Long Island Wine - Get It While It's Hot

Filed in archive Wine Tasting on April 12, 2007

New York has all kinds of wineries, and Long Island is not exception. Wine lover and writer Lenn Thompson, in fact, says that now is the time to jump on some of the good grape juice coming from this region because if you wait too long, you might miss out, especially on some of the smaller produced wines such as Gewurztraminer produced by Corey Creek Vineyards. Hundreds of bottles sound like a lot until you realize that only equates to a few hundred wine drinkers and it's g-o-n-e.

Where and What to Taste This Weekend:

Lieb Family Cellars has long been the source of one of my favorite sparkling wines, so I was happy to see that they have disgorged and released another batch of their 2003 Blanc de Blancs ($37). Made 100% from the pinot blanc grape, it doesn't have the heavy yeasty character that some people don't like. It's fresh, clean and delicious. Taste it while you can - maybe with their 3rd annual Oyster Fest every Sunday this month.

Every year, Corey Creek Vineyards makes some of the best Gewurztraminer this side of Alsace and the 2006 vintage - released last weekend - continues that tradition. This is an enchanting, aromatic wine that offers fresh flowers, peach and lychee flavors from start to finish. Gewurztraminer can be a love-it-or-leave-it grape because of it's perfumed character and relatively low acidity, but this wine avoids both, showing excellent balance as well as flavor. They made fewer than 170 cases, so it won't last long - even at $30.

Corey Creek is also pouring a super-fresh rose that seems perfect for springtime sipping and a rich, cherry-filled cabernet franc that is another favorite.

[...] The last wine I want to mention is Paumanok Vineyards' 2006 Festival Chardonnay ($12), reared completely in stainless steel tanks. One of the freshest wines I've tasted of late, it offers bright citrus and peach aromas on a lively nose. Tasted well chilled, the acidity was a little too harsh, but when properly cool, this medium-bodied white offers lemon-lime flavors-vaguely reminiscent of Sprite-and subtle hints of pineapple. Drink this with fresh seafood this summer in place of a squirt of lemon.