LIWINEDAD

Summertime is here, and it is time to practice the art of grilling outdoors.  Pan-searing tuna during the winter months has been a staple in this household but taking it outdoors raises it to a new flavor level.  First, you need a magnificent fresh hunk of Tuna about one ¼ inch thick and a 1800 ⁰ F searing station as part of your Bar-B-Que.  Searing the Tuna steak on each side for about 2 minutes will be fine and leave a nice, rare center.  As each side of the Tuna turns golden brown, bast it with a mixture of Soy Sauce, Ginger, and Wasabi as a finishing glaze.  Next, plate the grilled Tuna on 1/4lb of Seaweed salad complemented with a ¼ lb. of Italian holiday salad.  The Tuna, Seaweed Salad, and Italian Holiday salad were all from New Wave Seafood .  In about 15 minutes, you have a complete Seafood dinner.  Enjoy.   TUNA DINNER

  Today is the second pickup for June.  We include a tasting at a new place for us, Rose Hill Vineyards (formally Shinn), and then on to four more drive-by pickups from Sannino Vineyards , Sparkling Pointe , Pellegrini Vineyards , and Terra Vite Vineyards [1].  On this expedition, we were a small group, only three of us including Jo, Carol, and myself.  We built-in time for a full tasting and small bites for lunch as we explored Rose Hill and the tasting menu .  Rose Hill is a new place for us, and it did not disappoint.  The wine, the small bites, and the view were all fabulous as borne out by us taking four bottles (3 – 2020 First Fruit, 1 Ro ś e 2020) [2] of wine with us.  This brief note does not do justice to what a fine place this is, and we will provide a much more detailed review a bit later.  The second stop was Sannino, where we picked up five different wines, including a 2020 Bianca white Merlot, 2020 Viognier, a 2020 Sauvignon Blanc, a 2020 Fresco white wine blend, and we

  Today's post is a follow-up tasting covering  Raphael's joint venture with Tellers Steakhouse as promoted by Northforker magazine ; what a combination for the north fork wine scene.   A fascinating posting popped up on the Northforker blog posting highlighting a joint venture between Raphael and Tellers, an American Chophouse ( Bohlsen Restaurant Group [Tellers, Prime, Central Market, Harbor Club, H 2 O, and Monsoon]).  Given this background, I acquired two bottles for Father’s Day as an extended tasting.  Through the work of Raphael's winemaker Anthony Nappa and Teller's Sommelier Paulo Villella , they have created Tellers Celebration Blend private label wine, which looks to be a Long Island version of a right bank Bordeaux. The blend leads with Merlot then Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc.   Raphael refers to this as a quintessential Bordeaux blend, and while the blend does contain all the classic grape varietals, the blend is somewhat

  Today was the first post COVID pickup of the 2021 season, as we were able to stop and enjoy a tasting along the way.  The crew this time consisted of Jo, Sister Mary, and Val, a new and good friend.  As I was the driver, I needed to be a bit circumspect in my tasting and limited myself to only an exceedingly small sip from time to time.  The trip was slower-paced with only three winery stops and lunch, as we will be returning next week to complete the June pickups.  First up was the Roanoke members' tasting room on Sound Avenue. Roanoke's members-only site is a charming place inside and outside; a large lawn with well-spaced seating leads down to the vineyard [1-7].  Roanoke is a members-only place, but as the commercial says, membership has its privileges. As is often the case on Long Island, the traffic is quite variable, so one tends to arrive early or late but rarely on time.  On this occasion, we were about 20 minutes ahead of the open. A Roanoke team member greeted us

W ö lffer Summer in a bottle Rośe 2020 is a fusion of reds and whites blended from Merlot (48.5%), Chardonnay (17%), Cabernet Sauvignon (13%), Cabernet Franc (13%), Gew ü rztraminer (3%), Sauvignon Blanc (3%), Pinot Meunier (2%), and a dash of Pinot Blanc (0.5%).  The chardonnay component in this blend is light, and there is no mention of Oak.   Both Jo and I are not big fans of Chardonnay, especially if heavily oaked, so we approached the wine with a bit of caution.  The color is a light pink closer to a copper color.  The nose is clean with rich fruits such as red berries.  On the palate, the wine has a medium mouthfeel with a moderate finish.  The acid balance is excellent and will pair well with rich seafood such as Scallops and Blue Point Oysters.  The Chardonnay component, while present, did not dominate so, this was a winner for Jo and me.  The Ro ś e is a dry, crisp wine with characteristic Long Island minerality perfect for a leisurely summer afternoon when served well chille

  Today's post is a twofer covering both Raphael's June Club delivery and their joint venture with Tellers Steakhouse as promoted by Northforker magazine ; what a combination for the north fork wine scene.    Today club consisted of six wines split between three reds and three whites.   The whites included a 2017 First Label S é millon.   This grape has a long history and is the third most commonly planted grape in France, where it is a crucial blending component in White Bordeaux.   It’s taste profile is usually similar to Pinot Gris or Sauvignon Blanc but with a fuller body and mouthfeel.   Second, in the white trio is the 2020 Sauvignon Blanc New York State white wine which I will take to mean that not all the grapes are from a Long Island AVA.   Lastly in the whites is the 2018 First Label Sauvignon Blanc, which appears to hail from the North Fork AVA.   I am looking forward to tasting and describing them in detail, especially to explore the difference between the two S

  Our W ö lffer Estate June selection has arrived, a beautiful selection of 8 bottles of 4 different wines from one of the few south fork wineries.   The wines will be tasted and enjoyed soon, but for now, here is a list of what arrived, including a sneak peek at them.    Summer in a bottle Ro ś e 2020, Grandioso Ro ś e 2020 , Own rooted Merlot Ro ś e, and Summer in a bottle white 2020 . First, a note on tasting this wine, as Jo and I are both not fans of Chardonnay's flavor profile, especially if it has touched Oak; some of these blends may not be our personal favorites. However, in no way should this be a reflection on the wine but rather our taste preferences.   Summer in a bottle Ro ś e 2020 is a fusion of reds and whites blended from Merlot(48.5%), Chardonnay(17%), Cabernet Sauvignon(13%), Cabernet Franc(13%), Gew ü rztraminer(3%), Sauvignon Blanc(3%), Pinot Meunier(2%), and a dash of Pinot Blanc(0.5%).   The chardonnay component in this blend is light, and there is no men

 We here on Long Island pay some of the highest taxes and sometimes wonder what we get in return.  One place that I can see my tax dollars going, and for a good reason, is the park behind my house.  I took an early morning stroll to capture all the pictures before most people showed up as this is a busy and well-used town park.  It is well maintained, and except for too many geese sometimes, it is a beautiful place to play.  In addition to the Canada Geese are Egrets, Cormorants, and Quaker Parrots. The Parrots are an invasive species, and they have taken over the park, building Parrot Condominiums in most trees and the tops of stadium lamp poles.  However, nature does have a way of compensating for this invasion.  We now have large blackbirds returning to the park and breaking into the Parrott condos to enjoy some eggs for breakfast.  In addition, the raptors are returning, circling overhead, and diving down to capture a green feathered lunch.  On one occasion, a large Hawk sat on our