William Pollard Jr | aka: Wild 4 Washington Wine

Wrapping up our month long focus on the Hudson Valley wine region of New York, we enjoyed tasting two wines from Millbrook Winery, a Tocai Friulano and a Cabernet Franc. Millbrook Winery is located in the Hudson River Valley just 1.5 hours from both New York City and Albany, New York. They have been called  "the Hudson Valley's flagship winery"  by The New York Times and  "a great place to visit"  by The Wall Street Journal. Visit any time of year for a tour and for wine tasting. Millbrook Winery has cultivated thirty vineyard acres. Current varietals include Chardonnay (13 acres) Pinot Noir (5 acres), Cabernet Franc (7 acres), Tocai Friulano (5 acres) and Riesling (5 acres). Winemaker John Graziano has been crafting wines for Millbrook since 1984. He studied plant pathology and entomology at Cornell University. Currently, John is producing approximately 10,000 – 14,000 cases of  wine annually from estate fruit, as well as fruit from across New York ...

A kissing wine from Americas oldest winery! How long has wine been made at Brotherhood Winery? Martin Van Buren, a Hudson Valley resident, was president when Brotherhood made their first vintage. Established in 1839, Brotherhood winery has been in continuous operation for 175 years. Brotherhood winery has changed hands several times, languished, suffered from fire, went through a period of recovery and is once again producing premium wine in the Hudson Valley. History of the Winery In 1810, * French Huguenot emigre Jean Jaques purchased land in New York’s agrarian Hudson Valley and began planting grapes. By 1837, Mr. Jaques needed more land, so he purchased a plot in the quiet village of Washingtonville, NY, and planted another vineyard. By 1839, his first underground cellars were dug and Mr. Jaques fermented his first vintage. Those cellars, the oldest and largest in America, are still in use today at Brotherhood Winery. ~.~ * 9/12/14   Note Regarding Jean Jaque...

Another Name for Sunshine from the Finger Lakes. I have come to expect quality from the Finger Lakes wine region of New York. The last few years I have enjoyed expressive and delicious Rieslings, the shine of Finger Lakes sparklers and reveled in the depths of Finger Lakes  dessert and Ice wines . Naturally I was eager to sample the rose' wines sent to me from Fox Run Vineyards. My only impression of Fox Run Vineyards was from a sample of their Hedonia I reviewed last year . Made of 100% Traminette the Hedonia is a dessert wine (white Port style) best served over rocks with a slice of orange. A delicious and habit forming beverage. My expectations were high for their rose's. This weekend I was asked on twitter why a guy in Washington state was drinking wines from Finger Lakes, New York. "I love good wine." was my response. Without hesitation I encourage to seek out the wines of Fox Run Vineyards . Thank me later. Tasting Notes Fox...

Regular readers of this wine blog and my East Coast wine friends, know that I have become a fan of Finger Lakes Riesling. They have a quality and flavor profile which I adore. It should be no surprise that I am always eager to expand my palate and experience more wines from New York. They do grow more than Riesling in the Finger Lakes. It was a delight to be asked by Damiani Wine Cellars to review four of their wines; a Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and a Cabernet Sauvignon. Damiani Wine Cellars is a winery located on the eastern shores of Seneca Lake, New York. They have 23 acres of vineyards which they hand-pick and ferment in small batches. Owners Glenn Allen (GM), Lou Damiani (Winemaker) and Phil Davis (Grower) produce a full line of distinctive red and white wines. I encourage you to seek these wines out. If you live on the East Coast they will be easier to find. Visit their website to check on shipping options and availability.

*Updated 16 November 2013 with notes and photos. Notes from the 2013 Finger Lakes Wine Virtual Tasting Series Wednesday, November 13, 2013 We used Twitter hashtag: #FLXWineVT If you are interested in reading the Twitter conversation you can access that here:  http://storify.com/StephJarvis/flwa-virtual-tasting-series-featuring-sparkling-de .  If you are interested in watching and sharing  the recorded footage of the winemakers speaking about and tasting these wines, you can access it here:  http://youtu.be/dRVVOa_7TRg "...six more reasons to visit Finger Lakes Wine Country."

