Long Island is a little pissed with me today. Who can blame them?
I actually didn’t think anyone would see the article I recently wrote for men.style.com--- the ten most overrated wines .
But now that I've been outted, there's a little explaining to do. I don't recount my words. Even if the editing torqued the attitude up a bit, my opinions hold. But a seventy-five word blurb doesn't tell the complete story.
I view the wine industry out on Long Island as a lifestyle choice. It’s close to beaches, restaurants, shopping, ducks, it’s closer to the city than the Finger Lakes. It’s got built in tourists. Bingo.
But to expect the area to produce life changing wine might be just too much to ask of the region.
I might be the lone cheese in the corner here. This year, plenty of acclaim has poured forth from people who have a lot higher profile than I. Writers from Jay McInerny to Lettie Teague have raved about the wines. Yet, when I walk out of the Windows on Long Island tastings, I scratch my red hairs and think, you know guys? I've been known to nod yes towards a ros here, a pinot gris there, a caberet franc over yonder, but I just don’t think there is the right raw material in the acidic Long Island soil to make exciting wine.
Okay, sure Bordeaux has sand and gravel too, but also limestone, clay and plenty of deciduous forest to protect from the salt air. Could Long Island wines continue to improve especially as winemakers (have the courage to) move towards less recognizable grape varieties and maybe even blends? Perhaps.
Do I appreciate some style choices Long Island is making? Sure. They shied away from the heavy oak use before it got ingrained. They are closer to an interesting Long Island straightforward style and it's a smart thing.
I aint a winemaker. Just a drinker. I'm riffing on my travel, vineyard visits, research and instinct. But anyway, people reading my blog know that I do prefer naturally made, unyeasted or enzymed wine that come from soils that are emotional.
So, I have to remind the good people out there who are fighting the fight for their wines, to consider where I come from and to try to forgive me. I might have hurt the ego of some, but not the pocketbook. I didn’t say the wines stink, I did say that they are overrated. And in that word is a world of difference. Hey, I think Bordeaux and Napa (okay, all of California) is overrated too!
Would love to know which wines you think are overrated. Write 'em down and send them in.
I view the wine industry out on Long Island as a lifestyle choice. It’s close to beaches, restaurants, shopping, ducks, it’s closer to the city than the Finger Lakes. It’s got built in tourists. Bingo.
But to expect the area to produce life changing wine might be just too much to ask of the region.
I might be the lone cheese in the corner here. This year, plenty of acclaim has poured forth from people who have a lot higher profile than I. Writers from Jay McInerny to Lettie Teague have raved about the wines. Yet, when I walk out of the Windows on Long Island tastings, I scratch my red hairs and think, you know guys? I've been known to nod yes towards a ros here, a pinot gris there, a caberet franc over yonder, but I just don’t think there is the right raw material in the acidic Long Island soil to make exciting wine.
Okay, sure Bordeaux has sand and gravel too, but also limestone, clay and plenty of deciduous forest to protect from the salt air. Could Long Island wines continue to improve especially as winemakers (have the courage to) move towards less recognizable grape varieties and maybe even blends? Perhaps.
Do I appreciate some style choices Long Island is making? Sure. They shied away from the heavy oak use before it got ingrained. They are closer to an interesting Long Island straightforward style and it's a smart thing.
I aint a winemaker. Just a drinker. I'm riffing on my travel, vineyard visits, research and instinct. But anyway, people reading my blog know that I do prefer naturally made, unyeasted or enzymed wine that come from soils that are emotional.
So, I have to remind the good people out there who are fighting the fight for their wines, to consider where I come from and to try to forgive me. I might have hurt the ego of some, but not the pocketbook. I didn’t say the wines stink, I did say that they are overrated. And in that word is a world of difference. Hey, I think Bordeaux and Napa (okay, all of California) is overrated too!
Would love to know which wines you think are overrated. Write 'em down and send them in.
Recent Comments