The Wine Tasting Train, Drinking in the Scenery
by Betsy Miller
The clicking of the wheels on the rails. The breeze rushing through windows that actually open. The comfort of knowing this is one train ride with no office waiting at the end. It is a train ride to nowhere; better yet, a train ride through glorious Berkshires scenery with plenty of good wine on board!
The Berkshire Scenic Railway, a non-profit committed to restoring a local branch of the Massachusetts railway network, is co-sponsoring, along with Hilltop Orchards and its vineyard, Furnace Brook Winery, a train ride/wine tasting that starts and ends at the 1903 Lenox Train Station, on June 25. While the 1950’s diesel locomotive pulls the vintage Pullman cars toward the trip’s one stop at Stockbridge Station, representatives from Furnace Brook will pour their award-winning wines, including, among others, a Riesling that won the Big E Northeast Wine Competition Gold Medal in 2007, Silver in 2008 and Bronze in 2009 and 2010 and a Merlot Special Reserve that took the Bronze in 2009 and 2010. Light hors d’oeuvres (local cheeses and crudités) will accompany the wines.
Once the train arrives in Stockbridge, passengers will disembark for coffee, a slice of Hilltop Orchard’s caramel-walnut apple pie, and a chance to explore the 1893 station, which is owned by Jack Fitzpatrick, former owner of the Red Lion Inn (his daughter Nancy now owns and operates the Inn). Then, it’s back on board for the return trip to Stockbridge.
Berkshire Scenic’s entire team, including the engineer, conductor and special events manager, is volunteer, all dedicated to keeping this form of transportation alive.
Berkshire Scenic Railroad
Departing Lenox Station
10 Willow Creek Road
June 25, 5 p.m.
Reservations required (must 21 or older)
Tickets/$49 (partly tax deductible)
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Posted by Marilyn Bethany on 06/14/11 at 06:55 AM • Permalink
Chatham’s Back Alley Nano-Brewery
by Christopher Matthews
We all know that size matters, and that bigger isn’t always better. This is especially true with breweries and beer. A local case in point is Chatham Brewing, located in a back alley off Main Street in the Village of Chatham, NY. Don’t call it a microbrewery – it’s not big enough – rather, it’s a four year-old “nano-brewery”, diminutive by design, that turns out a proportionately large selection of flavorful, artisanal ales.
Small, but Smart
Home brewing enthusiasts who both worked in bona fide breweries in their twenties, CB owners Tom Crowell and Jake Cunningham, now in their mid-forties, met via their wives and kids in the Chatham area. (A third original partner, Chris Ferrone, is no longer associated). While they both longed to brew on a more professional scale, serious day jobs and family obligations presented major constraints. They had also observed the micro-brew craze in the mid-to-late 1990s—and the ensuing shakeout—and wanted to avoid similar miscalculation. So, to proceed, they needed to find a smaller scale brewing system, and to start out modestly, in test market fashion.
Fortune soon smiled on them. Through their home-brewing network, they heard of a bankrupt brew pub in Albany selling off its brewing assets. The system’s capacity—and price—fit the plan. So, with lots of local good will, including professional help to haul the brewing system from Albany, and to establish the refrigeration system in the back alley location, Chatham Brewing hung out its shingle in February 2007. “It’s amazing what people will do for beer,” said Crowell.
The last piece of the current three-man operation was brewer Matt Perry (right), a home brewing aficionado who wanted to craft ales on a (slightly) bigger stage. CB tapped Perry to come on board after a year with a part-time brewer that was marked by inconsistency between ale batches. Perry has been guiding production ever since. To maintain their eight-beer (or-so) product line, CB uses three open-top fermenters to brew English style (open-vat ales largely patterned after English brewing traditions—Porter, Amber, India Pale Ale, Scotch Ale, etc.) about four days a week. To create the different ales, CB starts each with the same versatile, English ale top-fermenting yeast then customizes the blend using a palette of eight-plus different roasted malts and six types of hops (along with other occasional ingredients, such as local maple syrup). And no expensive bottling line here—reusable kegs are the only option.
Ales to Go
I’d heard good things about CB, but a road trip to Chatham beckoned when I saw on their website that you can fill up a half-gallon “growler” jug for $12.00 during “growler hours,” which take place at the brewery every Saturday.
Rolling into the village on 66 North, which turns into Main Street, the alley is on the left, well-marked by a yellow placard with CB’s railroad-inspired logo, designed by a local graphic artist. (Back in the day, Chatham was a railroad town, where five different lines converged.)
Even in January, business was brisk. Outside the garage-like production facility, a small line formed. Between growler fills, Matt patiently poured samples; I found a lot to like, especially the seasonally popular Porter. An opaque, dark black-brown, it has a creamy tan head, and complex, smoky notes of roasted coffee and cocoa. Balanced with a touch of mid-palate sweetness and a lively mouth feel, this is a highly drinkable take on an under-appreciated style.
The OC Blonde is a Belgian-style blonde ale flavored subtly with orange peel and coriander. While the beer isn’t really “light,” it would still be an excellent summer refresher, with its pleasingly clean, bitter finish.
