Showing posts with label #rose. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #rose. Show all posts

Saturday, June 13, 2020

New York Finger Lakes Wines – Lonesome Stony Rose and Fox Run Rieslings Paired with Quick-Prepped Seafood #WinePW

Wines from New York Finger Lakes are no stranger to wine lovers in the US and globally due to their world-class quality and the diverse wine portfolio the region has to offer. While Rieslings are the Finger Lakes’ signature variety, other varieties such as Cabernet Franc, Gewurztraminer, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Lemberger have been added to the mix. Thanks to Linda Whipple from My Full Wineglass, some #WinePW bloggers are very lucky to receive samples from the wineries in Finger Lakes. In this super exciting wine delivery, I received Fox Run’s Silvan off-dry Riesling and Semi-dry Riesling and Stony Lonesome’s Cab Franc Rose. The best way to enjoy these awesome wines, in my opinion, is to pour myself a full glass while eating some quick-prepped seafood and watching the sunset at the beach.

New York Finger Lakes Wine Region

The Finger Lakes wine region in New York is the home of 140 wineries. It is located south to Rochester and Syracuse, encompassing over 9,000 square miles and including the 11 Finger Lakes, part of Lake Ontario and a section of the Erie Canal.

New York Finger Lakes (Photo Credit: Finger Lakes Wines Alliance)

There are three AVAs designated in this region - Finger Lakes AVA, Cayuga Lake AVA and Seneca Lake AVA, which were established since 1982. The four main lakes of the Finger Lakes AVA include Canandiauga Lake, Keuka Lake, Seneca Lake and Cayuga Lake.  Each lake showcases its own unique viticulture characteristics and resulting unique flavor profiles. 

Photo Credit: Finger Lakes Wine Alliance

The Finger Lakes were carved out by successive waves of glaciers for hundreds and thousands of years. These large and deep freshwater lakes and the soil deposits surrounding them are the Mother Nature’s gifts to modern winemaking, forming the foundation of cool-climate wines in this region. The soil types include grain size distribution and protolith composition, with the presence of clay and limestone in the subsurface. Grain size and texture mainly affect drainage, a critical parameter of vineyard performance.

The average temperature of much of central New York is too low for wine production. Most of the vineyards in the Finger Lakes AVA are located close to the lakes, particularly the deeper ones such as Seneca Lake, benefiting from their moderating effect on temperature and precipitation, known informally as the "lake effect." The effect brings warmer minimum temperatures in the Winter and cooler maximum temperature in the Summer.

Silvan Riesling: subtle oak on nose and palate, off-dry, lime peel, wet slate, almond, yeasty and creamy
Semi-dry Riesling: tropical fruit on the nose and palate, zesty, moderate-sweet

Fox Run Vineyards – Drink Wine, Be Happy

Fox Run Vineyards started its first grapes planting in 1984. Ten years later, Scott Osborn and his first business partner, Andy Hale purchased the winery from the Wildricks. In 2012, Scott and Ruth Osborn teamed up with Ruth’s sister and brother-in-law (Kathleen and Albert Zafonte) to make Fox Run Vineyards exclusively family owned. Now with 50 acres of east-facing vineyards on glacial soils, the winery produces a remarkable range of limited-production estate wines. As a certified lake friendly farm since 2002, the vineyard practices have no negative impact on the water quality of Seneca Lake. They minimize herbicide use and add nutrients back into our soils through regenerative farming techniques.

The 2018 Silvan Riesling (SRP$25) spent time in small oak barrels during fermentation. Malolactic fermentation was avoided and no lees stirring was deployed, resulting in a complex aroma and creamy mouthfeel in this Riesling.

The 2017 Semi-Dry Riesling (SRP$14) was fermented in stainless steel tank at moderate temperatures, using three different yeast strains. The wines were chilled just before reaching dryness to leave a small dose of sugar for sweetness.

3 Brothers Wineries - BOLD. BRAZEN. BRILLIANT.

3 Brothers Wineries was founded by Dave and Luanne Mansfield in 2006. Since then, the estate has expanded business into microbrewery and café, drawing over 150,000 visitors per year. Innovation and providing great customer experiences – “We’ve got something for everyone” become part of 3 Brothers’ strategies. In 2019 they have released 375 ml canned wine spritzers to tap on the trends of alcoholic canned drinks market.

