January 15, 2008

Finger Lakes Harvest 2007:
Excellent for Reds, Hopeful for Whites

By Finger Lakes Correspondent Jason Feulner

"The intense flavors just burst in your mouth," explains Phil Davis of Damiani Wine Cellars, describing the qualities of the red vinifera grapes he harvested and tasted in the fall of 2007. "The juice is dark and complex and shows a lot of potential."

Davis is one of many Finger Lakes winemakers who are extolling the virtues of the 2007 harvest, which they claim may lead to one of the best Finger Lakes vintages in many years. The weather certainly was unique. A dry spring led to a very dry summer; the growing season extended far into September and even into October with several 80 degree days arriving after Columbus Day.

"The weather speaks for itself," Steve Shaw of Shaw Vineyard states succinctly. "This harvest exceeds 2005 and is probably better than 1981 for the development of varietal character."

Many Finger Lakes wineries struggle to register more than 19 or 20 Brix in their red varieties any given year. This year, Shaw was able to record 23 Brix for his merlot crop, 24.2 for cabernet franc, and 24.7 for cabernet sauvignon. "I would have waited and gotten even higher Brix," Shaw jokes, "but the migrating birds saw the potential and were eating my grapes like crazy."

Despite the obvious benefits the hot, dry weather added to the red crop, white grapes -- including the esteeemed riesling variety -- may not fair as well or as evenly. While the Finger Lakes terrior often adds a nice acidic backbone to its rieslings, the hot weather sapped many clusters of their acidic character. For some wineries, acid will have to be added to the riesling batches post harvest to help balance the flavors of the grapes.

Both Davis and Shaw are life-long grape growers who have turned to winemaking only in recent years. They point to low yields as the secret to surviving problems with drought, low acidity and even sour rot. "I kept my yields as low as possible," says Davis. "Those who tried to exceed four tons an acre probably had more problems."

Another winemaker who did not want to be identified was even more direct: "This vintage will vary in quality depending on the skills of the winemaker and vineyard manager and how they evaluated the yields and other conditions on their site. Some rieslings will be excellent, while others will be a disaster. It's that type of year."

Ironically, 2007 may be a great year for red varieties, for which the Finger Lakes are not well known, and an uneven year for riesling and other whites, for which the Finger Lakes are highly recognized. Only time will tell, but as the wines begin to develop in barrel and in tank a consensus may soon develop over the 2007 vintage and what its hot, dry weather has wrought.

If critics and consumers respond favorably to Finger Lakes reds and find uneveness in the whites, it will be a strange vintage indeed.

A special thanks to Blogger Lenn Thompson for this blog, for more of Lenn's Blogs, visit www.lenndevours.com

Amberg Wine Cellars
When Searching the Finger lakes region for wineries to visit, you must stop at Amberg Wine Cellars. It is flagged with a giant barrel on the roadside of Rtes. 5 & 20 between Canandaigua and Geneva. This chateau style building is decorated with very real and fruitful grape vines. Once you have stepped on the front porch and smelled the grapes you know you are in wine country. Once inside you are greeted by some of the most friendly and customer oriented people you may ever meet. Walk the store as you make your way to the bar for a real treat of tastes. At the bar you'll find that the Amberg's have an extensive and diverse selection of wines. Many of the wines are newer varieties or blended with newer varieties. This family owned winery also runs a Grafted Grapevine Nursery. This is a place where novices and professionals alike may order young grafted grapevines for planting in their own backyard or in a many acered vineyard. So first let me list the wines you will recognize world round; Reds-Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon;Whites- Chardonnay & Riesling. Now let me list the newer varieties. Reds- Chambourcin( This has been around along time and is a great blending tool) A great dry red bursting with Bing cherry flavors and a smooth finish. Corot Noir- A red that grows well in this region and resembles the flavors of the Cabernet Franc. Their most recent Red is a red sure to please many: Marquette- A grape that has the ability to resist damage in the winter months at 20-30 below zero, this wonderful wine Closely resembles the Shiraz. Simply wonderful.The ambergs also have three premium blends.(Liberty, Claret, Red Baron) Each of which is crafted with customers in mind. ( all barrel aged wines are not heavily oaked and finish very nicely). Whites- Bianca: A Hungarian grape grown right here with a very crisp and citrusy character similar to a Sauv Blanc). Traminette: Now widely known the Traminette has grown very popular with visitors and locals. They offer a Semi-dry and a Semi- Sweet. Crafted to perfection, These wines truly show off the Gewurztraminer Characteristics on a more suttle level. Simply enjoyable. Mandolin- A late harvest Siegfried, crafted in the style of an ice wine with less sugar residual and lighter.White Blends- Point Blanco(Riesling/Bianca), Pearl(Riesling/Traminette), Pegasus(Riesling/Valvin Muscat).Their are still more new varieties to come and some used that are not named yet. Be some of the first to try these newer varieties throughout the Finger Lakes so when these grapes/wines become household names you can say you were there when they first started producing them. Cheers!

