by Debbie | Jan 16, 2019 | benmarl winery, hudson valley, hudson valley harvest, hudson valley wine, hudson valley wine awards
Back in October I spent the afternoon with Matt Spaccarelli and his partner Casey Erdmann along with their two beautiful children Maggie and Leon. Our day began at Benmarl Winery where I have seen Matt grow as a winemaker, vineyard manager and person from the time his...
by Debbie | Nov 12, 2018 | hudson valley wine, seyval blanc
Seyval Blanc is a French-American white hybrid grape that grows very well in the Hudson Valley. I have to be honest here, I’ve always thought of it as producing an okay wine and I might be stretching at that. That is, until I tasted Benmarl’s 2017 Seyval Blanc and was...
by Debbie | Nov 27, 2017 | cabernet franc, hudson valley, hudson valley wine
This week marks the first Hudson Valley Cabernet Franc week leading up to #CabernetFranc day on December 4. I’ll never forget my first Hudson Valley Cabernet Franc. It was a Whitecliff Cabernet Franc and the year was somewhere around 2003 or so. I was in love. So...
by Debbie | Jan 19, 2017 | hudson valley wine
Back in the Fall I strolled down the vineyards at Whitecliff with Michael Migliore and we chatted about dirt. Really, the type of soil found at his vineyard, what grows well in the soil and why. It was very enlightening discussion. Not only does the soil contribute...
by Debbie | Jul 25, 2016 | hudson valley wine, rose wine
There is a romance at Whitecliff Vineyards & Winery and it’s between Merlot and Malbec. The two grapes they source from vineyards on Long Island. Last year their Merlot – Malbec won a gold medal at the Hudson Valley Wine & Spirits Competition....
by Debbie | Apr 2, 2015 | hudson valley wine
I recently had the opportunity to attend NY Drinks NY, an event in New York City featuring wines from all over New York State. I’ll begin with my home town region the Hudson Valley. There were 4 wines that stood out during the event that I feel you must...