LIWINEDAD

  Now, with all the second-quarter wine in stock, it is time for some home cooking to pair with the wine.  The seafood and other ingredients came from New Wave Seafood and Stew Leonards-East Meadow , as fresh ingredients are essential.   The Shrimp are six large ones mounted on 2 Rosemary infused Olive oil-coated bamboo skewers.   Then using the assembled   Shrimp, sprinkle them with a dash of Old Bay , spray with EVOO, and set them aside to rest in the fridge for several hours.   The Asparagus is young pencil size with about 1 ½ inch of the bottoms cut off (reserve ends for soup).   The marinate consisted of an envelope of Kraft Good Seasoning Zesty Italian salad dressing mix, Persian Lime infused EVOO and well-aged White Balsamic Vinegar .   The Asparagus was marinated in the mixture for at least 4 hours.   Next, the Shrimp and the Asparagus were grilled on an outside Bar-B-Que infrared searing station.   The Shrimp for about 1 minute per side and the Asparagus for about 4 minut

  Sometimes the best dinner is a simple home-cooked dinner; last night was one of those.  The seafood and other ingredients came from New Wave Seafood and Stew Leonards-East Meadow , as fresh ingredients are essential.   The Shrimp are six large ones mounted on 2 Rosemary infused Olive oil-coated bamboo skewers.   Then using the assembled   Shrimp, sprinkle them with a dash of Old Bay , spray with EVOO, and set them aside to rest in the fridge for several hours.   Using a fresh Zucchini and a Kitchen Aid Mixer Spiralizing attachment did quick work of producing a nice pile of Zoodles.   The Zoodles are laid out on paper towels to air dry for about an hour.   Starting with just a touch of rosemary-infused EVOO, sauté fresh chopped Garlic, then add a chunk of Irish butter.   When melted and sizzling, stir in the Zoodles, stirring constantly, then add grated Romano cheese to taste.   The Shrimp are seared on an inferred burner (Very hot 1800 ⁰ F) on the Bar-B-Que for about 1 minute per

  Sometimes the best wine is the wine slowly sipped and shared with one’s better half.  The wine is from an old friend Raphael Winery in Peconic ( Google Map ), and the handiwork of Anthony Napa (Fig 01).   The 2019 Primo reserve is a blend done in the old-world style of a Bordeaux.   The blend is from Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Merlot.   The exact blend is unclear, but if the Cabernet Sauvignon leads, this should be close to a Left bank (M édoc) Bordeaux.  The color presents as a dark Garnet, bright fringe, and minimal legs.  The nose is rich with hints of cedar and black fruit.  The 2019 Primo is a young blend, the acid is bright, and cherry notes come screaming to the forefront.  The tannins are there but not overpowering, and a few more years in the cellar will smooth them out even more.  Into the finish come pepper notes as the wine lingers on the palate.  Raphael’s Primo Reserve is a fine sipping wine paired with a block of hard cheese and good f

  Starting off July, the best way is with two wines from Channing Daughters Winery .   Channing Daughters is one of only a few wineries on the South Fork in Bridgehampton ( Google Map ) just before you reach W ö lffer Estate .   Channing Daughters is unique for several reasons, including their commitment to Sustainable Winegrowing and the uncommon grape varietals.    The July selection reflects these unique attributes (Fig 01) and includes a 2017 Chardonnay and a 2019 Dornfelder - Blaufr ä nskisch blend (Fig 02).   The 2017 L’Enfant Sauvage Chardonnay is a rich open barrel fermented Chardonnay that is crisp, smooth, and long finishing.   While being a confirmed red wine person, this Chardonnay could entice me to savor White wines.   The tasting note below includes all the details from Channing about the Chardonnay (Fig 3).   The 2019 Dorn & Blau is one of my favorite varietals.   The Blaufr ä nskisch and its blends are fruit-rich and smooth, with light structured tannins that

We are at EV& EM Vineyard again this year as the last time we were here while open, EV & EM Vineyards was still a work in progress, and EV&EM were waiting on their furniture to arrive.   Now they are open and entirely up to speed.   The entrance has been refreshed, and an upper deck added (Fig 01).   The view of the vines remains as expansive as ever (Fig 02).   The tasting room has been thoroughly reworked and refreshed and is open, airy, and inviting (Fig 03).   The Tasting room leads to an open-air deck with sweeping views of the vineyard (Fig 04).   We settled in and reviewed the tasting menu (Fig 05).   Two flights are offered, and both tasting flights are mixed, with the first consisting of whites and a Ros é .   The second is a mix of whites and reds, which all look intriguing.   As my preference tends to be reds, the second flight was ordered (Fig 06).  The flight opened with an ev&em2 Chardonnay 2020 that is bright gold with floral notes on the nose.  The fl

