Scenes from contemporary and classical theater is coming to Suffolk County by way of Martha Clara Vineyards on Saturday, November 15th.  For the very affordable price of $25 you will not only be treated to some fine entertainment (including music,) but you will also receive a complimentary glass of wine. 

For more information call 631-477-2972

This post has been reproduced from our friends over at LENNDEVOURS

I love when I taste a Long Island red with complexity and substance… especially when I find out later that it’s only $16 at the winery (and no-doubt available for under $15 at shops).

One such wine is Jamesport Vineyards’ East End Series Cinq. It’s a kitchen sink blend of merlot, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, syrah and pinot noir that surprisingly doesn’t taste like a bunch of leftovers thrown together.

Medium crimson red in the glass, there are nice, fairly effusive aromas of black cherry preserves, blackberries, black pepper spice and even a subtle smoked meat component that is interesting.

Medium bodied with soft tannins and just a little acidity the flavors are very similar to the nose with maybe a bit more smoke and oak apparent.

It’s not a mind-blowing wine. It’s not going to set the world ablaze or knock you over the head… but that’s a good thing. This is a good every day local red.  

Producer: Jamesport Vineyards
AVA: North Fork of Long Island
Price: $16
Rating:

About Lenn Thompson:

Lenn a proud Pittsburgh, PA native, moved to Long Island
nearly a decade ago and promptly fell in love with the region’s dynamic and
emerging wine industry. An Internet marketing guru by profession, he founded LENNDEVOURS.com, his wine
blog, in early 2004 to share his passion for the wines of New York with his
readers. It has since grown into the premier source for New York wine commentary, tasting notes and news.

Formerly the editor of the Long Island Wine Gazette and contributor to Edible Brooklyn, he serves as the wine columnist for Edible East End,  Hamptons.com and Dan’s Papers in the Hamptons. He is also a regional editor for Appellation America
covering the Long Island and Hudson River Valley regions. He lives in
Sound Beach, NY with his wife Nena, son Jackson and trusty beagle, Ben
Roethlisbeagle.

This post has been reproduced from LENNDEVOURS:

I’m happy to announce that we’ve nailed down all but one detail for the first LENNDEVOURS Wine Bar event at Roanoke Vineyards on Sunday, October 19 at 2 p.m.

Who: You, I hope
What: LENNDEVOURS Quarterly Wine Bar
When: Sunday, October 19 from 2-5 p.m.
Where: Roanoke Vineyards (Map)
Why: To enjoy some delicious wine with great people and raise money for charity.

Tickets are $10 when purchased in advance (call 631.727.4161) or $15 at the door. That ticket gets you the opportunity to preview two unreleased wines: Roanoke Vineyard’s 2005 Gabby’s Field Cabernet Franc and Lieb Family Cellars’ 2007 Pinot Blanc.

We’ll also have Mediterranean-style food to nibble on, discounts on wines by the glass and by the bottle, raffles for Roanoke Vineyards library wines and some ‘Sonis Cellars (my own label) wines too.

I plan to do some live blogging at the event and will also be recording some video as well. I can’t tell you who yet, but there is also a very good chance that a prominent wine industry member (not from Long Island) will be in attendance as well.

This is just the first of what we hope will be a quarterly event. Best of all, net proceeds will go to charity each time.

Space is limited, so call 631.727.4161 today and buy your tickets today.

Bridge Urban Winery, which recently moved from the east end of Long Island to a great spot in Brooklyn has recently introduced a private wine dinner.  The next two dates for these special dinners are on Wednesday, August 20th and the following week on Wednesday, August 27th. 

Offering a three-course, wine paired meal for the affordable and attractive price of $45 (or $65 for a four-course meal), Bridge takes the local food scene to the next level.  Combining local ingredients and local wine, you’ll sample the best of what’s around.

Click here to view the sample menu and the event notice.

Reservations can be made by e-mail or via phone at 718-384-2800.

