Any Western NY State APUGGERs?

Bromo33333 · Sep 25, 2006

Just curious. Given this is the land of Kodak!

jgjbowen · Sep 25, 2006

I'm a former Western New Yorker. Grew up in Olean, but relocated to Richmond, VA 20 years ago. I still get to Western NY to visit family every summer. Beautiful country along the Southern Tier......I miss it.

John

StephenS · Sep 25, 2006

You gonna peek in my windows or something? Or you looking to share a garbage plate at Tahoes?

copake_ham · Sep 25, 2006

I'm eastern NY (and also downstate) but look for Earl (a.k.a. Trius) a dis-planted Canuck who's up in your neck of the woods. Has a fixation on aged cheddar and ON wines - but otherwise seems harmless.

Also check out the "upper middle class shooter thread" that started today. Around page 2 a fellow from the Finger Lakes (digital waters? ) added a couple of cents to that thought.

You are not alone....and only you can decide if that is a good thing!

RichSBV · Sep 26, 2006

Bromo33333 said:
Just curious. Given this is the land of Kodak!

More like "the shadow of kodak"...

If you're from around here, then you know what "South of 5&20" means

Poco · Sep 26, 2006

I'm a little further west -- Buffalo.

Mark H · Sep 26, 2006

Utica area...
Iwas out to visit a friend there in Rochester recently who is connected to Anderson Alley. Seems like a great area for artists.

Photo Engineer · Sep 26, 2006

You must not pay attention to location information in posts. LoL.

I see quite a few of us here all the time, although none of us seem to get together.

PE

rjs003 · Sep 26, 2006

How about Waterloo, New York been here most of my life except for a stint in the Navy and a five year assignment in Plattsburgh, New York. Now making a living in the wine business here in the Finger Lakes.

Earl Dunbar · Sep 26, 2006

copake_ham said:
I'm eastern NY (and also downstate) but look for Earl (a.k.a. Trius) a dis-planted Canuck who's up in your neck of the woods. Has a fixation on aged cheddar and ON wines - but otherwise seems harmless.

Also check out the "upper middle class shooter thread" that started today. Around page 2 a fellow from the Finger Lakes (digital waters? ) added a couple of cents to that thought.

You are not alone....and only you can decide if that is a good thing!

Yup, I'm here, in Rochester, not far from the Yellow Father on State St.

George is jealous of my cheeses.

Earl Dunbar · Sep 26, 2006

I guess we should do an APUG meet around here sometime. Someone want to volunteer a winery location ... wink-wink, nudge-nudge, know what I mean?

Bromo33333 · Sep 28, 2006

Do you guys think we should have a "field day" at some mutually agreeable location?

rjs003 · Sep 28, 2006

Earl,
If you are looking for a winery location for a meet I can be found at Knapp Winery five days a week. Located in Romulus, New York. The month of Oct isn't a good time for me, as we are up to our arm pits in the harvest of the grapes. ( Pun intended) If we could get a weekend with good weather I would be very interested in a get together.

RichSBV · Sep 29, 2006

A "weekend with good weather"? In this area???

copake_ham · Sep 29, 2006

RichSBV said:
A "weekend with good weather"? In this area???

Hasn't been much better on the eastern side of the State either this year. Why do the only nice days happen in the middle of the week!

mmmichel · Sep 29, 2006

I'm another one from the land of the shrinking yellow father and I'd be up for a getogether. I'm surprised we haven't heard from Frank P. yet.

Earl Dunbar · Sep 30, 2006

Just checked in on this... I was a Knapp today(!), for tasting and lunch with a group of over 30. It was very pleasant ... I bought the '04 cab franc. I a bit of a cab franc freak.

The '05 pinot is VERY promising ... after my barrel tasting at Hillebrand in a couple of weeks I'll see how deep a hole I've put in my credit card... maybe then I'll put away some of the pinot.

rjs003 · Sep 30, 2006

Earl,
If you are a fan of Merlot, we just bottled a very fine 04 that is the best I have tasted. We also have a Merlot crop on the vine, which isn't something that happens every year. This crop looks to be a very special vintage that will be ready in about two years.
By the way, while you were enjoying lunch I was working on my new darkroom. It goes sloooowly!

copake_ham · Sep 30, 2006

Earl Dunbar said:
Just checked in on this... I was a Knapp today(!), for tasting and lunch with a group of over 30. It was very pleasant ... I bought the '04 cab franc. I a bit of a cab franc freak.

The '05 pinot is VERY promising ... after my barrel tasting at Hillebrand in a couple of weeks I'll see how deep a hole I've put in my credit card... maybe then I'll put away some of the pinot.

rjs003 said:
Earl,
If you are a fan of Merlot, we just bottled a very fine 04 that is the best I have tasted. We also have a Merlot crop on the vine, which isn't something that happens every year. This crop looks to be a very special vintage that will be ready in about two years.
By the way, while you were enjoying lunch I was working on my new darkroom. It goes sloooowly!

I haven't been into Finger Lake wines for a very long time and was unaware that you are now having success with Merlot and Cab Franc. I do remember the preachings of Dr. Konstantin Frank (?) back when I was a college student at SUNY/Buffalo.

Are these true French varietals or hybrids you're working with? Ditto regarding the Pinot?

Perhaps it's time for a trip out that way...

Bromo33333 · Sep 30, 2006

copake_ham said:
I haven't been into Finger Lake wines for a very long time and was unaware that you are now having success with Merlot and Cab Franc. I do remember the preachings of Dr. Konstantin Frank (?) back when I was a college student at SUNY/Buffalo.

