by Richard Leahy | Feb 15, 2020 | Tastings/Evaluations, Virginia Wine, Winery Review
Cunningham Creek Winery, along with Thistle Gate Vineyard, both in Fluvanna County, are among the newest wineries in the Monticello AVA, since the re-drawing of the boundaries moved the eastern boundary from the Albemarle county line to follow the Rivanna River to...
by Richard Leahy | Nov 12, 2018 | Regions & Terroir, Winery Review
Part 1: Keuka Lake As I explained in my previous blog post, these are notes on my second trip this year to the Finger Lakes of central New York. It gave me a chance to visit wineries I’d missed on my previous trip, and also to taste the early releases of the lovely,...
by Richard Leahy | Jul 16, 2018 | Regions & Terroir, Tastings/Evaluations, Winery Review, Winery Visits
Hammondsport, the town in Steuben County on the southern edge of Keuka Lake, has a long-standing wine history. Gold Seal Vineyards (while it was still in business) proudly held the status “U.S. bonded winery #1” and posted this on the side of one of its buildings,...
by Richard Leahy | Jul 13, 2018 | Regions & Terroir, Tastings/Evaluations, Winery Review, Winery Visits
The first major winery you reach when driving north on Rt. 14 on the west side of Seneca Lake is Lakewood Vineyards, a family operation of three generations of the Stamps. The original Stamp family moved to Lakewood Farm in 1951, and planted grapes for the large grape...
by Richard Leahy | Jul 8, 2018 | Regions & Terroir, Tastings/Evaluations, Winery Review, Winery Visits
East Seneca Lake is an exciting place in the Finger Lakes, especially the southeast corner, known locally as the “banana belt” due to the heat it accumulates during the growing season where the lake is deepest and the hillsides catch the reflected sun....
by Richard | Dec 16, 2017 | Tastings/Evaluations, Winery Review
Thursday 12/14 I enjoyed dinner in Charlottesville with consulting viticulturist Lucie Morton, and a colleague of hers from Australia, Helen Waite. After enjoying some introductory tastes, I was asked to fetch a bottle from Lucie’s wine cellar. I couldn’t...
