Brooklyn Oenology

In recent years, Brooklyn's become synonymous with culinary trailblazing. Pickles? Chocolates? Ice cream? Salsa? Mayonnaise?  The borough's producing high-end versions of all these pantry staples, while challenging palates on the spectrum from familiar comfort foods to completely foreign cuisines. Given the burgeoning DIY attitude and homegrown pride of the borough, it makes plenty of sense that eventually someone would attempt wine.

I first became aware of Brooklyn Oenology a few years ago at a large wine tasting event.  I was intrigued by the concept of wine being made in Brooklyn as it felt like the one agricultural frontier still untapped in the borough, and after tasting through, I was rather impressed by the results. I soon learned it was spearheaded by a woman, Ali Shaper, which piqued my interest even further.  It stayed on my radar and eventually I had the opportunity to meet her and learn about BOE in depth.

Like many people I've met in the wine industry, her route was rather circuitous. She graduated from college with an engineering degree; however, after working for a while in the industry, she realized the passion wasn't there and quit her job.  From there, she started working in a tasting room in a vineyard in the Hudson Valley, which led to various positions in the wine and hospitality industry, from which her entreprenuerial spirit formulated the seedlings for BOE.  

She produces wine in a commercial winery out on Long Island, which she likens to renting time and space in a commercial kitchen, a common practice for chefs and bakers.  Currently BOE does not grow their own grapes but instead purchases them from other vineyards around the state, much like a negociant.  She says this allows her to purchase the grapes she wants and produce the exact style of wines she loves.  

In 2010, she opened the BOE tasting room in Williamsburg, which is not only a showcase for wine but a communal meeting place and event space. What's unique about BOE is the concept of terroir goes beyond the soil here and instead is thought of as New York culture. She proudly serves wine and beer from other winemakers, strengthening community ties. Bottle labels for BOE are designed by local artists and the shelves proudly display foodstuff from local food artisans. New York culture is the essential sense of place, not the plot of land where the vines grow.

Down the road, she has plans to purchase a vineyard plot and start growing her own grapes, an evolution for BOE.  For now, though, the wines shine and tease of the palate with the potential of what's to come.

Photo courtesy of brooklynoenology.com

BOE Shindig White, 95% Vidal Blanc, 5% Riesling, Finger Lakes, 2011

Vidal Blanc, also known as Ugni Blanc or Trebbiano, was a prominent player during the Finger Lakes trip, which had a range of hits and misses so we approached this wine like a frenemy.  On the nose, a light ginger essence gave way to pineapple an minerality. On the palate, this snappy white was reminiscent of a Vinho Verde; green apple, lime and a hint of sea salt tingled with medium acid but finished rather quickly.  This is one easy drinker.

BOE Chardonnay, North Fork, 2010

This chard was aged in old French oak, so it was mercifully free of uber-oaky tones. Instead, our noses were caressed with sweet cream, butter and a little bit of pear. The palate showcased some of these tones as well but an almond nuttiness tempered the dairy.  Medium acid and medium body gave this wine some structure and was one of the rare chardonnays that I wasn't mad at. 

Tousey Winery, Rebellion Rose, Blaufrankisch, Hudson Valley, 2012

Good ole Blaufrankisch, or Lemberger, as many of the Finger Lakes wineries called it.  This was a little more lush than some of the leaner ones tasted on the Finger Lakes trip.  I'm interested to know if it's the Hudson Valley soil, or the vinification, that made the difference. The nose was tart and juicy with aromas of cranberry and dark cherry.  Drinking it, Thanksgiving came to mind with the sweet n' tart profiles and acidic berries. The underripe green notes that often come through in a Lemberger weren't there, but the lighter style body and medium acid were still present.