The India Pale Ale (IPA), CB’s biggest overall seller, has been tweaked to a more “American” version—hoppier than the original English model. Unlike many US microbrew IPAs, though, CB’s version isn’t over-the top, but rather nicely balanced and sessionable (definition: not too high in alcohol, and with a subtle flavor that doesn’t pall after a glass or two). If bigger, bolder IPA’s are your thing, then the Eight Barrel IPA, a palate-rocking mouthful, with beaucoup malts, hops and alcohol (a whopping 8%), may be the ticket.
Belly Up
Ironically, CB’s biggest single account is the Dive Bar in Manhattan (with three locations), for which Chatham brews a private label Dive Bar Unfiltered Amber Ale, similar to its toasty, easy-drinking Amber. Still, CB’s home turf of Columbia County is the business’ bulwark, especially in Chatham itself (at Blue Plate, Lippera’s Chatham HouseRestaurant, Peint O Gwrw, one of only four Welsh-style pubs in the US), and in Old Chatham Jackson’s; in Hudson (at Club Helsinki, Mexican Radio, American Glory BBQ, Swoon Kitchenbar, The Cascades and, on occasion, at The Spotty Dog Books and Ale); at the Copake Country Club; and other spots, such as Local 111 in Philmont.
A major challenge for nano-breweries like CB is distribution. Due to its smallish production, CB must self-distribute, an onerous task that puts RI’s Massachusetts’ territory off-limits; self-distribution is sadly prohibited in The Bay State.
Nevertheless, CB is currently brewing at capacity—and contemplating growth. The Albany region and Dutchess County, particularly Rhinebeck (where it already appears periodically at Terrapin and Gigi Trattoria), would be the obvious targets, but, even that would require that they get additional fermenters. Looking forward, CB will soon release its first ESB (Extra Special Bitter). It also aims to introduce more seasonal beers into its repertoire.
Next time you’re in Chatham on Saturday, don’t forget that growler.
Chatham Brewing
In the alley between 20 & 22 Main Street
Chatham; Saturday 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Growlers available on site for a $3.00 deposit.
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Posted by Marilyn Bethany on 02/21/11 at 09:00 AM • Permalink
Just in Time for the Turkey: Hudson-Chatham’s Baco Noir
By Christopher Matthews
Mention “Baco Noir”, and what comes to mind? A men’s cologne? Dark chocolate from Madagascar? Or an award-winning wine grape in the Hudson Valley (HV)?
The answer is the latter, a French-American hybrid grape that grows well here in the Valley. In fact, back in August, Baco Noir garnered the sole gold medal for the Hudson River region at the 2010 New York Wine and Food Classic, New York State’s annual wine “Emmy” awards. The gold-winning wine: Hudson-Chatham Winery’s 2008 Baco Noir, Casscles Vineyard.
Hudson-Chatham Winery in Ghent is familiar to many RI readers, an anchor of the Hudson-Berkshire Beverage Trail; Baco Noir is probably not.
Phylloxera
Phylloxera, a microscopic critter indigenous to North America, largely accounts for why Thomas Jefferson could not successfully make wine in Virginia. He had brought over European (vinifera) vines, which lacked resistance to the pests, which then munched on their rootstock, killing the plant. But without powerful microscopes, no one knew why the plants had died.
To make matters worse, native American grapes such as Concord, while resistant to Phylloxera, still can be carriers. Ignorant of this, in the 1860s, the University of Montpelier (among others) brought over American vines in the name of research, unintentionally unleashing the native American plague throughout Europe and beyond, devastating vineyards, especially in France.
Eventually, the pest was identified, and it came to light that American grape vines (riparia, labrusca, etc) were resistant. The eventual solution: grafting European vines onto American, Phylloxera-tolerant rootstock, which is how it is still done in Europe and here for vinifera vines, such as Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
Bilingual Grape
A French teacher and polymath from Gascogne, Francois Baco, bred the grape in 1902 by crossing a traditional Armagnac grape, Folle Blanche, with an unidentified native American grape from the vitis riparia family. It was the Golden Age of French-American hybrids, part of a desperate search to find vines resistant to Phylloxera, the native American root louse that wiped out most of Europe’s vineyards in the late 19th century [see box]. M. Baco clearly admired his creation; although he hybridized thousands of grapes, he only named a few after himself.
Introduced into New York in the 1950s, Baco Noir is a vigorous producer that is fairly winter hardy and resistant to common grape diseases in the eastern US, like black rot and powdery mildew (and Phylloxera!). It also can make quality wine in a range of styles, while retaining its signature deep tint, wild berry fruit, herbal aromatics and pronounced acidity.
Sweet Spot
I had intended to visit Hudson-Chatham to taste the 2008 Baco, but when I found out they had just released the 2009 Baco Noir this fall, a side-by-side tasting possibility between the two vintages clinched the deal. On a gorgeous, warm November Saturday, I took a scenic drive north from Red Hook to Ghent.