  Today’s trip is the last wine pick-up for the second quarter, including a full tasting and lunch.  The expedition was longer, spanning about 175 miles and almost 7 hours around #northforkwinetrail (Fig 04).  Our first stop was for lunch at Braun Seafood , a place I have been looking to try for quite some time.   Braun is a full-service wholesale and retail seafood market but also expanded into a restaurant (Fig 01) in the same style as New Wave Seafood in Wantagh.   We had a leisurely lunch that was very well done, and a post just about the food will be coming out soon.     After lunch, we succeeded in picking up our Lieb Cellars June club selection (Fig 02).   The last stop of the day was at EV & EM Vineyards , which is a required revisit now that they have all the furniture and are fully open (Fig 03).  The different vibe from Laurel Lake Winery makes EV & EM well worth returning many times.  A full posting on this great visit will be posted shortly.  Lastly, while not o

  Technically this is a revisit but the last time we stopped at Clovis Point Vineyard & Winery was over a decade ago.   Clovis Point is nestled in the hamlet of Laurel along main road NY-25 and is easily found on a Google map (Fig 00).   Approaching the entrance, you are treated to a sweeping view of the Vineyards to the East (Fig 01).   The entrance leads directly into the tasting room decorated with a midcentury farm feel.   The tasting room provides a view of the patio and the vineyards to the South (Fig 02).   Covered seating is provided on the patio, and open-air seating on the lawn (Fig 03).   The tasting menu list 11 wines reflecting the current offering to construct a flight from (Fig 04).   Limiting the selection to only four was challenging, but the wines included 2017 Cabernet Franc, 2019 Malbec, 2019 Archeology, and 2016 Artifact (Fig 05). The Cabernet Franc is a subtle blend of about 10% of Malbec, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Sauvignon added to provide some addition

Colleagues, friends, and family, please join me in supporting (Fig 01) the Cerebral Palsy Association of Nassau County in providing quality services and programming for individuals with disabilities (Fig 02, 03).   Please sponsor this worthy cause by joining us for a fun day out or funding one of the many sponsorship opportunities. Bedell Cellars , Cara Mia Restaurant Seaford , and LI Wine Dad are providing a Long Island basket of cheer (Fig 04), snacks, and dinner.   A second basket (Fig 05) from LI Wine Dad and Cara Mia Restaurant Seaford is packed with three red wines from Napa Valley, a gift card to Cara Mia, and snacks to round out the gift.   The Bedell wines include First Crush White 2020 , First Crush Red 2020 , and Rosé 2021 (Fig 06).   The Napa Valley wines include Scarecrow Mt. Étain 2019 (Cabernet Sauvignon), Lindstrom Winery Stags Leap District 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon , and a De La Montanya Vineyard & Winery “1776” Zinfandel (Fig 07).   #longislandwineries

  The next and final pick-up was in June, and since there was only one, we added lunch and a tasting.  The goal was to do a grab-and-go at Lieb Cellars , but regrettably, they were closed for a private event and could not hand off my club wine to me that day.   Fortunately, we made other stops and found a new food and wine place to visit.   We first stopped for lunch at On The Docks , a classic on-the-water place with a wide selection of menu items to satisfy everyone in our group.   This is the first time we have stopped here, and we will provide a separate posting on how good everything was (FIG 02).   Next was a full tasting at Clovis Point Vineyard & Winery , and a fine tasting it was with the details in an upcoming posting shortly (Fig 03).   Lastly was a quick dessert stop at a North fork Classic – The Magic Fountain - for a generous homemade Ice Cream sundae (Fig 04).  A great day with several discoveries which we will need to return to several more times.  FIG 02 - ON TH

  Last but far from least, one of the South fork wineries, Wolffer Estate Vineyard June club, arrived during the first week of June to close out all the clubs except for Lieb.  Rounding out the fifty-four bottles of wine for the first week of June was eight from Wölffer, consisting of 4 wines (Fig 01).  The four are a fine selection of lighter, brighter summer wines, as discussed by Roman Roth in the winemaker tasting notes (Fig 02).  The selection includes 2021 Summer In a Bottle Long Island White (Fig 03), 2021 Grandioso Ros é (Fig 04), 2021 Summer In a Bottle Long Island Ros é (Fig 05), and 2021 Own-Rooted Merlot Ros é (Fig 06).  All of the wines in this group are fantastic, with a few in the 90+ point score class.  The wines are perfect for a sunny summer afternoon on the rear deck overlooking the park and paired with some cheese and charcuterie. #longislandwineries #vineyardviews #wineryvibes #liwine #licharacter #longislandwine  #longislandwinery #northforker #liwinecountry