Thirsty Owl Pinot Noir, Finger Lakes, 2010

Thirsty Owl was a winery that came to our attention while on our trip but as we didn't make it over, this was a great opportunity to try one of the wines. Like many of the pinots we saw in the Finger Lakes, it was translucent in color.  However, the lack of pigment belied the flavor in the glass. On the nose, a little bit of plum, earth and a horse-y funk rode around with some green pepper. On the palate, the plum came through along with some branches and a hint of mocha.  It was very light bodied and could be a good summer red.

Roanoke Vineyards, Marco Tulio, Cabernet Sauvignon/Cabernet Franc, North Fork, 2010

On the nose, prune, plum and ketchup made an appearance on the boldest red we tasted. However, cherry shyly appeared in the beginning of the tasting, only to be strong-armed out of the way by the riper fruits. Medium acid and medium plus body, this wine was definitely California dreamin' when it was made. 

We finished the tasting with Atsby Armadillo Cake Sweet Vermouth, Long Island, NV.  Spirits are definitely not my area of expertise, but this vermouth, which can be drank straight or mixed for cocktails, imparts the flavors of whatever it was infused with; in this case, it was botanicals and citrus, which gave it a semi-sweet herbaceousness, versus a honeyed sweetness.   

Keep tasting, friends....

Mystery Solved!

Those awesome Pop-tart like crackers I consumed with a crythal meth addict's intensity during my Finger Lakes trip?  They've been found! Thank you, Fox Run Vineyards, for sending me the info! 

Now, all I need is some wine....

Road Trip: Finger Lakes Part 3

Excited by our great tastings yesterday, we were ready for our last day of wineries on the trolley tour.  We knew we would be at some of the more touristy spots so managed expectations accordingly, but were still hopeful there would be some quality quaffing.

Our first stop was at Wagner, the Disneyworld of Finger Lakes wineries.  You enter into the gift shop and are immediately taken on one of the rides  (the tour of the faciltity with a Production 101 schpiel) followed by the tasting options (both wine and beer are up for grabs).  You can then get lunch at their cafe (with the un-Disneylike surly staff).  Be sure to buy some of your favorites on the way out!

We went through the wine tasting and here's where we encountered Melody, the aforementioned grape engineered in a Cornell University lab, designed to be light on the nose, ghostlike on the palate, but enough of a simple presence on the tongue to encourage more drinking.  None of what we drank was really our style, so we headed over to the brewery, which was a pleasant surprise. In particular, we enjoyed the Amber Lager, IPA, Oatmeal Stout, and the Doppelbock.  The beers trumped the wines at Wagner. 

 What we quickly learned is that many of the touristy spots offer flights of dry wines or sweet wines.  We always opted for the dry after seeing the frightening Catawba and other native grapes on the sweet runs.

After WagnerWorld, we hit up Standing Stone. Their 2012 Riesling displayed pleasing notes of citrus and warm tropical fruits complimented with the terroir-driven minerality and a decent amount of acidity. At this winery, I was also introduced to their 2011 Semi-dry Vidal, a grape with tons of pineapple and warm weather fruits, a butterscotch tone but a very short finish.  Upon further research, I learned Vidal is a hybrid of Ugni Blanc (also known as the Italian grape Trebbiano) and Rayon d'Or, created in the 1930s by Jean-Louis Vidal, designed to stand up to cold and harsh winters.  They also had several red varietals, the most interesting of which was 2010 Dark Red.  Made from the Saperavi grape, native to Georgia (as in Eastern Europe, not the South, y'all), the wine was intense ruby in color with flavors of macerated blackberries, black tea and soil. 

Lakewood Winery followed but nothing really drew us in.  Their 2010 Cabernet Franc was agreeably smoky but the Rieslings were oddly lower in acidity that what we normally expect in a Riesling. The absence of zing left them feeling unstructured.  

Then,  beacon of light arose on the trail:  Fox Run Vineyards.  This was one of the wineries on our "must-try" list and we were looking forward to what they had to offer. Their Tierce Riesling 2010, which is actually a collaboration among Fox Run, Anthony Road and Red Newt,  was served at the Presidential Inauguration this year, so expectations were high.