Set on the rolling hills of the former Brisklea dairy farm, Hudson-Chatham owns 15 acres, three of which are planted with French-American hybrids. Owners Carlo and Dominique De Vito believe strongly that these grapes are better choices for the climatic vicissitudes of the HV than the more fragile European vinifera varieties. Several late spring frosts in recent years have reinforced their decision.
But the Baco Noir grapes aren’t grown in Ghent—they come from the Casscles Family Vineyard, which is located on the west side of the Hudson River, close to the Rip Van Winkle Bridge, in Athens, NY.
As it happens, veteran HV grape expert Steve Casscles is Hudson-Chatham’s winemaker (along with Carlo DeVito and Ralph Dooley). As the former long-time winemaker at Benmarl Winery across the river, where Baco Noir is a house specialty, Steve developed an affinity for the hybrid. And 16 years ago, convinced he had a good site, he planted Baco Noir vines on his family property near the Hudson River. Time has shown he was right. Through Steve, Hudson-Chatham gets grapes from a particular parcel every year, enough to make about 60 cases of single vineyard Baco Noir.
A Side-by-Side
The 2008 Baco Noir earned its accolades honestly. A deep-purple ruby, it features complex aromas of briar fruit, menthol, and eucalyptus. On the palate, it’s medium-bodied, with vibrant dark berry fruit on a long, earthy finish. A complete wine, it checks in at a refreshingly low 11.5% alcohol.
As often happens with a small production, gold medal-winner, however, the 2008 is now sold out. Fortunately, the De Vitos have kept some bottles back as “library” wines.
Most of us remember the miserable, wet summer of 2009. In that context, the newly released 2009 Baco Noir is a pleasant surprise. While definitely lighter in color and body than the 2008, reflecting the difficult vintage, it has pretty, floral and plummy aromas reminiscent of Pinot Noir, and bright red fruit with a dash of pepper on the palate. The 2009’s lovely fruit and zesty acidity will make it a versatile—and delightful—local addition to a Thanksgiving table.
Conclusion: two very different, but pleasing wines, showing that Baco Noir can make exceptional wines in disparate (even bad) years in the HV.
At Hudson-Chatham‘s tasting room, the 2009 Baco Noir is available for $18.95. You can also find it at Kinderhook Wine and Spirits, Old Mill Wine and Spirits in Rhinebeck and on the restaurant wine lists of Local 111 in Philmont, and the Blue Plate in Chatham.
Salue!
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Posted by Marilyn Bethany on 11/15/10 at 01:06 PM • Permalink
Get Lit at The Lenox Bookstore
You expect an independent bookstore owner to have an independent spirit, and Matthew Tannenbaum is definitely sui generis. For the past 34 years, he has sold new (and some used) books his way at The Bookstore in Lenox (whose slogan is “Serving the Community Since Last Tuesday.”) “For example, we mix Current Events and Humor on the same shelf—I think they go together!” he says, with an impish laugh. “We don’t carry business books even though they are immensely popular, and I don’t stock horribly violent children’s books, though we now carry more children’s books than ever before.” He stocks plenty of philosophy, poetry, history, plays, literature and high-brow best-sellers. “We’ve sold 30 copies of Jonathan Franzen’s Freedom already,” he says.
Now, Tannenbaum is selling wine by the glass too. Last week, his book shop’s new wine bar had a soft opening in the side space known as the Shade Gallery. “I only got the idea last November when I went to visit an old friend in Prague,” he says. “Every night, we would go to the symphony or a jazz club, and afterwards we would go to the same cafe. I loved going to this cafe, and I thought this is what I should have at home. It’s not separate from the bookstore—it’s an extension of the bookstore.” His friend Jim Youngerman built the bar and counter by the window. “It was a collaboration between us—a true creative endeavor.”
Tannenbaum considers being a bookseller a calling, and the wine bar is an attempt to bring in extra revenue while maintaining his store’s integrity in the digital age. “I am going to sit here and sell books whether anybody buys books or not. That’s who I am,” he says with equanimity. He apprenticed in the early 1970s at the eccentric and respected Gotham Book Mart in midtown Manhattan, and he’s published a short memoir about his time there: My Years at the Gotham Book Mart with Frances Steloff, Proprietor: Recollections about the Pantheon of Writers and Artists Who Passed Through Her Store and How I Became a Bookman.
Though he arrived in Lenox as a counterculture refugee, he now sees himself as upholding the prosaic small-town aspect of Lenox. “We’ve lost our shoemaker and hardware store,” he says, savoring the memory of the candy store down the block where kids who delivered the Berkshire Eagle when it was an afternoon paper would gather to pick up their papers every day. “I’ve seen sidewalks come and go in this town,” he says, looking out at the construction in front of his store. “This is my third set of sidewalks!”
For now, Tannenbaum plans to serve wine (two reds, two whites at $6 or $7 a glass) only on Friday and Saturday nights until 9:30 p.m. “I like to say we’ll stay open later in summer and start drinking earlier in winter,” he says. He will also sell wine at readings and book signings. He professes that he was surprised by how much he enjoyed being a bartender last weekend and happy that the two daughters he raised as a single dad were by his side. But then chatting up customers has never been a problem. “I have been dispensing advice from the front desk for 34 years,” he says, ready to launch into another story. “Now we can share a drink while we talk, and I can make a buck from it., too.
