The Musings of Ron Kapon

Traveling Through New York City’s Sixth Borough

Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx and Staten Island. That is five boroughs. Lydia Ruth, the Marketing Manager for the Westchester County Office of Tourism, was my chauffeur, guide, mentor, guru through a quick three day trip through the sixth borough: Westchester, population about one million.

DAY ONE: let's start in Yonkers, the 4th largest city in New York State (NYC, Buffalo & Rochester), and the most populous city in Westchester County (200,000). It borders the Bronx and is two miles north of Manhattan. Home to Yonkers Raceway and it’s Empire City “Racino” (video slot gambling) and the venerable Cross County Shopping Center (opened in 1954) with 100 stores and restaurants. Both of these are close by the NYS Thruway. After exiting the shopping center, cut across the Cross County Parkway to the western side of Yonkers and the Saw Mill River Parkway. NOTE- Westchester’s northern boundary is Putnam County; the Hudson River is on the west and Fairfield County, Connecticut and the Long Island Sound is on the east side. Off the Saw Mill is Philipse Manor Hall in Yonkers; this Georgian mansion is a National Historic Landmark. You can walk from here down to the newly developed waterfront, past Ella Fitzgerald’s statue at the Metro North train station and the sculpture gardens. Further north on the same street is the Hudson River Museum with a planetarium and the Glenview mansion featuring exhibitions of American art, history and science.

Try to find a better bargain than the $16 prix-fixed lunch at Harvest on Hudson in Hastings on the Hudson. The portions are huge and if the weather cooperates you can sit outside along the Hudson River. Moving north drop your bag at your first night's hotel, Castle on the Hudson in Tarrytown. Built from 1887 to 1910 it was a private home until 1940. In 1981 it was designated a historic landmark. A member of the Historic Hotels of America and the Small Luxury Hotels of the World, the castle is a 4 Diamond AAA property and one of the top 20 US small hotels according to Conde Nast Traveler. Using wind power for electricity it is the only green castle in America. With 31 rooms added to the original structure its main tower is the highest point in Westchester County. Opened in 1997 as a luxury hotel and spa the Equus restaurant is worth a detour. The medieval structure sits on 10 acres and contains carved stairways, sconces, oak beams and leaded-glass windows. The Great Hall has 40 foot vaulted ceilings.

After dropping off my bags we preceded to nearby Lyndhurst, also in Tarrytown. This 1838 Gothic Revival Mansion contains 19th and 20th Century decorative arts and was originally the home of railroad magnate Jay Gould. In the same town is Washington Irving’s home- Sunnyside. The Tarrytown House Estate & Conference Center’s wine cellar dining room sits within Cellar 49. Unfortunately, only overnight guests or people attending a conference can eat or drink there. The seat of the county’s government is located in White Plains where we had a tour of the new Ritz Carlton Restaurant 42 (on the top floor of the residence tower). Their wine list contains 350 selections but the view is a killer. I spotted the lights on the Empire State Building. We ate in the Lobby Lounge, which features a Chocolate & Champagne night, a martini evening and Sake, Sushi & Jazz. The sushi chef prepared all of food right in front of us and we kept eating and drinking. Luckily it was the last event of day one.

DAY TWO- Leaving the Castle we headed to nearby Elmsford and MYOWine (Make Your Own Wine) the Westchester School of Winemaking. Owner and winemaker Rich Mattina told me that students learn about wine through interactive seminars and hands-on winemaking. For $915 you and 4 guests can make a 1/4-barrel that yields 5 cases. For $1,650 you can bring 9 guests and your 1/2-barrel yields 10 cases. A full barrel costs $2,600 and you and 14 guests get 20 cases. Included in the fee are seminars and actual work on crushing, fermentation, pressing, barrel aging, racking, tasting, filtering, corking and bottling, using personalized labels. The 5,100 square facility is climate-controlled and contains all the equipment one needs to make their own wine.