Hobart and William Smith Colleges' Fisher Center is bringing a full week of events with Janam, India's premier street theatre group.
Janam is well known, including documentaries on their 30 year art and activism, but this is their first visit to the U.S. These performances are free and open to the public.

Our week with Janam begins March 19 with two street theatre workshops and a screening and discussion with Janam of the documentary on them, Natak Jari Hai (The Play Goes On). Wednesday will be the lecture "Street as Stage" and Thursday noon, Janam will perform outside Scandling.

After Janam's travel in our area, they will be visiting campuses in Berkeley, CA, Chicago, New York City,Washington, D.C., and Atlanta.

We are thrilled to be hosting Janam and to have such cross-country academic collaboration on making this event happen! To find details on this performance, go to http://www.hws.edu/academics/community/fishercenter/

Recognized br Gourmet Magazine, the Wine Spectator and others as a food and wine locale to visit, Upstate New York is also bloggers paradise. Not all of the blogs are devoted to food and wine, but many are. So here area few food and wine related blogs I particularly like, with an eye on the Finger Lakes Region. Some focus on recipes and some include reviews of restaurants while one focuses on the wines of our region. If you look around, there is a beer blog and a coffee blog. Indeed, the Finger Lakes is virtually filled with food and wine blogging. Here are a few places to start, each of which also offers links to other possibilities and each of which ranges a bit beyond there own literal location into the virtual Finger Lakes.

So, here are four places to start. There are many more, ranging across many many topics. You can even blog with the best of them at this very site, www.fingerlakes.org

(2/5/07) For a delicious and reasonably priced dinner that never disappoints, try Lasca's (reservations recommended), located beyond the fast food heading east on Route 5. Locals also enjoy Curley's Restaurant, casual with summer dining on a covered deck, located on the corner of Route 5 and State Street, across from the prison. They have the best pizza in town on their tavern menu; there is also a full dining room. Also check out Sunset, located off the beaten path at 93 N. Division Street (off of Route 5/20), which welcomes families with great food, great quanities and low prices. Hidden gems include Balloons Restaurant for the best steak in town, located on Washington Street, off of Route 5/20; and Hollywood Restaurant and Michaels Restaurant (located next door to each other on Clark Street Road), neighborhood restaurants for the best home cooked Italian. For a diner treat (without the diner smell!) try Auburn Diner for breakfast and lunch at very reasonable prices, located at 64 Columbus Street. For Mexican, head to Connie's, 141 State Street (corner of State and Wall, again near the prison). Downtown Auburn hosts Parker's Bar and Grille (on Genesee Street), and Spirits (State Street Mall), both with a pub menu in a casual atmosphere, along with Chinese food and pizza places. Also located downtown is the local Tourism Office. Heading east away from downtown you'll find Daut's Restaurant, casual with a great variety on the menu at reasonable prices.