Again, we optioned for the dry flight which contained  Chardonnays reminiscent of ones found in the Languedoc-Roussillion, Pinot Noirs more aromatic most of the others we've tasted, as well as a Lemberger/Cab Franc blend, two grape varietals were were coming intimately familiar with. However, it were the Rieslings that jarred our palates awake.  The 2012 Dry Riesling had the now-familiar citrus fruit and stony aroma profiles with intense orchard fruits joining on the tongue. I had to keep going with their Rieslings, so the 2010 Riesling 12 was next on my lineup.  A few tropical fruits appeared on this sweeter-style Riesling but a very light smokiness wafted on the finish, giving it some intrigue.  My flight ended with their 2011 Reserve Riesling, the pinnacle of this tasting. It was off-dry so sugar tingled on the tip of the tongue and it married the zest of citrus fruits again with the more tropical tones. The flavor profile was somewhat simliar to the 12 but there was a gorgeous balance and complexity to this wine.  

How do you follow up with a tasting as spectacular as Fox Run?  You drink beer.  At our final stop, White Springs winery, we fled from the wine tasting table when we got a whiff of their sickly-sweet wine cooler and moved over to the Glass Factory Brew House table. Again, we found a rather elegant Doppelbock as well as a quaffable IPA. 
While the second day was a bit uneven in terms of what we tasted, we still came away with a deep appreciation for the region and the wine culture that has developed.  I'm eager to go back and delve even deeper into this burgeoning area.

P.S.  If anyone can tell me what these palate-cleansers are, I'll buy you a bottle of Riesling.  They taste exactly like Pop-Tart crusts.  Mmmmm, Pop-Tarts.

In the meantime...

While part 3 of the Finger Lakes trip is in progress, have a gander at this graphic, courtesy of my ever-supportive mother.

Happy Monday!

Road Trip: Finger Lakes, NY - Part 1

It's July 4th weekend and with the garbage and tourists piling up on the streets, it's time to hit the road and get the hell outta town.  Destination?  The Finger Lakes in upstate New York.  An easy domestic getaway, the region has been on my radar for a while now as I've wanted to see the counterpoint to the Long Island wineries.  The Summer of Riesling campaign has also put a spotlight on some of these producers and the unique qualities of their wines. 

Although there are technically eleven lakes, The Finger Lakes wine region primarily consists of four: Seneca, Cayuga, Canadaigua and Keuka. The region has been producing wine from local grape varieties since the 1800's but it wasn't until Dr. Konstantin Frank came over in 1953 that European varietals, vitis vinifera, which are the grapes we associate with the vast majority of the wines we drink, were produced and the region began to flourish.  Furthered by the work of Charles Fournier and Hermann J. Weimer in the 1970's, the Finger Lakes began producing notable wines, particularly German varietals. 


The region is still creating wines from native grapes, vitis labrusca, such as Cataba, which are often rather sweet. Think Manischewitz.  No, really.  Manischewitz, is, in fact, produced up the Finger Lakes region.  While I have a soft spot for the Manny (hey, those seders can run for a mighty long time and a gal needs sustenance), these wines are not going to be my drink of choice.

Whites tend to be the superstars in the wineries, but there is quite of a bit of Cabernet Franc and Lemberger (more commonly known as the Austrian Blaufrankisch) being produced as well.  They are lean, tannic, vegetal and a bit spicy.

What's especially interesting in the growing interception of science in the winery and not just in vinification techniques and vineyard management.  Some wineries have actually been working with Cornell University to engineer grape varieties.  At Wagner Vineyard, for example, they've birthed a new grape called Melody which is meant to be very light with almost no finish so you're left wanting to drink more. And more.  Let's call this a classic study of quantity over quantity.

Finally, some of the wineries have begun dabbling in beer, and often with surprisingly good results (better than the wines in the two circumstances we encountered.  But more on that later).

So, pack your bags and away we go...