The Bookstore
11 Housatonic St. Lenox; 413.637.3390
Upcoming events:
October 16 at 2 p.m.
Book signing with Stuck Rubber Baby‘s Howard Cruse
October 17 at 2 p.m.
Reading, performance and booksigning for Please Take Me off the Guest List with authors Zack Lipez, Nick Zinner and Stacy Wakefield
October 30 at 2 p.m.
Reading and book signing with Dick Lipez, writing as Richard Stevenson, author of Cockeyed: A Donald Strachey Mystery
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 09/29/10 at 07:26 PM • Permalink
Stockbridge Sangria from the Red Lion Inn
You don’t have to be staying at the historic Red Lion Inn to have cocktails beneath an umbrella table in its tranquil pebbled courtyard. The house drink of the summer is “Stockbridge Sangria,” which is the creation of The Red Lion Inn’s Sommelier, Dan Thomas, who likes to mix it in a giant Mason jar.
Stockbridge Sangria
1 oz Sweet Vermouth
1 oz Aperol Aperitivo
1 oz Lillet Blanc
1 oz Triple Sec
1 oz White Rum
12 oz Dry Rose wine
48 oz Dry White wine (no oak high acid)
Chopped fruit (strawberries, apples, grapes, pears, cherries or whatever is in season)
Mix and let sit overnight.
Serve over ice with a splash of club soda and Sprite.
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 07/06/10 at 03:16 PM • Permalink
About That Vineyard…
Christopher Matthews, a wine and spirits writer and educator, divides his time between Manhattan and Red Hook, Dutchess County. He has been the wine and spirits columnist for New York Law Journal Magazine since 2004, and has written about food and drink for Epicurious.com and the Culinary Institute of America. A member of the Wine Media Guild of New York, he has judged at the Hudson Valley Wine Competition, and has a keen appreciation for local (spirituous) beverages. He reports:
Fancy a vineyard?
You love wine, and know a thing or two about it. Wine country usually figures into your vacations. The sight of well-ordered, hillside rows of vines sets your heart fluttering.
As it happens, you own some lovely, rolling acreage a couple of hours north of New York City, with similar contours to the handsome, vine-covered ridges of Millbrook Vineyards and Winery nearby (below). Occasional visits to Millbrook’s tasting room with house guests have fed Provençal visions of grape-laden vineyards on your property, set against a colorful, autumnal backdrop.
Ah, the grape bug has bitten.
Wine country?
While the Hudson Valley isn’t Napa in terms of vineyard density (or notoriety), it is one of the oldest wine-growing regions in the US, dating back to the 17th century. Today, some forty wineries—and even more vineyards—are in operation (with more of both in the works). Demand (and prices) for Hudson Valley wine grapes has grown steadily in recent years; local wineries would readily buy more local wine grapes, if available. There are also now three wine-and-beverage “trails” in the area (Dutchess Wine Trail, Hudson Berkshire Beverage Trail, and, across the river, Shawangunk, important pieces of the region’s healthy agri-tourism sector. Sounds like an opportunity, no? You already own available land—a good place to start, and one less expense to consider. Just how hard would it be to put in some vines on your back forty, partner with a nearby winery, and achieve that gorgeously cultivated landscape?
Not as easy as you might imagine.
“You got to have deep pockets, patience, and attention to detail to establish a vineyard in the Hudson Valley,” said Michael Migliore, owner of Whitecliff Vineyards near New Paltz, President of the Hudson Valley Wine and Grape Association, and vineyard consultant. That’s how he kicked off a recent seminar on beginning viticulture in the Hudson Valley (HV) organized by Steven McKay of the Cornell Cooperative Extension, together with the Hudson Valley Wine Grower’s Association, at Cornell’s Hudson Valley lab in Highland, NY.
The room for the full-day seminar was packed, indicating a surprisingly robust interest in the subject. By my reckoning, most participants were already involved in growing fruit, some commercially, and looking to diversify or expand operations. A number had already put in test vines, and were now ready to scale up. Others were in various beginning stages of the process, such as testing soil samples. Some, like me, were oenophiles with land…and grape aspirations.
Chatting before the program began, Migliore asked me how many acres I could devote to a site. He smiled politely when I told him “close to three”. We continued to discuss other relevant topics—soil composition, drainage, slope, sun exposure, etc.—and he seemed encouraging. But one minute into his introduction, he said that a commercial wine grape operation needs at least five planted acres to be economically viable. Anything less is “an expensive hobby”.
Ouch.
Nobody bolted, but more than a few flinched, including yours truly.
Migliore’s next point hit hard: not even counting a good tractor (around $32,000 brand new) and a versatile spray rig ($14,000)—both of which are necessary to work a commercial vineyard—you can expect to pay $15,000 to $17,000 per acre to establish a vineyard in the Hudson Valley. And don’t forget: in this three-to-four year process, there is no revenue, because grapes are first harvested only in year three, assuming all goes well. Financing from local banks? It’s not happening. “You can walk right now,” said Migliore, only half-joking.
