Earlier this summer, we went wine tasting in New York's Finger Lakes region. Not all the wine we had was worth drinking, but these places deserve a stop.
Make sure to step over the cat when you walk into Chateau LaFayette Reneau. This winery, on the east side of Seneca Lake, keeps things rustic with its tasting room in a converted barn and its famous-for-Upstate feline mascot.
Like many vineyards in the area, Reneau levies a tasting fee of $4, but you'll get to keep the glass--and you get to try up to 12 wines. (Or more! On our recent stop, they let us sample all 20 offerings.)
After your epic flight of Rieslings and Chardonnays, stake out a spot on the back porch and unroll your picnic supplies. If you'd like to linger longer, there's also an inn on the property.
Earlier this summer, we went wine tasting in New York's Finger Lakes region. Not all the wine we had was worth drinking, but these places deserve a stop.
No real trek through the Upstate wine country is complete without a stop at Dr. Konstantin Frank's Vinifera Wine Cellars. It's a bit of a drive to get there, but if it weren't for Dr. Frank, there might not be Finger Lakes wine.
Growing up in the Ukraine, the doctor studied methods to grow high-quality vinifera grapes (think Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay and Riesling) in colder climates. When he later moved to the Finger Lakes, his winery, started in 1962, was the first to grow these European varieties in the area--and the first to prove it could be done.
After Dr. Frank passed away in 1985, his family took over, continuing the production of top quality wines. You'll also find some more esoteric stuff here, like Rkatsiteli (a white), Fleur de Pinot Noir (a non-vintage red) and a Blanc de Blancs (a Champagne-style bubbly).
Earlier this summer, we went wine tasting in New York's Finger Lakes region. Not all the wine we had was worth drinking, but these places deserve a stop.
Despite the name, not all the wineries in this region actually overlook lakes, and the best of that bunch is undoubtedly Six Mile Creek. Just a 7-minute drive from downtown Ithaca, the winery is almost urban in its setting at the south end of Cayuga Lake.
Owners Nancy and Roger Battistella opened their vineyard in 1987, focusing on small yields and the local microclimate. Unlike many of the other wineries north of Six Mile Creek, where the deep lake provides a moderating influence, the growing season is particularly short in Ithaca. Because of that only white wine grapes are grown on-site.
That said, all the vinification and bottling happens here, and thanks to the Battistella's use of grapes from other regions, the reds are some of the best made in the Finger Lakes. Particularly interesting is Quintessence, a blend that varies in composition from vintage to vintage. Also distinctive is Six Mile Creek's grappa--though it's not for the faint of heart!
Earlier this summer, we went wine tasting in New York's Finger Lakes region. Not all the wine we had was worth drinking, but these places deserve a stop.
Unlike many of the wineries on Seneca Lake, Villa Bellangelo sits a little bit off Highway 14. We actually drove right past it, but after whipping a quick U-turn, we realized that there's a big sign marking the drive.
Bellangelo rocks an Italian vibe, complete with a Vespa on the porch of the tasting room. The theme continues in the wines, which are mostly dry. You'll find plenty of crisp whites--we liked the stainless steel-aged Chardonnay--and an atypical-for-the-region Sangiovese. (That's the same grape Italians use in Chianti and Brunello di Montalcino.)
Perhaps the biggest surprise at Bellangelo, though, isn't the wine on offer. The tasting room has free WiFi and plenty of seating, making it a great spot for checking in with the office while enjoying a glass of wine and a sweeping view of the lake.
The fickle little fruit that became so popular thanks to a horizontal movie about failed expectations, insecurity, wine tasing and adultery has been having a major moment in the media sun. No doubt that means big crowds at Fort Mason in San Francisco this weekend for the Pinot Days festival.
The list of producers 180 strong, so if you like pinot noir, chances are you'll be a kid in a candy store. Besides lots of knobs walking around with their complimentary wine glass strung around their neck like drab-suburban bling, serious oenophiles can hear talks form some of the top Pinot producers in the world as well as meet wine makers from all over.
The one thing that caught our eye was the "Focus Tastings." You're poured 16 different wines to taste and try to determine how each differs. They call it education, we call it paying $65 to have purple teeth!
It's a story well told, two guys sitting around, reminiscing about some killer concoction they had overseas one night. Like any good tete-a-tete, a challenge is laid forth and from it, a blessing to all mankind. In the case of The Buena Vista, on Fisherman's Warf in San Francisco, it's the Irish Coffee for your Aunt Pauline to drink without looking like an alcy.
Born in 1952, the Irish Coffee was a collaboration between owner Jack Koeppler and international travel writer Stanton Delaplane, and it's based on a drink served at Shannon Airport in Ireland. The pair toiled over getting every component just right, the crux being the float of smooth airy cream on top. Maybe if the US wasn't so inherently puritanical we'd all be sipping Irish Coffees every afternoon instead of soy half-caff jerk drinks?
The Buena Vista has yet to go chain on us and the original Irish Coffee still remains the best. Yes, it's located in one of the craziest tourist sections of the city, but it's still worth a stop to drink up some real history.
Sure, this weekend is the unofficial start of summer. More importantly, though, it's the mega-official start of outdoor beer-drinking season. We believe it was Washington Irving who so succinctly summed it up, saying, "They who drink beer will think beer."
We've most definitely got cold beer on the brain but before we crack our first tall boy, we thought we'd put together a big list of suds festivals for ya. Enjoy.
Tales of the Cocktail, the booze-focused "conference" for bartenders, restaurateurs and, uh, enthusiasts, runs July 16-20 in New Orleans. With seminars, demos, dinners and hobnobbing, it's like a giant cocktail party without the black ties and annoying co-workers.
One day passes are available for $175 and include four events and nighttime drinks. You can also just pick and choose a couple events, hanging at the festival as a smaller part of a New Orleans vacay. Tickets range from $25-$75, depending on what you're attending.
If you really wanna get serious, the Founder's Day pass gets you into everything and goes for $625. Seems steep, yes, but it's probably less than your bar tab for five days in NoLa would be.
Festival headquarters is the Hotel Monteleone in the French Quarter, and we can tell you from experience that it's the best place to stay for the event. Aside from giving you easy access to the Carousel Bar and festival seminars, it's also got discount rooms available if you book early.
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