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....

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.

Road Trip: Finger Lakes Part 2

Our patriotic drinks at Belhurst

We arrived Thursday evening and immediately headed into Geneva town center in search of food.  Beef n' Brew, our destination and what seemed to be our sole option for dinner on July 4th eve, was unable to seat us as they had run out of food.  Oh, the woes of Small Town, USA.  Luckily, we were directed to Belhurst Castle where we found a beautiful patio, sustenance and Belhurst's private label wines.  A glass of Riesling, a glass of Cab Franc, some dinner and dessert and we were two very content travelers.

Art Series Riesling

Friday morning, our driver picked us up and we were on our way to Anthony Road Winery.  We structured our trip so the first day we would conduct a private tour of our own itinerary and Saturday would be an organized group tour. Anthony Road, own and run by John and Ann Martini, was one of the vineyards recommended by my manager at Union Square Wines.  At the vineyard, as at most, we were able to customize a tasting flight. After tasting through a variety of wines, I was most impressed with their 2012 Dry Riesling ($16) with lime, peach, soft minerals and a moderate amount of acidity, although not as viscous as Old World Rieslings; the 2011 Cabernet Franc/Lemberger ($20) with dark berry fruits, cinnamon, clove and green stems; the 2011 Bellaria ($20), a dessert wine created for their 20th anniversary, that tasted of honey and and candied citrus; and the 2010 Art Series Riesling ($28).  With a label featuring one of Ann's paintings, the wine's citrus notes melded nicely with the slate-y minerality, but was tempered by a touch of Granny Smith apples dipped in honey. The one that was a revelation for me, though, was their 2012 Gewurztraminer ($16), which became the benchmark for all Gewurztraminers for the rest of the trip. Lychees, pineapple, golden delicious apple and a bit of residual sweetness were given an edge with the spicy notes characteristic of a Gewurz.

Doesn't look too haunted...

Intrigued by our driver's story of a haunted winery, we deviated from our plan and made a detour to Miles Wine Cellars.  We didn't encounter any ghosts but did come across something much scarier: Cataba.  The sickly-sweet cousin to Manischevitz made its first (and unfortunately, not last) appearance in our glass.  Two sips in and we did a dump-and-run.

On the gator - we totally look like we
work in the fields

We also made a spontaneous stop at Shaw Vineyard where we tasted through their wines, of which we enjoyed their Cabernet Sauvignon the most. More educational, though, was the ride through the vineyards on the gator.  We saw the different varieties of grapes being planted, both vitis vinifera and vitis labrusca, along with food crops which were planted to imbue the soil with nutrients.

Tanks at Wiemer

Dessert wines 

Hermann J. Wiemer, a high priority on our list, was the next destination and oh boy, they did not disappoint.  Guided by Oskar Bynke, the winery's co-owner, we tasted an extensive amount of stellar wines. A few of the highlights were the 2011 Frost Cuvee ($13.50), a Chardonnay/Riesling/Gewurz/Sauvignon Blanc/Gruner Veltliner blend that married orchard fruits with spice and felt like a Gewurz but without the floral essences; the 2012 Gewurztraminer ($25) with it's uber-floral, rose bouquet nose, tropical fruits, spice and minerals; the 2011 Magdalena Vineyard Dry Riesling ($36), which, with its complexity and balance, ended up in my suitcase*; and the Reserve Riesling (not available for purchase), whose apricot, peach and stone fruits were met by slate, minerals, but most unusual for the region, but very welcome, a viscosity and structure that made my palate very, very happy.  They also had some gorgeous late-harvest dessert Rieslings, rich in honey and overripe stone fruits.

One of the Riesling offerings

The wine wall in the bistro room

Red Newt, another recommended winery with a highly regarded bistro, was next on the tour.  Riesling.  Damn, these people do it right.  We started with the 2011 Dry Riesling ($16) with golden delicious apple, apricot, minerals and strong acidity that finished refreshingly crisp and dry; the 2011 Semi-Dry Riesling ($14) with a similar flavor profile and acid level as the Dry, but more residual sugar on the finish; and the 2011 Circle Riesling ($12) another moderately sweet Riesling that shone a stronger light on the orchard fruits.  Also of note was their 2011 Gewurztraminer ($15) with less floral aromas than other Gewurztraminers but an exotic spice profile of cumin and curry, as well as their 2010 Cabernet Franc ($20) with chocolate covered strawberries, cocoa powder, black pepper and cinnamon.  The stemminess that can often disrupt a Cab Franc for me was gloriously absent and this was one of the rare reds I enjoyed on the trip.  

One of the Sheldrake offerings

Our final stop of the day was at Sheldrake, a vineyard that came to my attention through the Summer of Riesling campaign. For some reason, though, I wasn't as impressed as when I tried one of their Rieslings back in the city.  They seemed to lack a complexity that I found in some of the well-crafted wines we tasted earlier in the day and the roses, which they are also lauded for, tasted like simple Provence table roses.  

Post-tour we attempted a walk around by the lake but an impending storm drove us back into Geneva town center, where we fortuitously discovered Microclimate wine bar.  Chic yet charming, we grabbed seats at the bar.  My palate was definitely a little fatigued but not enough to pass up a rose tasting.  With two of my new favorites in the flight - the Ameztoi Txakolina and the Raimbault Sancerre - I wanted to compare them to the Sheldrake rose, which didn't fare so well earlier in the day; the highly acclaimed Robert Sinskey from California; plus one more French rose thrown in for good measure.   

Who can say no to a flight like this?

Finishing our night with a bite to eat and a stroll back to our hotel, we were tired, satiated and ready for tasting day 2.

*A bottle of their unlisted Lemberger may have also made it's way back home with me....

  

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...