.  I get a hint of petrol on the finish, too.  It makes me want some Thai food, or a spicy Italian sausage to pair with it.

Dry Riesling Finger Lakes 2010 ($19)
This Riesling is also fermented in stainless steel with no malolactic fermentation.  The alcohol content is also a low 12% abv.  On the nose, this pale wine shows a bit more minerality than the semi-dry.  A beautiful slate aroma paves the way for the peaches and nectarines, with a nutty hint following.  The palate on this dry Riesling shows plenty of citrus and zesty flavors along with a wet rock minerality.  The acidity is brisk and it imparts a refreshing quality to the sip.  I'd love it with some crab, or even just mixed greens.



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Wine Country: New York Finger Lakes - Red Tail Ridge

The wines featured on the Now And Zin Wine Country series are usually shipped to me from the winery’s location.  This time, they came to me in person.

At industry wine tasting events in Southern California, I am exposed largely to California wines.  There’s a smattering of events featuring European wines and fewer from around other parts of the globe.  Hardly ever at these events do I get a chance to taste an American wine that is not produced in the western US.  A recent wine show gave me one of those rare opportunities.

Finger Lakes winemaker Nancy Irelan, owner of Red Tail Ridge Winery in upstate New York, poured her wines at the Wine Warehouse trade event on April 24, 2012 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles.

Red Tail Ridge Winery is located on the western shore of Seneca Lake, one of eleven long, narrow lakes left by glaciers.  On a map, they look as if a hand may have clawed them out of the earth, hence the name “Finger Lakes.”  The winery’s name is credited to a pair of hawks who nest close to the 32-acre vineyard.  They are the constant companions to Nancy and her husband, Mike Schnelle, as they work amongst the vines.

I have enough experience with Finger Lakes Rieslings to know that crisp acidity is their calling card, and that remains true with the Rieslings of Red Tail Ridge.  That bright, zippy acidity is at its best in the '09 Estate Dry Riesling, and the 2010 Chardonnay Sans Oak is no slouch in that department.  That steely Chardonnay also has a great fruit axpression, as does the Red Tail Ridge 2010 Semi-Sweet Riesling, Geneva-Dresden Bench.  The latter has the apricot flavors digging their way out of a massive display of earthy minerals.

The Red Tail Ridge 2009 Semi-Dry Estate Riesling is a showcase for peaches, while their ‘09 Good Karma - a Riesling/Chardonnay blend - is a source of income for the local food bank.

Their 2008 Blaufränkisch caught my attention, as I have not had the chance to experience much in the way of Finger Lakes reds.  This Austrian grape - called Lemberger in Germany - is one of the Red Tail Ridge wines in their “Obscure Red Varietal Series.”  They also make a Teroldego and a Dornfelder for that series.

The fruit for the Red Tail Ridge Blaufränkisch is from the Martini Family Vineyard.  This wine shows a gigantic expression of earth on the nose, with extreme acidity and minerals on the flinty, cherry palate.  This wine was my personal star of the entire event.  I mentioned to Irelan that there are some hip, new wine bars springing up all over Los Angeles which would kill to have something this crazy good on their wine lists.  At less than $15 per bottle, it’s a steal.

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WINE COUNTRY: NEW YORK - FINGER LAKES RIESLING

The wine industry in New York dates back to the 17th century, when Dutch immigrants planted grapes in the Hudson Valley.  Commercial production didn't begin until the 19th century.  The Hudson Valley's Brotherhood Winery is the oldest continuously operating winery in America.  They've been producing wine for some 350 years.

The real takeoff point for wine in New York came in 1951, when Ukranian viticulturist Dr. Konstantin Frank started telling anyone who would listen that New York's wine had yet to achieve greatness because they should be growing vinifera grapes, the kind grown in Europe, instead of French and American hybrids.  His argument finally found a receptive ear in Frenchman Charles Fournier, the chief at Gold Seal Vineyards.  Fournier hired Dr. Frank, Riesling was planted, and the rest is New York State wine history.  Dr. Frank has also had success with Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Gewurztraminer and even Cabernet Sauvignon, but Riesling is his calling card.

Today, Riesling is the big grape for New York's Finger Lakes region.  It grows well in the cool climate.  You'll also find Seyval Blanc growing in New York vineyards, along with American Hybrids like Catawba, Delaware, Niagara, Elvira, Ives and Isabella grapes.  French hybrids like Vidal, Cayuga and Vignoles also get some important acreage.

The Finger Lakes region is the best-known of New York's four AVAs, leading the way for the Hudson Valley, Lake Erie and Long Island AVAs.  It's also one of the largest AVAs in the country and one of the leading cool-climate regions, too.  The terrain around the three main lakes helps keep the vines safe through cold winters. 

The 2010 vintage is the product of the warmest growing season seen in the Finger Lakes region in 40 years.  It was wet, too, with the most rain since 1973.  Varied wines were produced, but there is a general tendency to lower acidity and big, expressive fruit.  Different wineries harvested at different times, resulting in plenty of variation in styles.  Most of the Rieslings produced here retail for under $20.
The Finger Lakes Wine Alliance was gracious enough to provide me - and other wine writers - with samples of six Finger Lakes Rieslings from the 2010 vintage.  Here they are:

Anthony Road Wine Company
Dry Riesling Finger Lakes 2010As with all these wines, Anthony Road's is 100% Riesling with a moderate alcohol level of 12.6% abv.  The fruit is from their Nutt Road Vineyard, block 3.  The grapes are taken from different blocks in each vintage.  There’s a “dryness meter” on the label, and the pointer points to “dry."