If wine isn’t your thing drive a few miles north on the Saw Mill Parkway to Captain Lawrence Brewing Company, an award winning craft brewery in Pleasantville. In the same town the Jacob Burns Film Center presents independent and foreign films. A short distance north and we came to Crabtree Kittle House in the town of Chappaqua, a favorite of local residents Bill & Hillary Clinton. It was built in 1790 as a barn and home to the Kittle family and since 1981 it has been owned and operated by the Crabtree family. The garden atrium dining room was being set up for a wedding that night, but it is the main dining room that is home to the Wine Spectator Grand Award (since 1994) winning wine list, with 7,000 selections and 75,000 bottles. Partner and wine director Glen Vogt took us through the cavernous wine cellars that had formerly served as the stables and is kept at a brisk 50 degrees. Sitting majestically staring at me was a Methuselah (8 bottles) of Domaine de la Romanee Conti. It is the most expensive wine on the list but Glen had not set a price as of yet. The oldest wines were the Chateau Margaux 1900 at $11,000 and Chateau Ausone, which is $8,500. We had a quick lunch at the bar while I perused wine history on the list.

If one continues to the end of the Saw Mill River Parkway we end up in Katonah home to New York State’s largest outdoor summer music festival- Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts. Also in town is the Katonah Museum of Art, a small museum dedicated to the visual arts. There is an acclaimed Children’s Learning Center and outdoor sculpture garden. Reversing directions we head south on Interstate 684, past the Westchester County Airport to SUNY (State University of New York) Purchase, home to the Performing Arts Center and the Neuberger Museum of Art. Now in its 30th season the arts center offers more than 70 performances yearly of dance, classical music, jazz and theater. The Neuberger Museum features exhibitions of modern, contemporary and emerging artists, as well as the country’s only permanent exhibition of African art. My choice for lodging for the second night was the Doral Arrowwood in Rye Brook. I had celebrated a birthday there a few years ago and remembered their many recreation facilities set on 114 wooded acres. For that reason I had a leisurely dinner at the Pub while playing darts.

DAY THREE- If I had been visiting during the summer I would have stopped at Rye Playland, which is open May-October. This 50-acre Art Deco National Historic Landmark boasts over 50 rides, a boardwalk, lake and beach. Since my visit was in November we drove west along Interstate 287 to White Plains where we had dinner the first night. I had noticed the Westchester Mall with Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and Gucci among its 150 stores and asked to stop for a visit. After that we found a new wine shop- Westchester Wine Warehouse a few minutes away. My only problem was no floor assistance and most of the wine bottles were standing up. I guess the name warehouse fits its image. A few blocks away on Central Avenue we stopped for lunch at Gervasi’s, which had just reopened after a change in ownership. Their wine list had 150 selections; almost all were Italian and Californian. The martini list had an even dozen choices. Their basement dining room overlooked the wine cellar. Good luck getting up and down the winding staircase after a few drinks. My last stop was at Zachy’s, one of New York’s largest and finest wine shops. Founded in 1944 in the heart of Scarsdale village and across the street from the Metro North railroad station it has expanded many times. The two Enomatic Machines that dispense Argon gas especially impressed me and each has 8 wines available to taste. Customers get a card (free) that allows them to sample wines at their leisure any time the store is open. The fine wine room is an oenophile’s dream.

It was time to return home to the Upper West Side which I reached in less than 45 minutes. The next time someone asks you to name NYC’s 5 Boroughs don’t forget to correct him or her and add Westchester as the 6th.

For More Information-
www.westchestertourism.com
www.philipsemanorfriends.com
www.hrm.org
www.harvest2000.com
www.castleonthehudson.com
www.lyndhurst.org
www.hudsonvalley.org
www.ritzcarlton.com/westchester
www.42therestaurant.com
www.tarrytownhouseestate.com
www.myowine.com
www.captainlawrencebrewing.com.
www.burnsfilmcenter.org
www.kittlehouse.com
www.katonahmuseum.org
www.caramoor.org
www.doralarrowood.com
www.artscenter.org
www.neuberger.org
www.ryeplayland.org
www.the-westchester-ny.com
www.gervasis.com
www.westchesterwine.com
www.zachys.com