Are these true French varietals or hybrids you're working with? Ditto regarding the Pinot?

Perhaps it's time for a trip out that way...

They are having a great deal of success with French Varietals. You will find the Cab S they do will be somewhat lgihter, the Pinot isn't bad at all, and the other reds will be on the lighter side - but all good.

And of course, Reisling, Gewurtz, and the other whites are excellent.

I never went for Cab Franc - has a very sharp taste to me that I haven't become accustomed to.

But it is worth a trip, though the quality is improving, it is still somewhat uneven.

copake_ham · Sep 30, 2006

Bromo33333 said:
They are having a great deal of success with French Varietals. You will find the Cab S they do will be somewhat lgihter, the Pinot isn't bad at all, and the other reds will be on the lighter side - but all good.

And of course, Reisling, Gewurtz, and the other whites are excellent.

I never went for Cab Franc - has a very sharp taste to me that I haven't become accustomed to.

But it is worth a trip, though the quality is improving, it is still somewhat uneven.

You probably already know that Cab Franc is a "difficult" grape and not used in France on a stand-alone basis - but as a "blender", usually with Cab S and Merlot for the classic Bordeaux.

That said, they have had some very good luck on the North Fork of LI with Cab Franc. And there are some CA vinters that are offering it (at least as the "major" within a blend).

With NYS wines, I'm more familiar these days with North Fork offerings of true varietals - but limited land area (always under development threat too) means that production quantities will always be low - resulting in higher prices than I can justify for the quality. It is just a damn shame that the potential of the North Fork was only discovered in the 1970's - as the bulldozers were coming into to turn the old potato fields into subdevelopments!

More on the photog front - for reasons quite unexpected, I've just won a Hassey 503cxi and now have to figure out what to do with it! If not this autumn, perhaps if you guys out there do a springtime in the vineyards get together - I can join you with both 35mm and MF in hand?

I know I'm part "eastern NY" and part "evil downstater" but I graduated from SUNY/Buffalo so I know what a real NYS winter is!

Earl Dunbar · Oct 1, 2006

rjs: Thanks for the tip. I will definitely look into the merlot. I'm not a huge fan, but when it is top shelf, it is wonderful. The '03 Showcase at Hillebrand was stunning at the barrell tasting, but after bottle aging it didn't make it. That was a lot of wine down the drain.

George: They are true varietals. I would say that, with all due respect, cab franc is just now coming into its own in the FL. Long Point (also on Cayuga) made the best I have tasted from the FL so far, with the 04 Knapp bottling a close second. That's FWIW, since I haven't done an exhaustive, structured blind tasting of all of them.

B&D: Cab franc can have a vegetal component that is too prominent or not well integrated. But since you are so close to NOTL area, make a trip to Hillebrand, Peller, Angel's Gate, Stratus and some others. Hillebrand does the best cab franc, IMO, and their Showcase (unfiltered) bottlings can be quite, quite stunning. The 95 was just over the moon for me, and the 98 and 99s perhaps equal. I have a couple of 99s that I will open this winter with a good meal.

JL Groux is the winemaker at Stratus, but formerly of Hillebrand. He is from the Loire valley, was educated and trained in France (both Burgundy and Bordeaux), so he knows a thing or two...

BTW, Angel's Gate has perhaps the most spectacular view from their patio bistro of all the Ontario wineries. Peninsula Ridge (I've not yet visited) is one the same road, along with Thirty Bench. Daniel Lenko is the cult wineries nearby, but sells out quickly every year. Right now the tasting room is closed, but it is quite an experience. Danny's mom greets you and makes apple or pumpkin pie from local fruit. She gives you a piece "After you're done with your tasting!" All take place in the kitchen of the original Lenko home. Sounds weird, but it's a ton of fun.

Earl

Bromo33333 · Oct 1, 2006

copake_ham said:
[...] With NYS wines, I'm more familiar these days with North Fork offerings of true varietals - but limited land area (always under development threat too) means that production quantities will always be low - resulting in higher prices than I can justify for the quality. It is just a damn shame that the potential of the North Fork was only discovered in the 1970's - as the bulldozers were coming into to turn the old potato fields into subdevelopments!

I have heard good things about LI wines. Glad to hear it isn't misplaced. But don't think that wines here int he FL region are particularly cheap! Given the volumes they produce in, some is right up there with average California wine prices.

I will grant that the development pressures are much smaller than Long Island - since the urban belt from the North (Rochester and Syracuse) have lots of land to expand on to, and the populations are stable to falling (though the town of Victor in the SE of ROchester area seems to be expanding towards Canadaigua - a finger lakes city - and the area population surprisingly grew 20% in the last few years).

copake_ham said:
More on the photog front - for reasons quite unexpected, I've just won a Hassey 503cxi and now have to figure out what to do with it! If not this autumn, perhaps if you guys out there do a springtime in the vineyards get together - I can join you with both 35mm and MF in hand?

I know I'm part "eastern NY" and part "evil downstater" but I graduated from SUNY/Buffalo so I know what a real NYS winter is!

If it were all up to me, it would be open to everyone - even "evil downstaters" (would love to compare a Hassy 503 with a 501 either way) - I am hopeful we'd even allow 315'ers!

Monophoto · Oct 1, 2006

RichSBV said:
A "weekend with good weather"? In this area???

When I moved to Schenectady 38 years ago, I was told that the name of the city was an old Algonquin word that meant "rain on the weekend".

Earl Dunbar · Oct 1, 2006

George: Many of the wineries in the Finger Lakes use LI fruit, as there is often not enough grown locally.

Any Western NY State APUGGERs?

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