If you join Baiting Hollow’s wine club, you’ll be able to enjoy some of their finest wines where it’s convenient for you, at home.  With delivery straight to your door as often as you choose, you’ll have the opportunity to enjoy what they are best known for.  As a member of their wine club, you’ll also enjoy 10%-15% off of their regular wine prices, 10% discounts on food from their online and in-house store, a free wine tasting, a free walking tour of the vineyard and much, much more.

Click here to sign up.

From LENNDEVOURS.com:

"Brooklyn Uncorked was a lot of fun this year. And I mean a lot of fun.

How could it not be? You have 30 Long Island wineries, a half dozen breweries, a couple cheese shops, several restaurants and a lot of great, food-beer-and-wine-loving people in a great space in Brooklyn. Can it get much better?

Well, I guess they could have actually intermingled the restaurants and other food vendors among the wineries so you didn’t have to go downstairs to get most of the food, but that’s a minor complaint in the grand scheme of things.

Even though this was only the second edition of Brooklyn Uncorked, I’m comfortable saying that it is already the best Long Island tasting of the year. There isn’t a better way to taste over 100 Long Island wines in a matter of a few hours.

With so many great drinks and eats, it’d be silly of me to try highlight all of the ones that I enjoyed, but here are a few of the best and most interesting finds.

Ever heard of Bouke’ the North Fork’s newest producer? Neither had I until I spotted their unfamiliar labels from across the room. Don’t feel bad though, Bouke’s founder, Brooklynite Lisa Donneson used Brookyn Uncorked as her label’s coming out party, pouring a dry rose and white table blend. She expects to release her lone red, a blend, in the winter. Bouke’, pronounced the way bouquet is, aims to make affordable wines that can be opened any night of the week, and we dig that here at LENNDEVOURS. Donneson thinks that wine should be an “everyday pleasure for the senses.” Gilles Martin, formerly of Martha Clara Vineyards, makes the wines.

The rose ($15), a blend of cabernet sauvignon and merlot, is satisfying and certainly seasonally appropriate. The white ($18), a mélange of chardonnay, pinot gris, sauvignon blanc and Gewurztraminer is floral and citrusy. It seems best suited to ocean- or pool-side duty. Full reviews are coming once I taste them blind here at LENNDEVOURS HQ.

Another wine that impressed for less than $20 was Martha Clara Vineyards’ 2007 Pinot Grigio ($16). Fresh, clean and citrusy, it’s a darn near perfect summer sipper. Just don’t think too hard about it (it’s not that kind of wine) and don’t expect the same boring lemon-water flavors of cheap Italian pinot grigio. This one has more depth and mouthfeel. New winemaker Juan Micieli-Martinez’s attention to detail—both in the vineyard and in the winery—is on display in this, his first release at Martha Clara. His 2007 Viognier isn’t released yet, but it’s a definite improvement on the last vintage as well.

One of the more interesting wines of the afternoon came from Roanoke Vineyards. Their 2005 Blend One won’t be released for a while, but it features 52% Malbec (the 04 bottling is heavy on cabernet franc). That Malbec dominates the nose with plum and anise, but by blending it with merlot, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc, some of the heavy, tar-like flavors sometimes associated with Malbec are smoothed out. Red production was a little low for Roanoke in 2004, but this is a wine worth keeping and eye out for.

Two more reds from 2005, a meritage-style blend and a merlot, were also impressive at the Osprey’s Dominion Vineyards table.

I also enjoyed, in no particular order: Shinn Estate Vineyards 2005 Cabernet Franc, Macari Vineyards 2007 Sauvignon Blanc, Paumanoke Vineyards 2007 Late Harvest Riesling, Long Island Meadery Pear Ceyser, Wolffer Estate Vineyards 2005 Reserve Merlot, Southampton Publick House Abbott 12, Sixpoint Craft Ales Righteous Rye, Sixpoint Craft Ales Nuthouse Brown, everything at the Channing Daughters table, Bedell Cellars First Crush Red.

If you didn’t make it this year, you should really try to make it in 2009. It’s a great, fun event."