A little while ago I started hearing about a wine region in New York State called Finger Lakes. According to the Finger Lakes Wine Country website: “Finger Lakes Wine Country is a deep taste of a pure, refreshing environment, a leisurely discovery of postcard-perfect towns, and an experience of warm, genuine makers and crafters of world-class wines, beers, and spirits who like nothing better than to share the secrets and stories of a wine country unlike any other. It’s a place where you can come thirsty for knowledge about Riesling or Cabernet, and—beginner or expert—ask us anything!”
Being the curious wine lover that I am, always looking to discover new wine regions or unusual varietals, I thought I should go check it out. But then of course, we got hit with a global pandemic so there went any travel plans for 2020! So I was quite excited when I came across a post from Sips Toronto on Facebook advertising a virtual wine tasting featuring 6 wines from New York:
Featured Wines – all available at the LCBO: ▸ Wagner Dry Riesling 2017 ▸ Hosmer Chardonnay 2017 ▸ Sheldrake Point Rosé 2019 ▸ Channing Daughters Rosso Fresco 2018 ▸ Dr. Konstantin Frank Old Vines Pinot Noir 2017 ▸ Boundary Breaks Cabernet Franc 2018
I was really impressed when the kit arrived. In addition to the 6 regular bottles, we also received a smaller tasting bottle for each wine specifically for the virtual wine tasting event. Wow! How thoughtful! The event was then moderated by sommelier Melissa Stunden in conversation with a representative from each featured winery:
▸ John Wagner, Wagner Vineyard ▸ Julia Hoyle, Hosmer ▸ Dave Bredeen, Sheldrake Point ▸ Christopher James Tracy, Channing Daughters ▸ Meaghan Frank, Dr. Konstantin Frank ▸ Bruce Murray, Boundary Breaks
It was a fun and engaging event as participants got to ask questions and the passion of the moderator and panellists was obvious. You can view the recording of the event by clicking this link: https://newyorkwines.org/virtual-tastings/taste-new-york-virtual-wine-tasting-meet-the-makers/
Which was my favourite? I truly liked all six wines and the Rosso Fresco from Channing Daughters stood out – a red blend of 64% Merlot, 26% Cabernet Franc, 6% Blaufrankisch and 4% Dornfelder. Interestingly, this winery is located in Long Island.
Unfortunately, these six wines are not available at the SAQ, the liquor stores in the province where I live, but they are available at the LCBO, the liquor stores in the province next to the one where I live. Perfect excuse for a road trip before travelling to the States is once again allowed.