The Finger Lakes & Riesling

I often think of the Riesling grape as the Rodney Dangerfield of viticulture. It gets no respect. It will not be long before Finger Lakes Riesling will conjure up thoughts of greatness in the same way Napa Valley is connected to Cabernet Sauvignon. But let's step back into history for a moment. The Seneca and Cayuga Indians originally inhabited the region. The opening of the Erie Canal in 1830 linked the lakes and both the population and industry flourished. The Underground Railroad had many stations in the Finger Lakes region and the women’s rights movement had its origin in the Seneca Falls area. Mark Twain spent 20 summers in Elmira and wrote Tom Sawyer, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and a Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court while there. The region is also known as the “Soaring Capitol of America” with the gliders at Harris Hill and the National Soaring Museum. Aviation also has its roots at the Wings of Eagles Discovery Center and the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum in Hammondsport.

The harsh New York winter months led to the production of grape jelly and wines made from American Labrusca grapes (Concord & Catawba). It was thought that Vinifera varieties (Cabernet Sauvignon & Chardonnay) could not survive the winter weather in the Finger Lakes. Charles Fournier proved that was incorrect. He came from France in 1934 where he had worked for Veuve Clicquot to become the winemaker at Gold Seal Wine Company producing New York State sparkling wines. He experimented with French-American hybrid grapes (DeChaunac & Chambourcin) that had been developed to combat phylloxera, the insects that feed on the roots of grapevines. In 1953 he hired Dr. Konstantin Frank, the German born Russian who had a PhD in viticulture. Dr. Frank knew that vinifera grapes had survived winter temperatures that reached 30 below in the Ukraine so they should also grow in the Finger Lakes. He eventually founded his own winery in 1962; Dr. Konstantin Frank’s Vinifera Wine Cellars (now run by his grandson). The third European immigrant who influenced the history of Finger Lake wines was Hermann J. Wiemer, a German who arrived to work at Bully Hill Vineyards developing hybrids. In 1979 he opened his own winery- Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyards for the production of vinifera varieties. All three believed in the moderating effect of the lakes and the value of Indian summer, that warm period in late fall. By the early 1980’s consumers had switched from sweet wines to the European drier-style wines.

The climate in the Finger Lakes is continental, meaning there is a significant difference between the temperature in summer and winter. Burgundy, Champagne and the Mosel are all cool-climate regions and they produce top-notch wines. If the winter is too warm grapes often ripen before the fruit and acidity are complete. Pinot Noir, sparkling wines, Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Cabernet Franc all do well in the Finger Lakes. Winemakers worry about late spring frosts that can kill the young buds and lead to no fruit produced on the vines. The cold lakes delay the budding of the vines and hence protect them from those spring frosts. The Finger Lakes differ from many other wine regions in that the vintners have been working the land for many years and are not wealthy dilettantes out for one-upmanship with their country club friends.

When I visited the region in late October there was a freezing rain and some snow and they were still picking grapes. Fred Frank (Dr. Frank’s grandson) told me-“when the weather is basically the same year after year a winemaker can get complacent. Our weather mimics Germany and is perfect for the production of Riesling.” The Finger Lakes region contains 112 licensed wineries making it the largest wine-producing region east of California. Over 80% of New York State wine production takes place there.

The four major lakes include: Canandaigua which is 16 miles long with the smallest number of wineries (4) but also contains the NY Wine & Culinary Center at the northern end in the town of Canandaigua. Keuka Lake is 22 miles long with Hammondsport at the southern end and has the highest elevation of any of the major lakes. It is the only lake in the world that flows both North and South. Seneca Lake is 38 miles long and is the deepest at 630 feet. Over 1.3 million visitors visited the 60 wineries along the lake. Geneva is on the northern end (we stayed at the Ramada Inn Lakefront Geneva) and Watkins Glen on the southern end. Cayuga Lake is the longest at 40 miles and developed the first NY Wine Trail in 1983. Ithaca, on the southern end, is the home to Cornell University. There are seven other lakes with a total of six wineries located around them. The one problem I found was that there is no direct way (bridge) to get to all the lakes. That means going up one side and down the other and then on to the next lake. This makes for a longer drive from one to another. The good news is one probably will spend an extra day in the area. The 9,130 acres of vineyards slope down to deep, glaciated lakes, providing a micro-climate and soils for the production of premium vinifera wine grapes. The lakes and hillsides also provide the setting for visitors interested in visiting wineries and other attractions (see the end of the article for places to visit). I found it interesting that the average price for vineyard land in the Finger Lakes was around $5,000 per acre (against almost $300,000 in the Napa Valley).

