ChiantiandFava

Sheldrake Point may be worth a visit on Cayuga. They make a Gamay and have put a little more focus towards their Pinots than in the past. I've also heard good things about Boundary Breaks (on the East side of Seneca), a newer vineyard focused and Riesling only operation. At the least their photography is beautiful.

Hammondsport

Dr. Frank's--I'm glad I went but it wasn't one of my favorites. Ya know when your favorite artist decides they can afford a fancy producer and their album sounds polished but lacks soul? Yeah that's how I felt about Dr. Frank's. But hey, where else are you going to find rkatsiteli or muscat ottonel?

Keuka Lake Vineyards-- Heard very good things, will definitely be on my list to check out this year.

Ravines--One the best producers in the Finger Lakes (them and Wiemer are in a different class as far as I'm concerned). Their tastings have a cheese/chocolate add-on option that is fun and delicious. Their tasting room staff was the best that I came across also.

For Cayuga I loved Bellwether Cidery. I'd put their ciders up against any Etienne Dupont product. They also started making wines. On the same day I hit up Cayuga Creamery (fantastic ice cream) and Lively Run Goat Farm (best feta I've ever had). Wanted to check out Sheldrake Point Winery but never got around to it.

Pssst--It's Heart and Hands.

Checked this place out on a mini-bar tour of Canton/Upper Fells. Delicious "Debutante" Stillwater Saison for $5. Delicious smoked mussel bruschetta for $5. Rare Alvinne "Undressed" Oud Bruin/Flemish Sour for the lady, $10. Great decor, great employees. Kinda like Granville Moore's but everybody actually cares about what they're doing?

I'm definitely a short-timer living in DC but I've lived across the street from Frager's for 2.5 years. Great place. Genuine, helpful people selling stuff their neighbors need. I admit to having debates over taking the trip up to Home Depot and it always came down to quality of life. Why waste your time in a car when you could walk down the street, talk to your neighbors and buy something from them--thereby increasing the quality of both of your lives.

Think of the vendors of Eastern Market, the Tune Inn crew, and the staff of Frager's--some of the best, down to earth, people in DC. Shit happens to good people, but good people help each other out. Let's keep that going.

Donald Caldwell

Question for the retail/distributor professionals who roam this forum--

I'm looking to get a wine harvest internship out West somewhere this fall. One thing that makes for a much more attractive candidate is forklift experience. I have none. I bookmarked a couple places who offer OSHA certifications but do you all have any other suggestions? I'd be happy to work at a warehouse a couple days or nights a week to get experience--and they could pay me less than the real professionals. Thanks in advance.

-Don

For what it's worth bartenders nowadays are better at deflecting unwanted advances and taking care of single female patrons in general.

The lady is a big fan of this style--she really enjoys the vichtenaar they have at churchkey. I prefer monk's as I find it a little less like red wine vinaigrette than the rest..

Kite and Key or McCrossen's. Both are upscale pubs--McCrossen's used to be a tavern but they remodeled it recently.

Corning

We had some really good bbq in Corning after checking out the glass museum. Thought the restaurant's name was 54 but looks like it's called Holmes Plate. Bar/Roadhouse type setting which could be counted as a plus or minus depending on your preferences.

The museum itself runs the gamut from fine art to kitschy glass collectibles. It seemed like they had a number of kid friendly exhibits when we went (outdoor glassblowing demonstration, etc.) but we don't have kids so take that with a grain of salt.

Cheez I think what darkstar is getting at is that wine is a huge subject. Your questions are practical ones that have adequate quick answers, but anything with depth will require a solid foundation of wine knowledge. When learning anything I tend towards process/function--how is wine made and why is made the way it is. For others it's all about for whom is wine made or why does wine taste the way it does. Bottom line, I'd recommend breaking wine 101 into subcategories as soon as possible--that would allow everyone's expertise to shine radiantly.

Was she a daytime bartender?

It's not sexy but Mr. Boston: Official Bartender's Guide is useful. It's not especially modern (though this is the updated version) nor does it have hi-gloss photos but it's organized practically and is the inspiration for the modern books.

Gerry,

A few quick viticulture/wine-making questions--feel free to answer them briefly: I believe you've mentioned slate-laden soils and steep slopes as key to Mencia, would you list any other prime factors as beneficial to this grape? Could you see it doing well somewhere in the Western hemisphere? Once harvested you've mentioned neutral barrels (French or American?), what about maceration times? Does anyone leave the stems in as part of the pomace/cap? Do most use indigenous yeasts?

Sorry for the first semester UC Davis style questions. One of my first experiences with Mencia was a 2003 Luna Beberide "Daniel" that tasted like a campfire and I've been hooked since.

