Previous Issues of the Newsletter
Summer 2000
Lamoreaux Landing 8th Anniversary Picnic
It's time to celebrate at our 8th anniversary picnic - Sunday, August 27, 12 noon to 5 p.m, on the scenic grounds of our winery overlooking beautiful Seneca Lake in Lodi, New York. Our award winning wines will be featured along with a great picnic lunch offered by Watkins Glen's Glen Mountain Market & Café. Or if you wish, bring your own picnic lunch to savor with our fine wines. While you are enjoying the spectacular view and your meal, you will be treated to the great, live, "world music" sounds of Mectapus (see the events page for more about the band.)
Lamoreaux Landing wines will be available for purchase by the glass and by the bottle, but of course free tastings will be offered in our tasting room to help you decide which of our wines you prefer with your Glen Mountain Market picnic lunch or your own cuisine. So mark August 27 on your calendar for a wonderful day of good food, fine wine, enjoyable company, great music, and fabulous scenery. It's all on the grounds of the Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars.
Admission is $5.00 in advance, $6.50 at the door, plus sales tax, Glen Mountain picnic lunch and wines extra. Order advance tickets by Monday, August 21 by using the online order form. Tickets will be mailed to you prior to the event.
Please remember to bring your own chairs and blankets. This is an outdoor event. We will provide tents.
Early arriving picknickers gather around the hospitality tent at the annual anniversary celebration.
Vineyard Report
Stephen Devaney, Assistant Vineyard ManagerAs the growing season began, the vineyard crew was busy planting a new vineyard of Merlot and Pinot Noir vines. Demand for high quality red vinifera wines from the Finger Lakes is high, and these two varieties, along with Cabernet Franc, really seem to thrive in the climate and soil along Seneca Lake. A wet spring helped to ease any stress on these young vines caused by the previous two dry summers, and they are growing very well.
As spring turned into summer, we began to manipulate all the established vines in order to improve the quality of the fruit they will produce. We use a system of movable catch wires to keep all the foliage growing straight up.
Kelley O'Neill adjusts a catch wire on a vineyard trellis.This allows us to remove the leaves around the grape clusters in order to improve sun exposure and increase the ability of the vine to properly ripen the fruit. We also secure the tips of the growing shoots at the top of the trellis to prevent them from falling over and shading the fruit.
As the fall approaches, it will be time to prepare for the first harvest of the new century. After three consecutive outstanding growing seasons, we would like nothing more than to continue the trend into the 2000 vintage.
Lamoreaux Landing Wines Win Accolades and Awards
Tom Stevenson, noted wine book author and magazine writer, wrote in the May 2000 issue of Decanter magazine after a visit to the Finger Lakes Appellation, "there is no doubt that New York has the potential to produce fine sparkling wine. One winery that looks set to rise above the rest is Lamoreaux Landing", Stevenson added, "I have no doubt whatsoever that Lamoreaux Landing is a class player."
Awards in recent competitions include Lamoreaux Landing's 1998 Merlot and 1999 Gewürztraminer winning Gold Medals at the 2000 Great Lakes Great Wine Competition. At that same competition our 1998 Cabernet Franc, 1998 Riesling and 1998 Semi-Dry Riesling took Silver Medals. At the 2000 Tasters Guild International our 1998 Pinot Noir, 1997 Chardonnay, 1998 Semi-Dry Riesling, Estate White and Estate Red all took Silver Medals
Wine Glass Selection
Although wine can be served in almost any glass or cup, there are some advantages to using certain glasses for red, white and sparkling wines.
One of the most important aspects of a good glass for wine is its stem. A longish stem allows the taster to hold the glass without touching its bowl, which contains the wine. The wine will then not be warmed by the taster's hand. Another component of a proper wineglass is a slightly narrow rim, which allows the glass to be swirled to release the wine's aromas with less chance of spilling.
Traditionally, red wine is served in a balloon glass, which allows a larger surface area for the aromas to be released and the wine to "breathe".
Still white wines are often served in a tulip glass. The slightly smaller surface area allows white wines to stay chilled a bit longer because less of the wine is directly exposed to warm room temperature.
Sparkling wines are best served in flutes, which are tall and slender. This shape concentrates the bubbles in a small area allowing them to effervesce straight up the sides of the glass. Although some enjoy their sparklers in a saucer shaped glass, bubbles don't seem to last as long in them.
Perhaps most important is that whichever glass is used, the glass be very clean and without soap residue. The only bubbles in a glass should be those produced by a fine sparkling wine. Enjoy!
A Word About Plastic Glasses - while I don't ever recommend plastic as a wine glass choice, if plastic is used, it should be recycled and not reused. It is nearly impossible to clean and rinse these "glasses" well enough to do justice to a good wine.
Taming the Acid in Wine
Malo-lactic FermentationOne of the processes that can take place during winemaking is something called malo-lactic fermentation. It occurs when malic acid (derived from the word malus or apples) is converted to lactic acid, the acid found in some milk products. Like most fruit, grapes contain acid. Allowing wine to go through malo-lactic fermentation reduces the total acidity of the wine by nearly one half. The wine then becomes less tart. It would be much the same as changing the tartness of a green apple to the tartness of yogurt.
This acid conversion is not the only thing that may be going on. Many subtle complexities may be introduced into the wine's flavor and bouquet, making the wine more enjoyable. Depending on the climate where the grapes are grown and their variety, malo-lactic fermentation can mean the difference between making a good wine and a great wine.
Wine Varieties and Malo-lactic Fermentation The following Lamoreaux Landing wine varieties generally are put through malo-lactic fermentation:
- Pinot Noir
- Cabernet Franc
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Estate Red
- Chardonnay Reserve
- Chardonnay
Rieslings and Gewürztraminer are generally not put through malo-lactic fermentation because much of their enjoyment is derived from their crisp, slightly tart flavors, which would be diminished by the process.
Matching Food with Wine from Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars
1998 Merlot
Pork Loin Grilled over Grape Vines
Serves 4Lamoreaux Landing's barrel-aged 1998 Merlot works perfectly with citrusy pork grilled over grape vine cuttings. This supple Merlot shares the signature forward berry flavors of many Finger Lakes' wines, and its hints of chocolate and oaky vanilla bring out the herb flavors of pork roast with lots of parsley.
Woody grape vine prunings give a mild smoky flavor to meats and vegetables. Dry the prunings for a month or longer, then soak a generous handful in water for several hours. Hickory or oak will also give this roast a fine flavor, though you'll want to use less.
Thick Vidalia onion slices (insert three toothpicks radially to hold them in one piece) and slabs of red sweet pepper complement this roast. Sprinkle the vegetables with olive oil, pepper, and a seasoned salt before grilling, and don't worry if they get somewhat charred.
Pork:
1-1/2 - 2 lb. pork loin, center cut, in one piece
Marinade:Light and heat charcoal in a kettle grill until it's evenly covered with ash; mound charcoal on one side of grill. Place a large handful of soaked grape vine cuttings on coals, place pork over vines, cover grill, and cook for three minutes. Turn pork over, grill for three more minutes, then move pork to coolest part of grill. Cook for ten more minutes, turning after five minutes, and cook until an instant read thermometer reads 145 degrees. Remove from fire and let sit covered loosely with foil for five minutes before carving. Serve with the grilled vegetables, French bread, a salad with lemon dressing, and small pasta sauced simply with olive oil, chopped parsley, and pepper.
Grady Wells is a writer and radio producer living in Ithaca, N.Y.