The good news? Yes, there is a market for locally grown fruit, explained Migliore, and overall, the quality is pretty high, including the best Chardonnay in the State. But it’s up to the growers to market and sell to the wineries—they won’t line-up for it. While HV grapes are generally more expensive than those available from the far larger Finger Lakes region (between $950 to $1700 a ton, depending on variety), but wineries in the Hudson Valley are willing to pay more because of the shorter shipping distances and more opportunities to meet with local growers during the growing season (what winemakers call “the vintage”) keep them competitive. According to Carlo DeVito of Hudson-Chatham Winery, anything short of a ton won’t do when he buys grapes, so scale matters for growers. Typically, an HV vineyard will yield between 2 to 5 tons an acre.
Location, location, location
At 42 ° N, the HV and southwest New England share the same latitude of great wine spots like Rioja and Tuscany (right), but the similarity ends there. Although not far from the ocean, our’s is a cold-temperate region with a continental climate largely unmitigated by either the Great Lakes or the Atlantic. Minimum winter temperatures, we locals know, can plunge well below zero, threatening vines (especially European vinifera varieties) with cold injury…or even death. Late spring frosts and early autumn freezes are not uncommon, potentially shortening the growing season. With such a short season, achieving adequate ripeness can be an issue
According to Cornell’s Senior Extension Associate Stephen Hoying, identifying a site in this marginal climate where vines can grow and mature consistently is the most crucial decision you’ll make, even trumping factors such as soil and grape variety. Given the expense and time involved in establishing a vineyard (and its longevity), you want to make sure your place is suitable for grape production. This entails researching the history of winter low temperatures at the prospective location—and actual field measurement with thermometers. Another critical concern: good “air drainage.” Like water, air flows and pools. Where it pools, hard freezes are more likely. So, some sloping is highly desirable, because it allows the cold air to drain away from the vineyard. Hoying advises avoiding air “dams,” such as stone walls or hedge rows that cause air to pool. Naturally, optimal sun exposure is key, as are sufficient length of season and “growing degree days.” (This site-specific data is available on-line via the Cornell Extension website.) If hail is a common occurrence, “reconsider your site, because it will cause you a world of problems,” said Hoying. Other considerations: proximity to markets, zoning laws, and wildlife (e.g. hungry deer and birds could make expensive deer fencing and bird netting necessary).
“Don’t be afraid to reject a site,” he added.
Terra cognito
Based on Cornell’s computer data, my location has a long enough growing season with an average length of 185 days, and its growing degree days are on par with Bordeaux. So, it’s not Siberia.
Soil is important, for many reasons. “You’ve got to know it thoroughly, and you can’t only rely on soil surveys and computer models, as good as they may be,” stressed Hoying. That means digging a test pit, field observation (in particular, looking for wet spots), and preparing and sending scientific soil samples to the Cornell Extension. The most important soil attribute: good drainage, as “ponding” water or a high water table restricts root growth and respiration, making winter injury much more likely. On paper, my soil is “well-drained” (Dutchess County silt loam and rocky Cardigan), but, to my surprise during the March rains, I observed a few soggy spots on the ridge which could require improved drainage. Adequate depth of soil, at least 36 inches (preferably deeper) before reaching bedrock or fragipan (a layer of super-dense soil) is essential for good root distribution and penetration. A soil test identifies the pH level and nutrient profile of the site, and whether soil amendments to correct its deficiencies are necessary. Often they are. In most wine education courses, the adage you’ll hear is “poor soils make for better wines;” because they force the vines to dig deep and struggle for nutrients. This results is lower yields but more concentrated fruit.
In other words, you shouldn’t grow grapes where you would grow corn. But, Hoying reminds us, vineyards and vines do have nutritional needs, such as adequate phosphorous, additions of which can only be made before vines are planted. From the grower’s perspective, yield is not a dirty word—it’s how one gets paid—but to be salable, grapes must be neither “over-cropped” or “thin.” Overly fertile soil results in high-yielding, excessively vigorous vines that produce flavorless, or “thin,” wines. Better flavor comes from vines that have had to compete for nutrients. It’s a fine balance.
Apparently, my pH is on the low side (5.3), at least for vinifera grapes, such as Cabernet Franc and Chardonnay. This would probably require working some lime into the soil before planting to raise the pH level. I have yet to do the tactile soil test, but I’m sure, when I do, I’ll find other problems. And I don’t need a soil test to know that my ridge is full of rocks, shale and pudding stones, courtesy the a glacier, which would make plowing, planting, fencing and setting posts much more difficult and expensive.
The Cornell folks advocate two years of site preparation—soil testing and amendment, plowing, and cover crops (to adjust nitrogen levels)—before planting vines and putting up expensive and indispensible trellising. Migliore called this 2-years-of-prep scenario “ideal,” but pointed out that many don’t have the luxury of waiting an additional year before commencing a project, especially when the return on investment (ROI) for a Hudson Valley vineyard, even under optimal conditions, is 9 to 13 years!