Cab Franc Rose: dry, floral on the nose and palate, honey, lime, medium-mouthfeel, long finish

The 2019 Stony Lonesome Cab Franc Rose (SRP$18) was overnight-soaked prior to pressing, allowing for the vibrant red color to infuse from the skins while not catching too much textural phenolics to extract and heavy tannins.


Quick-Prepped Seafood – 15 Minutes Work

Indulging in these beautiful wines at the beach, I really don’t want to slave myself cooking-wise. A brief trip to the nearby Asian grocery store gave me quick and fool-proof pairing ideas. The quick-prepped menu is crawfish quick-boiled in Cajun seasoning, sautéed fresh mussel with a drizzle off-dry Riesling, and shrimp wonton noodles.

Crawfish tastes like a lobster and looks like a miniature one too. It’s super affordable, at the price of around $5 per pound. The prep instructions are like boiling lobsters. When the water is boiling, add some Cajun seasoning to it before dropping the crawfish in. Once the water is boiled again, the crawfish is cooked. This is by far my favorite way of cooking crawfish - spicy, salty, and finger-licking good. The presentation of crawfish is so picture perfect too!

Sautéing mussel is a fool-proof recipe. Start with a bit olive oil in the frying pan and cook the crushed garlic until golden brown. Add in the mussel until it opens up. Drizzle the Riesling that you have in your glass to get the sizzle. Here we go, I can’t think of anything else that’s as effortless and as good for the Rieslings you are drinking.

Shrimp wonton noodle gives you a bit carb for the dinner. I found the pre-made shrimp wonton noodle bowls in Costco very authentic and convenient. If you need to make your own, use any ramen noodle you have in your pantry. Prepare it according to the package instructions. For the shrimp wonton, you could buy the wonton wrappers  in the grocery store, wrap with de-shelled shrimps that are seasoned with a bit salt and sesame oil. Pre-made shrimp wontons are also widely available in the frozen aisle of the Asian grocery store.

When cooking is so effortless, you can relax, chill and sip these beautiful wines that are so good with the seafood.

Disclaimer: wines are samples. Opinions and ideas are my own.

To see what other wine bloggers are pairing their Finger Lakes wines, check out the following: 
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Saturday, November 9, 2019

#Texasfinewine Pedernales GSM, Rosé, Viognier with Dim Sum #WinePW

The #WinePW blogger friends are taking a wine journey to Texas with Cam of the Culinary Adventures with Cam in the month of November. I was fortunate to taste some Texas wines in May in New York City when some of the producers visited. While I was very impressed with the quality of the wines I tasted, the wines from this state, for the most part, are still very new to me. Thanks to Michelle of the Rockin Red Blog for sourcing the samples from the Texas Fine Wine, I was able to obtain some fine wines from the Pedernales Cellars and to have a deeper dive into what Texas wines are truly about. To add more fun, I’m going to savor these Pedernales Rosé, Viognier, and GSM with Dim Sum.

The story of Pedernales Cellars began with Larry and Jeanine Kuhlken, who planted their first vineyard near Fredericksburg, central Texas in the early 1990s. During this time, Texas wine pioneers worked with different grape varietals and viticulture practices, to help master winemaking in the Texas terroir. The Kuhlken was no exception and has started producing consistently high-quality fruit with bold, intense flavors over time. In 2005, David and Julie, the children of Larry and Jeanine, began plans for what would become Pedernales Cellars, developing the concept for a boutique winery focused on handcrafted, small-lot wines, and working with varietals that thrive in the rugged Texas Hill Country terrain.

Using only Texas grapes that’s suited to grow in the terrain and to make wines that’s truly Texas, Pedernales is still able to grow a wide array of grapes such as Tempranillo, Viognier, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Albarino, Vermentino, Cinsault, Malbec, Touriga Nacional, Bordeaux and Italian varieties and to present an impressively large wine portfolio.

Let’s have a taste of their 2018 Over the Moon Rosé, 2017 Viognier Reserve and 2017 GSM Melange.