The nose and palate have a robust minerality, something that seems to be a hallmark of Finger Lakes Riesling, at least as far as I found from these six examples.  Fruit aromas here fight to get through, and a scent of melon peeks out from behind the rocks.  The palate is also laden with wet rocks and a nice lemon zest flavor appears alongside very good acidity.

Dr. Frank's Vinifera Wine Cellars
Dry Riesling 2010Dr. Frank got the Riesling ball rolling in the 1950s and his son Willy carries on the winemaking tradition.  Again 100% Riesling, this wine has a 12.2% abv alcohol number.

The wine is quite pale in color and has a stong minerality, but that is abetted by a huge fruit expression.  The nose shows what the winery calls "Keuka Lake minerality" and an intense pear and pineapple juice profile.  The palate is dominated by that slate minerality.  Some citrus component accompanies it, with orange or tangerine on the finish.  It's quite refreshing with an acidity which, while adequate, does not make itself the focal point.

Fox Run Vineyards
Dry Riesling 2010Fox Run's grapes are grown in the glacial Seneca Lake soil with broken slate and sandy loam.  Another 100% Riesling, winemaker Peter Bell utilizes fruit from Fox Run Vineyard Block 1.  The alcohol level is a low 11.5% abv.

It's a lovely, pale, golden color in the glass and shows those slate minerals on the nose, along with citrus and an ever-so-slight hint of honey.  The taste is full of Meyer lemon and big minerals, and there is an extremely nice acidity.

Ravines Wine Cellars
Dry Riesling 2010
The Riesling for Ravines dry effort is taken from three different vineyards: 16 Falls (70%), Argetsinger (25%) and Hobbit Hollow (5%).  16 Falls and Hobbit Hollow feature shale limestone soil, while Argetsinger is gravel on limestone bedrock.

These grapes from the east side of Keuka Lake are whole cluster pressed, and the finished product shows an alcohol level of 12.5% abv.

The Ravines Riesling pours up pale golden in the glass.  It's not a surprise by now, but minerals abound on the nose.  Fruit does make a good play here, though, mainly lime and honeydew.  On the nose, lime notes and a minerality even stronger than on the nose make an appearance.  Citrus zest on the finish mates with a very good acidity.

Red Newt Cellars
"Circle" Riesling 2010
Red Newt’s “Circle” Riesling has the pointer on the label’s “sweetness scale” pointing to medium-sweet.  Winemaker David Whiting uses grapes from the southeastern shore of Seneca Lake to produce a Riesling which carries an 11.5% abv number and has a residual sweetness of 3.4%, several points higher than the previous offerings we’ve tasted.  The '09 vintage was a double gold medal winner, and the ‘10 vintage is the result of a warmer than usual growing season.  The winery says you can expect extra notes of baked fruit.

The pale wine has a beautiful nose of honeysuckle and oranges, with the minerality not as prominent as in the four tasted so far.  Peaches and a light citrus spray decorate the palate, with the finish delivering a lengthy show of grapefruit.  Not really a full-blown sweet wine, I’d call it off-dry.  The acidity is nearly bracing, too, so it’s a food-friendly quaff.

Wagner Vineyards
Riesling Semi Dry 2010
The Wagner family has four generations of winemaking behind them on the eastern slopes of Seneca Lake in Lodi, New York.  I’m a big fan of wines from Lodi, California, so my hopes are high that more than the name will be similar.

The sweetness meter on the back label has the pointer right in the middle.  The grapes come from the Wagner’s estate vineyard.  Three lots of fruit are independently vinified, then blended together.

A little yellower than Red Newt, but still fairly pale, this Riesling smells of apricots in a big way.  There’s a slight minerality on the nose, but fruit is the big thing.  The palate shows a nice lemon/lime/orange display of citrus and a hint of tropical fruit on the finish.  The acidity is right on the money.　
　
Find out more about the Finger Lakes wine region atFingerLakesWineCountry.com and FingerLakesWineAlliance.com.


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CASCATA WINERY CASCADE RIESLING 2007

The saga of the Now And Zin trip to northeastern Pennsylvania continues today, back at my brother-in-law's house in Kingston, PA.  Denise and I sat with Steven on the porch in wicker chairs and let some relaxation creep into our collective consciousness.  Robin had the brilliant idea of helping it along, and she produced a bottle of wine they had procured on a visit to the Finger Lakes region of New York.  Despite Mrs. Now And Zin's weak protest - "What, drinking again?" - the other three of us outvoted her.  Besides, wine tasting is what I do. Even on my time off, it's work, work, work.

The Cascade Riesling which Robin brought to the porch hailed from Cascata Winery, a boutique winery/art gallery/bed & breakfast in Watkins Glen, NY, near Seneca Lake.  Robin told me the winery's tasting room is housed in a 19th century home on a beautiful estate.  From the Cascata website: "Our wines include examples of dry and semi-dry Vinifera, dry and semi-dry French-American hybrids, and sweet Labrusca."  The Cascade Riesling is one of the winery's semi-dry white wines.  It's a double gold medal winner from a competition somewhere, if that sort of thing intrigues you.

The wine sits quite pale in the glass, almost colorless.  The nose shows plenty of citrus notes with a hint of apricot.  On the palate, lemon peel plays against a backdrop of minerals and a faint sense of petrol comes through.  It's quite an appealing wine, with enough acidity to welcome food pairing.  It's also nice to sip, just sitting on the porch in a wicker chair.