The panel agreed that, if you aren’t in a hurry, test plots are a sound idea, but they should be at least half an acre to be worthwhile.
Grape Contenders
There are many choices of grapes to ponder, but the overriding concern for the region is winter hardiness. Another is the vine’s resistance to disease, especially the many rots, mildews and fungi that abound in the HV’s humid spring/summer climate. Though sustainable and organic viticulture in the HV (a topic for another feature) is an appealing idea, a disease called black rot makes some spraying virtually unavoidable. “If you don’t spray for black rot, you don’t get a crop,” said Ray Tousey, of Tousey Winery in Germantown.
The heartiest, least sexy grapes are native American varieties, like Concord or Delaware, though given the lack of a market for them, not many are grown and vinified in the Hudson Valley these days. Least hearty, and most susceptible to indigenous diseases are vinifera grapes. These, however, are well known and marketable—it’s what we know and drink—and some varieties are grown quite successfully here. Again, choice of site is critical, as well as which clones and rootstocks are employed. In terms of whites, nearly all wineries work with Chardonnay, a proven, stalwart performer in the Hudson Valley. Riesling, the most cold-tolerant of vinifera grapes, has tremendous potential here—and attractively high yields—but the site must have good air drainage, because the Riesling grape is susceptible to bunch rot. The “hot” white vinifera grape of the moment is the early-ripening Pinot Gris. For reds, late-ripening varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon are not well suited to this region, but its parent grape, Cabernet Franc, has exhibited consistent excellence and gets my vote as the HV’s best all-around red vinifera grape. In warm, dry vintagge, Pinot Noir, the “heartbreak grape,” has won HV accolades—including last year’s Cornell Cup winner at the Hudson Valley Wine Competition (Millbrook’s 2007 Block 5 East)—but it is prone to fungal diseases, such as botrytis. Gamay Noir, the fruity grape of Beaujolais, has shown encouraging results.
Most suitable for this challenging climate, however, are the French-American hybrids—crosses between American and vinifera species that offer native-like winter hardiness and disease resistance (thus lower spraying costs), but with more vinifera-like flavor profiles. Traditionally these have been hard sells outside of local tasting rooms, but in the right hands, they make interesting wines on their own, or valuable additions to blends. Accumulated experience with the best of these varieties has led to improved wines, and an embrace from newcomers, such as Hudson-Chatham. Seyval Blanc is the white workhorse of the region; some three-quarters of HV vineyards plant this versatile, apple-scented variety that produces drier wines, according to Migliore. Vidal Blanc is also common and extremely versatile, with a range from bone dry to dessert wine. Cayuga is most often used as a fruity blending partner, while, in warm years, Vignoles yields vibrant, tropical fruit-flavored dessert wines. Up and coming is Traminette, a hardier version of Gewurztraminer (one of its parents) that retains that grape’s attractive rose petal, lychee and spice qualities. Baco Noir is easier to grow than any of the vinifera reds, and gives some nice tannin and peppery, briary fruit. Similarly, Noiret, a newish hybrid created and released by Cornell, is getting some play. There’s also excitement with test results from a yet-to-be-named Cornell hybrid, Red Wine No. 95.301.01, which is highly disease-and-insect resistant, suitable for organic viticulture, and exhibits a lovely blueberry character.
How to make a small fortune…?
Invest a large one in a vineyard!
That was certainly part of the session’s takeaway.
After Migliore’s painstaking presentation of actual cost spreadsheets for a 10-year vineyard project, including things like the cost of triple-galvanized wire for trellising, my head was spinning. For now, I would have to defer my vineyard dreams.
If money is no object, for a hefty fee you can hire an outfit to come in and establish a vineyard. Unless you intend to be hands on, there are also the costs of a vineyard manager and workers. Why not throw in wine-making equipment and a tasting room, too? Still, no matter how deep the pockets or great the ambition, if the vineyard site isn’t right, you’ll be courting expensive failure.
In the end, the tough love from Cornell was eye-opening and useful—there is no room for romantic illusions about HV viticulture, and I’m the better for it.
Nevertheless, on a beautiful May afternoon, my sun-drenched ridge freshly cut for hay, I visualize those green rows of vines hugging the undulating contours. Grape dreams do die hard. Maybe I’ll just start with that soil test… —Christopher Matthews
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Posted by Marilyn Bethany on 06/06/10 at 05:28 PM • Permalink
Happy Trail: Hudson-Berkshire Beverage Trail to Launch in April
Christopher Matthews, a wine and spirits writer and educator, divides his time between Manhattan and Red Hook, Dutchess County. He has been the wine and spirits columnist for New York Law Journal Magazine since 2004, and has written about food and drink for Epicurious.com and the Culinary Institute of America. A member of the Wine Media Guild of New York, he has judged at the Hudson Valley Wine Competition, and has a keen appreciation for local (spirituous) beverages. He reports:
In a clear boost to local tourism and our region’s artisanal food and beverage scene, six partners—four wineries, a brewery and a distillery—have joined forces to establish the Hudson-Berkshire Beverage Trail (HBBT). It will formally launch on April 10th with a Pasta and Sauce event, featuring beverage flights paired with pasta dishes at each stop along the trail.