2018 Over the Moon Rosé (SRP$30)
While “Over the Moon” can be interpreted into so many beautiful things, this wine label here is to celebrate the love and commitment of the founders of Kuhlken, Larry and Jeanine who have been married for 50 years. One cool fact is that they met while working for NASA on the Apollo 11 mission and have been together ever since. This wine is a Rhone-style dry Rosé that has pronounced red fruit flavors like strawberry, bing cherry and raspberry as well as a long finish with replays of minerality. It’s medium-bodied and has a creamy texture that’s versatile with food.
Pedernales Viognier with Siu Mai, Shrimp Dumplings and Spring Rolls
2017 Viognier Reserve (SRP$40)
Pedernales’ Viognier brought home multiple awards and I know why after tasting this fine wine. On the nose, the Viognier is floral with strong scents of honeysuckle. As you sip, a hint of mango captures your attention, the stone fruit flavors like peach, apricot and pear follow, and a light taste of creamy orange sherbet wraps up the whole experience. With a portion of this wine finishing fermentation in new French Oak barrels, there is a delicate balance of vanilla and warm spice notes coming through to enrich the body of this wine. A complex yet friendly wine to discover!
Pedernales GSM with Beef Balls and Chicken Feet
2017 Texas GSM Melange (SRP$35)
The ‘GSM’ red blend is made from Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre and it’s a classic from the Côtes du Rhône region. This Melange is a fun but mysterious one. Initially, it’s a bit floral on the nose, but with a few sips, it unfolds its dark fruit, cocoa, and smokiness that are more the classic traits of GSM.

What is Dim Sum?
Dim sum is a style of Chinese cuisine, specifically Cantonese. It is prepared as small bite-sized portions of food served in steamer baskets or on plates. It’s like the concept of Spanish tapas when people can taste a wide variety of food when it’s served in small portions. Dim sum dishes are traditionally served with tea as brunch but have evolved as 24/7 good eats in large or small Chinese-style eateries in a bigger city. Dim Sum and wine pairings are also featured by some sophisticated Chinese/Asian restaurants which have a solid wine menu.

For my home pairing purpose, I bought these Dim Sum dishes from the frozen aisle, the bakery and the hot buffet table of the Asian grocery store. Typically, the picture on the frozen packages will give you a very good idea of what’s inside, making the shopping experience a bit easy once you locate the frozen aisle. So what Dim Sum do you need to buy? Think about what you like - seafood, meat, and pastries/buns, and prepare (e.g., steam, fry, microwave) in accordance with the instructions on the package. Let’s take a look at the simple list that forms the basic Dim Sum dishes below:
  • Shrimp dumpling (Har Gow): steam shiny, translucent shrimp dumpling
  • Siu Mai: steam shrimp and pork filling in a smaller ravioli-like wrapper, usually atop with a bit crab or fish roe 
  • Spring roll: fried spring rolls
  • Beef balls: steam seasoned ground beef
  • Chicken feet (Fung Jeow): chicken feet. They are usually stir-fried in black bean source and oyster sauce and then steamed. If you can overcome the idea of eating chicken feet, this is a truly flavorful dish.
  • Assorted Hong Kong-style baked buns: in lieu of the steam buns, I often like to add the baked buns in my Dim Sum party at home as they are sweet and can be served as desserts. These buns are closer to the French- or Japanese-style bakery eats that are fluffy and not too sweet. While these baked buns come in so many flavors nowadays, I always stick with the traditional ones like “cocktail buns” (coconut paste inside), “pineapple” buns (crumbling sweet flour/sugar toppings) and fresh cream buns
Hong Kong Style Buns (top left)
These Dim Sum dishes work beautifully with the featured wines from the Pedernales Cellars as the Rosé works really well with the spring rolls and the baked buns. While the Viognier is a no brainer to the shrimp dumplings and Siu Mui. I’m particularly fond of the GSM with the beef balls and chicken feet. The best part of the meal is to finish the wines until the very last drop in every bottle even when the Dim Sum is long gone!

Disclaimer: wines are samples. Ideas and opinions are mines.

Check out my blogger friends’ posts and see what they pair their Texas fine wines with:

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