Wine Blogging Wednesday #37: Ravines Wine Cellars 2006 Keuka Village White...
Wine Blogging Wednesday is back again–this time for its 37th edition, hosted by none other than Dr. Vino himself. The theme is "Go Native" and the good doctor has asked us to drink a wine made from...
View ArticleNew York Cork Club: October Selections
October’s shipment from the New York Cork Club will be sent out soon, and it’s time to let members know what’s coming (and let non-members know what they are missing). First, as you can see, is the...
View ArticleBottling Reds at Shaw Vineyard
By Jason Feulner, Finger Lakes Correspondent Although Ravines Wine Cellars is located on Keuka Lake, owner-winemaker Morten Hallgren crafts his wines using space at Shaw Vineyard, located a few miles...
View ArticleNatural vs. Synthetic Corks: A Mystery Solved and an Ongoing Debate
By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes CorrespondentPhoto by Morgan Dawson I nearly sprinted down to my basement — ahem, cellar — when Lenn made a bit of a shocking announcement last week: His 2007 Ravines...
View ArticleRavines Wine Cellars: Consistently Exceeding Expectations
By Lenn Thompson, Founder and Editor-in-Chief No matter how opened minded you are, you have expectations when you walk into a tasting room. Whether about the wines, the staff, the crowd, or the overall...
View ArticleRavines Wine Cellars Acquires White Springs Winery Vineyards, Production...
Ravines Wine Cellars has closed on a deal to acquire the White Springs production facility, along with 42 acres of vineyards at the Geneva site. The deal includes an additional 19 acres not under vine....
View ArticleRavines Wine Cellars 2010 Keuka Village Red
I’m not even going to ask, because I know that most of you have never heard of the Noiret grape. Developed by Cornell University, it’s one of the newer hybrids out there (it’s a cross between...
View ArticleEmpire State Cellars Wine Club: July 2012 Selections
The July shipment of the Empire State Cellars Wine Club, won’t ship for another 3 or 4 weeks, but I want to tell you about them today so, if you’re not already a member but want the wines, you’ll have...
View ArticleFive Years After the Finger Lakes’ Worst Riesling Vintage in a Decade, Some...
What’s the worst riesling vintage of the past decade in the Finger Lakes? It’s an awkward question, given that winemakers in the Finger Lakes love to say that riesling performs beautifully in the...
View ArticleLet Us Eat Local: ‘Just Food’ Celebrates All Things Locally Grown
For those who spend their disposal income on the edible artistry of Manhattan’s best chefs, Just Food’s Fifth Annual Let Us Eat Local was like being inside Willy Wonka’s Fancy Fall Food Factory. The...
View ArticleReplacing Unwanted Vines with Better Varieties: Field Grafting Offers...
Spend time with grape growers, and you’ll eventually hear them lament, “I’d love to rip X variety out of the ground and replace it with Y variety, but it would cost a fortune in time and money.” It’s...
View ArticleIn Death, a Finger Lakes Grower’s Impact, Achievements are Made Clear
In the final days of his life, when 53-year-old Paul Wellington didn’t have the strength to feed himself, Tom Higgins would make the drive over and offer to hold Paul’s bowl, or spoon. Or his hand....
View ArticleEmpire State Cellars Wine Club: September 2013 Selections
The September shipment of the Empire State Cellars Wine Club will go out to members in a few weeks — but here’s a sneak peak of what is coming.. If you aren’t familiar with the club, you can learn more...
View ArticleThe 2012 Finger Lakes Vintage: Finally, the Hype is not Hyperbole
“Don’t judge me by the size of my parents’ house.” These were the words a friend said to me in ninth grade before I came to hang out. He was concerned that I might judge him based on the opulence in...
View ArticleEmpire State Cellars Wine Club: July 2014 Selections
Over the years that I’ve been curating this this wine club, it has been my distinct pleasure to share a great many classic wines from classic New York wineries. We have a bit of that this month, but as...
View ArticleThe Joy of Going Vertical: Older Wines are Worth Pursuing
The premise of a vertical tasting is simple – samples of the same wine are drawn from different vintages and are tasted in a side-by-side fashion to compare and contrast differences in the wine that...
View ArticleFinger Lakes Region Mourns the Loss of Top Grape Grower Sam Argetsinger
The Finger Lakes lost one of its most prominent grape growers on Sunday night when Sam Argetsinger died at his home. Argetsinger is the owner of his eponymous vineyard, which rises high above the...
View Article7 Years of Ravines Wine Cellars Meritage
There is a phenomena that is unique to the world of fine wine that gives some winemakers sleepless nights, sends collectors on quests that are akin to searches for the Holy Grail itself, and provides...
View ArticleGetting Rose Right: Finally, the Finger Lakes is Making Consistently...
Photo via David Diaz, Damiani Wine Cellars No one is immune to bad ideas, and for years, the Finger Lakes had consistently bad ideas when it came to rose. It all seemed to culminate in one ill-fated...
View ArticleThoughts on the Finger Lakes’ Sh!##iest Vintage Ever
“No reserve wines in 2009 due to shittiest vintage ever.” It was one of the greatest tweets I’ve ever read, because it came from a winery employee. The tweet is long since deleted, but that is close to...
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