I participated in a Finger Lakes wine tasting last month. Eight Finger Lakes whites at 8pm via Ustream with the winemakers. That’s a lot of territory to cover in an hour and a lot of wine. I had submitted my questions to the winemakers prior to the tasting and one or two additional ones were asked during the tasting.
We put the winemakers on the big screen and invited two neighbors over along with blogger Robin Locker Lacey known on twitter as @MyMelange. On the table were the wines arranged in flight order and the kitchen sink as the spit bucket.
One of the items I found interesting is that Sheldrake Point harvests their Gewurztraminer and places them into a refrigerated truck for cooling. Why? To assure they are the correct temperature for the cold soak.
We got introduced to Dr. Frank’s Gruner Veltliner. I have tasted last years vintage and like it quite a bit. Dr. Frank is in their third vintage of Gruner and have 10 acres planted. The largest acreage in New York State of this varietal.
Here are short notable notes from the tasting:
2010 Treleaven Chardonnay – Taste like a Werther’s Original. One opened up pineapple shows its flavor. Long butterscotch finish. Retails $17.99
2011 Glenora Pinot Blanc – Nice! Mild apple and pear with bright lemon.
2011 Sheldrake Point Gewurztraminer – Nose is very aromatic, apricot, honey with lychee notes. Acitiy on the finish makes you pucker. Retails for $18
2010 Rooster Hill Gewurztraminer – Nice. Retails $16.99
2011 Goose Watch Winery Pinot Grigio – Crisp. Will pair well with my spicy scallop dish. Retails for $13.99
In the crowd around the island in the kitchen was a taster who wasn’t fond of Chardonnay. Being that this was a tasting, you had to taste every wine. Told to keep an open mind, although hesitant, tasted the Treleaven Chardonnay and remarked “WOW! I really like this!
This wine tasting had a great outcome. We turned a non Chardonnay drinker onto a Treleaven Chardonnay, which she liked and sent her home with the rest of the bottle to enjoy.