There are three AVA’s (American Viticulture Areas) in the Finger Lakes that are similar to France’s AOC and Italy’s DOC regulations. The 11,000-acre Finger Lakes AVA is New York’s largest and grapes grown anywhere in the fourteen counties of the Finger Lakes may be included. Cayuga and Seneca are AVA’s within the Finger Lakes AVA. The 1976 passage of the Farm Winery Act allowed small wineries to easily enter the business. There are now 212 wineries in New York State (there were 63 in 1985). New York has 35,000 farms with 7.5 million acres of farmland and is #2 in the nation in the production of apples and maple syrup production. They are #3 for grapes, wine, corn and dairy. There are now 600 plus acres planted in Riesling producing over 100,000 cases. The average producer makes 2.5 styles of Riesling (dry, semi-dry, semi-sweet and dessert). Riesling is the #1 grape variety in sales growth for the past year. It is 2.3% of all varieties in sales and has the same market share as Zinfandel (2.3%) but is only 10% of Chardonnay’s market share. It is also #2 in case volume growth for the past year (Pinot Noir is #1). All these facts are from November 2008 Wine Business Monthly.

To make a world class Riesling one picks relatively early, with sugar levels 20-22 brix (measurement of sugar levels in grapes). The wines have a citrus, lime, mineral, Granny Apple, green tea character. They are usually made with a trace of residual sugar to balance the acid level, with alcohol around 11-13% and most are priced very reasonably at $12-$20. Riesling is a misunderstood and under-appreciated grape because many people equate it with sweet inexpensive German wines. The drier style is perfect with seafood, chicken, veal, shrimp and turkey. It is fresh and floral in its youth but can age well. The off dry Rieslings match well with Cajun, Mexican and Thai cuisine. Then there are the late harvest and botrytis wines for the end of a meal or by themselves. It is a conundrum for Riesling producers. A touch of sweetness brings food friendly character to Riesling. The dry styles are more intense, elegant and age-worthy. The grapes need cool nights to develop their character and warm days for their sweetness.

Touring East Coast Wine Country by Marguerite Thomas was very useful in the preparation of this article.

Places to Visit-
The Corning Museum of Glass- Corning- www.cmog.org
Rockwell Museum of Western Art- Corning- www.rockwellmuseum.org
Hanger Theatre- Ithaca- www.hangertheatre.org
Cornell University- Ithaca- www.cornell.edu
NY Wine & Culinary Center- Canandaigua- www.nywcc.com
Sonnenberg Gardens & Mansion State Historic Park- Canandaigua- www.sonnenberg.org
Greyton H Taylor Wine Museum- Hammondsport- www.bullyhill.com
Glenn H Curtiss Museum- Hammondsport- www.glennhcurtissmuseum.org
Finger Lakes Wine Festival- Watkins Glen- www.flwinefest.com
Watkins Glen International motor speedway- www.theglen.com
Rose Hill Mansion- Geneva- www.rosehillmansion.com
Ramada Inn Lakefront Geneva- www.genevaramada.com
National Soaring Museum- Elmira- www.soaringmuseum.org
Wings of Eagles Discovery Center- Horseheads- www.wingsofeagles.com

Additional Websites-
www.newyorkwines.org
www.senecalakewine.com
www.canandaiguawinetrail.com
www.keukawinetrail.com
www.cayugawinetrail.com
www.visitfingerlakes.org
www.fingerlakeswineries.com
www.fingerlakeswinealliance.com
www.fingerlakes.org
www.fingerlakeswinecountry.com

