Not Your Average Riesling: The Story Behind the 2011 NYCR Finger Lakes Riesling of the Year
By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor To understand why the Hermann J. Wiemer 2010 Dry Riesling Reserve is such a special wine, it's important to understand that not all rieslings are created equally. Nor are all wines created easily. Winemaking...
Light Drinking During Pregnancy: What Does the Research Say?
By Evan Dawson, Managing Editor This is one of the most delicate subjects one can imagine, so when I set out to explore it, I knew I had to be thorough. The result is one of the longest, most exhaustive...
A Magical Finger Lakes Red, and Why it’s Gone Too Soon
By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor It had been two years since I last tasted the Damiani Wine Cellars 2007 Cabernet Franc, and I was down to my last bottle. On release, it was an impressive wine with depth, if...
Oak-Aged Riesling? In the Finger Lakes, it’s Starting to Happen. Here’s Why
By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor Two producers do not make a trend, but in any region there are trend-setters and trailblazers. In the Finger Lakes, Ravines Wine Cellars has been producing some of the strongest rieslings for the past...
The Finger Lakes 2011 Red Wines of the Year Finalists: Explaining the Diverse Selections
By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor Photos from our WoTY 2009 Tasting by Morgan Dawson I'm happy to see that the NYCR selections for Finger Lakes red wines of the year have generated a fair amount of feedback and debate....
Winery Websites: Not So Good, it Seems
By Evan Dawson, Managing Editor When you visit a winery's website, you're probably there for one simple reason. Either you want tasting room hours or the wine list or the winemaker's story. But whatever it is, you want it quickly...
Admitting What We Don’t Know: Aging Potential for New York Wines
By Evan Dawson, Managing Editor The other day I read a truly outstanding piece of wine writing by one of the most underrated writers in the field today. He's underrated probably because he's not actually in the wine writing field;...
Direct Flight from NYC to Finger Lakes Designed to Attract New Visitors
By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor In the days leading up to the recent announcement that Delta Air Lines will soon offer daily flights between New York City and Big Flats, Finger Lakes Wine Country President Morgen McLaughlin hinted at...
Will Climate Change Help the Finger Lakes Wine Industry? Here’s Why it Might
By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor I read an article this week that has me thinking about climate and winter and the Finger Lakes wine industry. We head into Christmas weekend on pace for the second-lowest snow total ever --...
What Should We Expect of Wine Writers? Short Visits, Thin Coverage, and Why Specialization Matters
By Evan Dawson, Managing Editor If you wanted to gain an understanding of what a winemaker is trying to accomplish, how long would you need? How many wines would you want to taste? How many steps would you need to...
Red Newt Prepares to Launch Deb Whiting Foundation with Kick-off Dinner Event this Friday
By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor Seats still remain for what Red Newt Bistro is billing as "the wine and food event of the season." This Friday, December 2, Red Newt Bistro host a special dinner that will raise funds...
Five Things I Learned From a Night of Bartending
By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor There is so much to learn from a single night of tending bar. On a recent Saturday, I was one of several bartenders for a charity fundraiser in Rochester. It was a farm-to-table event...