It was a true pleasure to receive this bottle of Finger Lakes Riesling to taste and review at home. This is the fourth of four samples I received featuring the 2012 vintage of Finger Lakes Rieslings.  Quality is strong in the Finger Lakes. The 2012 vintage showed well in the samples I received. "The Rieslings from our region have been outstanding in quality for many years and now that Riesling in general is gaining in popularity we are thrilled." - Kevin Zraly, FingerLakesTravelJournal.com

Out of the park! It was my sincere pleasure to receive this bottle of Sheldrake Point Dry Riesling to taste and review at home. This bottle of Riesling is the third of four samples I received featuring the 2012 Finger Lakes Rieslings.  Riesling quality is strong in the Finger Lakes. The 2012 vintage so far is showing well in the samples I am enjoying at home. "The Finger Lakes is a goldmine for world-class Rieslings."  - Mary Ewing-Mulligan, MW, Author, Columnist, Wine Educator, International Wine Center

Finger Lakes Rocks the Riesling! It was my pleasure to receive this wine to taste and review at home. This Riesling is one of four samples I received featuring Finger Lakes 2012 Rieslings. While I assume you know that the Finger Lakes wine region is in Central New York, it doesn't hurt to mention that the Finger Lakes region is just south of Lake Ontario. The deep Finger Lakes run North-South and provide premium growing on the eastern and western slopes. Riesling is King in the Finger Lakes. "From dry to sweet versions, the Finger Lakes is slowly but steadily cementing its reputation as this country's best source for Riesling." - James Molesworth, Senior Editor, Wine Spectator

May was Finger Lakes Wine Month. I was invited to join in the celebration of Finger Lakes wines. The Finger Lakes Wine Alliance sent me four New York wines to review. They sent a Riesling, a Chardonnay, a Gewurztraminer and a Pinot Noir. Part of Finger Lakes Wine Month included a virtual wine tasting on twitter last weekend. The wine I opened for the virtual tasting was the Thirsty Owl 2012 Dry Riesling. I tweeted for an hour with fellow participants. Feedback was strong and positive. This was not my first New York Riesling. I've participated in two previous Finger Lakes Riesling launches, in 2012 and in 2011 . Wines from the Finger Lakes are nearly impossible to find where I live. Yes, I was looking forward to this tasting. We used #FLXwine for our tweets.

Sipping the Finger Lakes. In September, I participated in the Finger Lakes 2011 Riesling Launch. The focus was the release of the 2011 vintage. Samples were provided and several days were focused on tasting and tweeting about the 2011 Rieslings from the Finger Lakes wine region. We used #FLXwine in our tweets about the Finger Lakes wines. One of the wines I received in September was a 2011 Fulkerson Winery Semi-Dry Riesling . That is the second wine reviewed on this post. My notes for the Semi-Dry Riesling are from September. The other wine I am reviewing was shipped to me last week, it is the 2010 Fulkerson Winery Dry Riesling . That is the first wine reviewed today. Fulkerson Winery Tasting Room. Fulkerson Winery is a family owned and operated winery and fresh juice plant in Dundee, NY in the heart of the Finger Lakes on the West side of Seneca Lake. They offer over 23 varieties of Wine, 33 varieties of fresh grape juice in the fall and a full line of home wine mak...

Today I am tweeting about the  2011 vintage Rieslings from the Finger Lakes. Saturday, September 22, 2012 6:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. EST. We will be using #FLXwine in our tweets. Samples provided by:  Finger Lakes Wine Alliance . Photo: My four samples of Finger Lakes Riesling. This year twenty Finger Lakes wineries are participating in the Riesling Launch.  Look for the Rieslings from these producers at your local wine shops, restaurants and wine bars.  Photo: Riesling vineyard, Courtesy Finger Lakes Wine Alliance. Quick facts on the Finger Lakes Established October 1, 1982  100 plus wineries  11,000 cares under vine  600 + acres of Riesling  100,000 cases of Riesling  Small, specific producers whose wine reflects place and personality  Strong, regional aromatic whites with a focus on Riesling. The average producer makes 2.5 styles of Riesling wine a year.  The Finger Lakes is home to over 20...

Finger Lakes Official Riesling Launch These are the six wines I received to review. I was fortunate to participate in the official Riesling launch sponsored by the Finger Lakes Wine Alliance and Finger Lakes Wine Country (#FLXwine). As a participant, I received a selection of six bottles of Finger Lakes Riesling.