An Absolutely Fabulous Evening: Tasters Guild NY 30th Anniversary

What can we say to Jamie Gordon and Simon Ford of The Absolut Spirits Company besides THANK YOU? The 20 members of the New York Chapter of Tasters Guild who attended the October 23rd Members Appreciation Night at The Absolut Spirits office had an eye opening evening tasting and learning about gin and vodka. Our hosts began by giving us a history lesson dealing with the founding of ABSOLUT by Lars Olsson Smith in 1879 in the very small southern Swedish town of Ahus. Using Swedish winter wheat and water from a proprietary source we learned that since vodka does not go through barrel aging, the character of the spirit is dependent on the quality of the natural ingredients. Every step of distillation and production of ABSOLUT still occurs in Ahus (even the bottles are washed with vodka). ABSOLUT accounts for almost 40% of the imported vodka market in the US and is the third largest brand of alcoholic spirit in the world after Bacardi and Smirnoff.

We had 6 cups placed in front of us. We were told to sniff the first 4 twice and then swirl them around in our mouth. There were comments from the attendees and we picked two favorites. It was then revealed that the two favorites were ABSOLUT and Chopin. The other vodkas were Grey Goose and Belvedere. The last two cups contained ABSOLUT Citron and Ketel 1 Citroen and were enjoyed by all our guests.

We then moved down a flight to the tasting bar where we were given Plymouth gin and tonic while the conference room was reset for Part Two. Many of the classic artworks used by ABSOLUT over the years were on display including paintings by Leroy Neiman, Andy Warhol and Keith Haring.

We learned that gin originated in Holland (Bols) around 1575. Plymouth Gin has been produced at the Black Friar Distillery in Plymouth England since 1793. It is a “Protected Geographical Indication” within the European Union. In the 1900’s Plymouth was the largest selling gin in the US. Even though US sales are not large it does sell 150,000 cases worldwide. We learned that Juniper has to be the number one botanical used in the production of gin. Others include: Anise, Angelica Root, Orange Peel, Cinnamon,  Coriander, etc.

Next we had 5 cups placed in front of us. The favorites were Plymouth and Beefeater. The other cups contained Tanqueray, Hendricks and Bombay Sapphire. The only gin that none of the tasters could identify was Bombay Sapphire.

We then adjourned downstairs and around the corner to Vig 27, one of Murray Hill’s hottest cocktail destinations. Recession? Not here. The Joint was jumping and our hosts provided cocktails using both ABSOLUT and Plymouth, with the addition of lots of snack food.

Lets do it again for our 40th anniversary.

For More Info:
www.absolut.com
www.absolutdrinks.com
www.plymouthgin.com

Washington DC Wine Country: Loudoun County

When I thought of Virginia Wine Country I remembered my visit to the Monticello/Charlottesville area with its 24 wineries, including Horton, Barboursville, Kluge Estate and Prince Michel. On another occasion, while in Colonial Williamsburg, I toured the largest winery in the state: Williamsburg Winery. There are around 135 wineries in Virginia.

An e-mail invitation for a golf weekend at Lansdowne Resort was about to be deleted when I decided to check out their website and realized they were in Loudoun County, 35 miles outside of Washington DC. The Metro Washington DC area has over 5 million residents and some 21 million visitors a year. Loudoun County is located about five hours from New York City. It is also known as DC’s Wine Country and is in the heart of the hunt and horse country. It is bordered by Washington DC and the Atlantic Ocean on the East; Maryland to the North; North Carolina and Tennessee to the South and West Virginia and Kentucky to the West. Further research showed me that Lansdowne Resort was 15 minutes from Washington’s Dulles International Airport and 20 minutes from the Capital Beltway. Yet I no longer play golf. No problem, as I was told that there were 23 wineries in the county and they would arrange a day of touring and tasting for me while everyone else engaged in the old Scottish sport.

Lansdowne Resort is a 500-acre AAA Four Diamond property with 296 guest rooms in a nine-story center tower overlooking the Potomac River, nearby mountains and the private golf club with two 18-hole and one 9-hole courses. Robert Trent Jones Jr. and Greg Norman designed the courses. Guests at the hotel can make use of one of the courses each day while the other is reserved for club members (they alternate courses every day). There is a spa and health club, three-lighted outdoor tennis courts, volleyball, racquetball, a whirlpool and indoor and outdoor swimming pools.