For fast food with the kids, head east on Route 5, out of the City. There you'll find McDonald's, Burger King, and a host of other places for a quick bite.

From the list above, the following are within walking distance from the Holiday Inn: Daut's, Parkers, Spirits, Curley's and Connie's. The others are within a 2-3 mile radius of the downtown/central area of Auburn.

(12/26/06) Bird watching (“birding”) is outstanding in the Finger Lakes Region due to the variety of habitats from the shores of Lake Ontario to the hills of the Southern Tier! In between are wetlands (open and

forested), successional stages (field to second-growth woods), and mature forests (deciduous, mixed and coniferous). The more variety, the greater the diversity of bird species… A range of seasons just intensifies this more, bringing spring migrants and summer residents (nesters) from the south and winter visitors from the north.

I am currently working on a checklist of birds in the Finger Lakes Region, starting with the northern counties. I am also compiling a county-by-county list of public access birding locations. This started as a self-serving venture because my hobby is bird and nature photography. (My wife is interested in geology and loves the fantastic array of waterfalls around the region. I also photograph these.)

Editor's Note: We encourage those interested in birding to send their favorite sites to blogs@fingerlakes.org

My husband and I went to the Sunday Brunch at the Ramada Inn in Ithaca for the first time last Sunday. First of all, it was only $6.95 - we've done brunch all over the area for the last 5 years or so (some restaurants call it "brunch" when it's really ala carte - we want a buffet!) - anyway, we haven't found a better value. To add to the experience, the Omelet Chef was great - while he cooked our made-to-order omelet - he entertained us with jokes and stories, all off the cuff. The service was great - our server, Karen was so pleasant and helpful, it seemed like everyone went out of their way to make it a great time for us. And - to top it off - the food was great! The restaurant was decorated for the holidays, there was animated figures everywhere, it was just so festive, I can't stop raving about it!

I often wonder what it would be like to attend college in a busy and bustling metropolitan city, where everything is within walking distance and the streets are filled with action. After fantasizing a life in the city for a mere couple of seconds, I am startled by the noisy sounds of buses, taxis, and crowds of people. I quickly realize that I wouldn’t want to spend my four years of exploring myself and preparing for my future in any other area but the Finger Lakes. As a senior at Keuka College, I often get asked the question, “What do you do for fun?” For me, my academic schedule is extremely busy and fun is a word that I usually don’t think about until the end of classes on Friday afternoon. What I love about the fun that I do have is that the majority of students stay here on campus to enjoy one another’s company. I often feel that, had we the convenience of a metropolis near by, most students wouldn’t stay on campus during the weekends. We are unique in the fun that we find in the Finger Lakes area. I love sharing my experiences with peers about the wonderful activities we are privileged enough to enjoy. From wine tours around Seneca and Keuka Lakes, to apple picking, to drives enjoying the fall foliage—there is never a dull moment. This area keeps us active and instills a sense of pride and enjoyment in exploring our surroundings. In the world of college courses, papers, and exams, most college students may take pleasure in a study break at a coffee house or café. For me and my friends, it’s no money necessary! To wind down after a busy day, the most relaxing getaway for us is a stroll down the lake road to take in the view or enjoying a snack and chat by the water. It sounds so simplistic, but
that is the best part of it all. As a senior, I realize that I’ve only got a few more months to enjoy this beautiful, serene area. Before I know it, I will be sitting in an office, most likely in a city, daydreaming of my relaxing days on Keuka Lake…

As a relative newbie (six years) in the Finger Lakes, I want to
ask: "What food do we call ours?" Binghamton has Spiedies, Rochester and Syracause different Hots, Buffalo has wings, etc. But what food do we have in the Finger Lakes that you find nowhere else? Grape pies come to mind but is there anything else? I know living around Cayuga Lake that grape pies aren't that common and you should really travel farther west to find them in any number. What do you think?
Kit Kalfs, Tasting Room Manager
Sheldrake Point Vineyard