As I read it this person was a miserly curmudgeon. This customer is always right stuff is very 90s, I'd like to think we've moved past it as a dining community. As a considerate person you point out to management that the menu posted outside is accurate--then you order the burger at $14 if you want it. If they chose to then remove the $2 or give you something in compensation it's out of the kindness of their heart, not because they owe you it.

Why do you pay the extra $2? Because the price of that choice burger meat went up, or the price of flour to make the bun went up, or they decided to pay their employees a higher wage. You aren't entitled to that $2 because the restaurant made a minor error--and the poster clearly implied a threat to Palena's reputation (which he then carried out) if he didn't get his way.

east Seneca Lake; Watkins Glen

Got back from my week long vaca on the east side of Seneca lake about a week and a half ago. By the third night my SO was talking about buying a vacation home there.

Wineries

The Best, The Future of the FLX
Hermann J. Wiemer- Across the board well made. Also our best tasting room experience, very professional and talented staff. Their Field Cuvee (red) would make a fantastic house wine.
Ravines- Again, very well rounded producer. Their Chard was 75/25 oak/SS and delicious, SB was NZ style, Pinot was excellent, and the Riesling almost goes without saying. They had a fun cheese and chocolate pairing to go with their wines too.
Silver Thread- Very small and impressive producer. Fun to contrast the wines of the previous owner with those of the current (especially the 2010 vs 2011 PN).
Shalestone- They only make [very good] reds. Use one of their unusual blends in a blind tasting and watch the fur fly. The winemaker was a pleasure to chat with as well.

Very Good but Uneven
Damiani- Their single vineyard PN may have been the best we tried all week but the whites were a little thin and disappointing.
Red Tail Ridge- Should see great things from them in the future, favorite Blaufrankisch (aka Lemberger) I tried.
Anthony Road- Tasting room is way over the top and reds should be avoided but they had the best Riesling lineup from top to bottom.

The Rest
Dr. Frank's- Sorry, I know it's a sacred cow. Sparklers were excellent (they were also one of the only to offer sparkling on their regular tasting lineup), I loved their quirky grapes like Rkatsiteli and Muscat Ottonel, but was underwhelmed by the rest.
Fox Run- Their Riesling ($15) is a great benchmark and example of the almost universal high quality of Rieslings found in the FLX but little else was interesting.
Atwater- Fantastic view of Seneca Lake.
Shaw- All the reds are aged in barriques for 2-4 years. They taste like it.

Had a great dinner at Dano's, some delicious ice cream at Cayuga Lake Creamery, and a surprisingly good lunch at the Village Marina Bar in Watkins Glen. If you like dry hard cider Bellwether Cidery (near Cayuga Lake) is making some incredible stuff. I also enjoyed the Finger Lakes Distillery--thought the gin was solid, the rye tasty and mouth-coating, and the bourbon all-around excellent. I think we went to Two Goats three or four times over the course of the week. I have plenty of hiking information and even went on a sailing trip if anyone is planning a trip.

Anybody know the results of last night's competition?

There's gotta be a joke about German sausage somewhere in here.

I'll agree with Tom's assertion that the talent pool in DC is shallow. That's by self-selection though--many people can't bring themselves to accept work in a "low-status" industry like that of restaurants.

Yeah Jon Taffer was more roided out than normal on that episode. Nevertheless I think it was pretty clear that owner was firmly entrenched in her fantasy land and Pope JP II wouldn't have changed her mind. Obviously this crosses the "none of your business" line but you've got to wonder how one eyed Mike weathered the abrupt transition back to fantasy land after getting a glimpse of professionalism.

Have you been to Bloomer Creek before? Recent article on them here. I've been looking forward to the first releases from Forge Cellars too, they don't have their own facilities yet (they use Hector Wine Co.) but you can likely arrange a tasting.

Luksusowa--Polish potato vodka. Very solid and affordable. Potato makes a better vodka in my opinion (mostly because of mouth feel).

Make some vinegar. Takes a few weeks to do it properly but if there are enough different wines it'll be nice and mild--you can also steep something in it like say prunes.

If you find yourself near Alexandria head over to Rick's Gourmet. They have a handful of larger bottles from 3 Heads Brewing--their Kind IPA is fantastic--with that budget you could buy a bottle of each style. The artwork on the bottles is colorful and amusing too.

There's also a "Petra at night" option where you sit in front of the treasury, drink tea, and listen to the oud. I enjoyed that quite a bit. I also really enjoyed Aqaba but couldn't give any specific recommendations it's been so long. Western Amman is a good timein moderate doses, there's a trendy place called The Living Room that sticks out in my memory. Somewhere close to 2nd circle (which is also where the best shwarma stand in the city is located).

Also-- I think I went to Fakhr al-Din four times in my six month stay. A fun and delicious place.

Some of these judges had had little or no exposure to Virginia wine before; this MAY have prompted them to score more cautiously, but that's simply speculation.

In other words it was a high profile group of judges so the 90 pt scores may have been their way of hedging their bets.