Spanning three counties and two states, the HBBT has two main axes: one running south from Rensselaer County, southeast of Albany, down through Columbia County to Germantown, near Hudson; the other heading east from Chatham into Berkshire County, ending in New Marlborough, MA. Discussions with the Department of Transportation and the New York State Agriculture and Markets Department on road signage for the trail are underway.
The founding partners include: Brookview Station Winery (top photo),Castleton-on-Hudson, NY, a bemedaled producer of fruit wines, cider and baked goods; Harvest Spirits,Valatie, NY, a micro-distillery that produces “Core,” an award-winning vodka made from local apples; Chatham Brewing (right), Chatham, NY, an all-natural “nano-brewer” of craft beers; Hudson-Chatham Winery, Ghent, NY, a producer of small batch wines from local and regional grapes, as well as cheeses and desserts; Tousey Winery, whose Germantown-based owner, beekeeper-farmer Ray Tousey is a mainstay at local farmers’ markets with his displays of bees, honey, small fruits and wines; Furnace Brook Winery, located at Hilltop Orchards, a scenic 100-year old farm in Richmond, MA; and Les Trois Emme Vineyard and Winery (below), nestled in New Marlborough, MA, east of Great Barrington.
It’s no secret that tourists flock to wine trails. New York State alone has eleven existing wine trails across its five major wine regions, including two in the Hudson Valley, the Dutchess and Shawangunk Wine Trails. Until now only one of the NY trails, the Lake Erie Wine Trail, has been interstate, encompassing New York and Pennsylvania wineries. And heretofore, there has only been one multiple beverage trail in New York, the Cooperstown Beverage Trail, anchored by Brewery Ommegang, the acclaimed Belgium-style ale producer. The HBBT’s innovation: it’s New York’s first ever interstate beverage trail, featuring wine, beer, spirits and cider.
HBBT co-founders Carlo De Vito (Hudson-Chatham Winery, left) and Sue Goold (Brookview Station Winery) came to the wine trail idea around the same time. Both were aware of how important such trails are for small wineries. Both had considered the number of new local wineries slated to come on line soon. And both understood that the region’s prime location between New York City, Albany and Boston was a huge asset. Columbia-County-based DeVito had been exploring joining an existing trail, such as Dutchess, while Goold, whose vineyard is one county north in Renssalaer, had been aiming to create a new one for the area, incorporating the successful Harvest Spirits distillery and Chatham Brewing as well. Once each heard of the other’s plan, they decided to combine efforts. But DeVito pushed the beverage trail concept a step further, extending it to the Berkshires, because he and Furnace Brook Winery were already sending each other customers. In fact, said De Vito, “the Upper Hudson Valley and the Berkshires are inextricably linked. In the summer, we have customers in the summer who are coming out of Tanglewood and the Berkshires all the time. And it’s nothing for folks up here to go out to dinner in Pittsfield or Great Barrington.”
During the research phase for the trail, Carlo DeVito and his wife, Dominique, visited the Cooperstown Beverage Trail. Impressed, they used Cooperstown as a model for the HBBT. But Hudson-Berkshire plans to go its own, ambitious way. “We have a number of farms, creameries and CSAs around here, and we really want to form a trail that calls on the culinary firepower of the region,” said De Vito. Accordingly, associate and friend-of-trail memberships are available to compatible businesses. Twin Maple Farm, “a pampered cow creamery” that has already signed on as a “friend” of the HBBT.
“We feel like this can become the ultimate culinary destination in the northeast,” DeVito says. Here! Here! —Christopher Matthews
Hudson Berkshire Beverage Trail Pasta and Sauce Event
Saturday, April 10; noon - 5:30 p.m.
Tickets may be purchased on day of tour at all participating trail locations
Trail passport/$15, includes tasting flights of wine, beer or spirits plus free pasta
Designated Driver Passport/$5, includes complimentary pasta
Individual locations/normal tasting fees apply
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Posted by Marilyn Bethany on 03/30/10 at 05:56 PM • Permalink
RI Selects: “Living with Wine” Book Signing
Every oenophile who doesn’t already have a wine cellar dreams of having one—the bigger the better. Whether you’re ready to build or just a voyeur, there are dozens of juicy, jaw-dropping photos in Living with Wine, the new book by design editor Samantha Nestor and award-winning wine writer Alice Feiring, which includes a magnificent cellar by Fred Tregaskis of New England Wine Cellars in Falls Village. The authors will be signing books on Saturday afternoon at Little Gates & Co., which will offer a tasting of Viennese wines at the same time.
Living with Wine book signing and wine tasting
Saturday, November 21, 2 - 5 p.m.
Little Gates & Co. Wine Merchants
Millerton, NY
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Posted by Dan Shaw on 11/20/09 at 02:23 PM • Permalink
Spirits: At a Recent Tasting, A Local Cider Ruled!
In England, the word “cider” (and, in France, “cidre”) describes a carbonated beverage containing alcohol—as little as 3% in France, as much as 8.5% in England (wine is usually between 11% and 14%). On this side of the Atlantic, a fermented cider is referred to as “hard cider,” to distinguish it from the unfermented, non-alcholic beverage children enjoy. But who wants anything that’s “hard”? Perhaps to skirt this subtle marketing concern, Hudson-Chatham Winery has given its cider a French name, Pomme Bullé—literally, apple bubble.
“Usually in France, it’s an aperitif,” says Dominique DeVito, who, with her husband Carlo, owns and operates Hudson-Chatham Winery. “They drink it when they come in from working in the fields. In both France and England, it’s a working man’s drink—meant to be refreshing, like a beer, just not as filling.”
Because their winery does not have the capacity to bottle carbonated beverages, the DeVitos have their Pomme Bullé made for them from Northern Spy apples and bottled to their specifications at Warwick Valley Winery, an hour south of here in the lower Hudson Valley.
At a recent tasting of three ciders at Little Gates & Company, wine merchants in Millerton, participants compared Pomme Bullé to two other ciders, an apple and a pear, both from a French producer. Hudson-Chatham Winery’s was the favorite, hands down. “That’s what they told me, anyhow,” says Dominique.
“We have always offered cider,” she continues. “It’s been part of our selection from the beginning. We wanted it because we love it ourselves, and because the Hudson Valley has so many apple growers.”
Like ordinary apple cider, Pomme Bullé tastes autumnal but is much less sweet. “There’s no question, it’s more popular at this time of year,” says Dominique. “It compliments fall foods— stews with root vegetables—and seasonal desserts, especially apple pie.” It also is an ideal foil for the savory-with-a-touch-of-sweet traditional Thanksgiving menu.
Hudson-Chatham Winery
1900 Route 66
Ghent, NY 518.392.WINE (9463)
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Posted by Marilyn Bethany on 11/04/09 at 12:23 PM • Permalink
Think Pink: Now Is The Time To Drink Rosé
Whether he is selling a $10 bottle of wine or a $1 million house, Andrew Gates wants to see people fall in love. As both a real-estate broker at Sotheby’s in Lakeville, CT, and a shopkeeper in Millerton, NY, he cultivates clients by paying attention to their specific tastes and needs. At Little Gates & Co. Wine Merchants, the two year-old shop he co-owns with Will Little (chairman of the Lakeville Journal Company), customers are encouraged to schmooze, ask questions, and hang out. In the front of the store, there’s a round table with a chess board and piles of books surrounded by four comfortable chairs. “We talk as much about books here as we talk about wine,” says Gates. He attributes the shop’s literary bent to writer Melissa Davis, who works at the store, and her husband, the author and raconteur Peter Richmond (The Glory Game: How the 1958 NFL Championship Changed Football Forever; Fever: The Life and Music of Miss Peggy Lee), who’s a familiar presence there.
Nevertheless, the number one topic of conversation right now is rosé, and a large table in the middle of the shop holds more than a dozen different gem-colored bottles with a small sign that proclaims THINK PINK. “Rosé is a visual wine,” says Gates. “It’s a beautiful wine to have when the sun is shining.”
With rosé, you can judge the wine by its color. “If it’s pale pink, then it’s going to be light and crisp,” says Gates. “If it’s darker, it’s going to be fleshy—you’ll have a sense of biting the grape.” He doesn’t sell the sweet Italian rosés that gave pink wines a bad reputation. “I am biased toward the Provençal rosés,” says Gates, who believes they pretty much go with anything you are going to eat this summer. “I am not a traditionalist when it comes to food pairings. I think you can drink rosé with lamb, and I would love to drink rosé with the fish tacos at the Harney tea room.” He’s high on Vin Gris de Cigare ($17), a California rosé, from Bonny Doon, which has an alien seduction scene on the label and an alien avatar on the cap. “This is a beautiful wine,” he says, noting that the most expensive rosé in the shop is a $30 Vin Gris of Pinot Noir from the Napa Valley’s Robert Sinskey. “It’s probably too expensive, but it’s a special wine with a limited allocation,” he says. “And the focus of our shop is grower-producer wines with a small level of production.”
You often see the crew at Little Gates with glasses in their hands. “We are not shy about tasting wines and opening bottles with our customers,” says Gates. “I can’t imagine selling wines any other way.” He prides himself on having an attentive sales staff and laments that many restaurants and retail businesses have indifferent customer service. “I think it’s not only bad business,” he says, “it’s bad humanity.”
He opens a bottle of Col di Luna ($17), a sparkling rosé from northern Italy. “It’s heavenly stuff,” he says as Davis emerges from the backroom with a platter of cheese and crackers. She describes sparkling rosé “as grown-up soda pop—it’s yummy.” Gates takes another sip and smiles broadly as if he’d swallowed pure joy. “Sparkling rosés are so delicious I can’t stand it!”
Little Gates Wine Merchants
56A South Center Street, Millerton, NY; 518.789.3899
Monday - Saturday 11 AM - 7 PM; Sunday 12 - 5 PM