I spent several hours with Mary Watson-Delauder, the hotel’s sommelier. She also is a consultant for the management company that operates conference centers and spa resorts around the world. She was so desperate to learn about wine when she first started that she sold her blood every week to buy wine. Now that is dedication. Her food and wine camp weekends and other events include: an aroma seminar, wine pairings and tastings, interactive cooking classes, champagne brunch and a cookout.  There is also a chef table dinner at the fine dining restaurant, "On The Potomac with Chef Jason Lage." I was fascinated by a visit to the outside herb garden that Mary planted and maintains herself. The resort must think highly of her efforts because they removed a tennis court so the garden could be expanded. Guests experience how Mary’s various herbs – from lemon basil to chocolate mint, Chinese chives to Egyptian “walking onions” – interplay with a sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon or pinot noir. Indeed, it’s the herbs in recipes, Watson-Delauder says, that should be considered foremost when pairing a wine with a meal, regardless of the dish being red meat, chicken or fish. She has paired wine with Twinkies, popcorn, gummy worms, etc.

Christine Geno Director of Media Relations for the Loudoun Convention & Visitors Association spent the greater part of a day showing me around her county and visiting wineries. Leesburg, founded in 1758, is the county seat. Interesting historic sights nearby include: Dodona Manor, home of General George C. Marshall, the author of WWII’s Marshall Plan; White’s Ferry, the last ferry still operating on the Potomac (Maryland is the other side); Manassas National Battlefield, Bull Run and Harpers Ferry (West Virginia). In Virginia Chardonnay is the most planted varietal, followed by Cabernet Sauvignon, Viognier and Cabernet Franc. French-American hybrids and native American grapes are about 20% of the total plantings.

I learned all about the Native American varietal Norton at our first stop- Chrysalis Vineyards. Owner Jennifer McCloud’s mission was to celebrate the Norton grape. It dates back to 1820 but was almost destroyed during the Civil War and Prohibition. They have the largest plantings (69 acres out of a total of 209) and sell grapevines to other wineries. Every September the National Norton Wine Festival is held in Missouri, the other state growing lots of Norton. Jennifer told me she grows what makes sense in Virginia. We were lucky that the day we visited in early October they had a Norton Wine & Bluegrass Festival at the winery; artisans, music, food and Norton wine.

At Swedenburg Estate Vineyards I learned that in 2005 the late Juanita Swedenburg won a five-year battle in the US Supreme Court to allow Virginia wineries to ship out of state to consumers. Although family-run wineries cannot sell direct to local restaurants and retailers. They must use a wholesaler. I briefly stopped at the Red Fox Inn in Middleburg, which is America’s oldest continuously operating Inn (1728). Middleburg was once a retreat for President & Mrs. Kennedy during his time in office. Corcoran Vineyards changed its name from Waterford when the crystal company sued. They are located outside the town of Waterford that was founded in 1733. Their tasting room is a 1750s restored log cabin. Again, timing is everything and I was there for the town’s October Home Tour & Crafts Exhibit. Breaux Vineyards produces 17 varietals on 100 acres of its 400-acre property. We met with the founders daughter-Jennifer Breaux-Blosser who had a wedding scheduled that evening and lots of picnickers. The tasting room reminded me of one in Napa during a summer weekend. Bluemont Vineyard is located over 1,000 feet above the family’s Great Country Farms, which is a popular family attraction. On a clear day you can see Washington DC. I tasted a few wines with partner & winemaker Bob Rupy. Sunset Hills Vineyards is brand new. Its 45 acres produces Bordeaux style all vinifera wines. The tasting room is in a 130-year-old restored barn. Tarara Winery is on the bluffs overlooking the Potomac River. Their 475-acre farm includes U-Pick fruit & berries as well as grape vines. There is a 6,000 square foot cave that houses the winery and gift shop. By the time we got to Hillborough Vineyards they were closed for the day. The view from the winery is spectacular.

“Fine wine is an art. That would make Loudoun County the gallery.”

For More Information:
www.lansdowneresort.com
www.dcwinecountry.com
www.visitloudoun.org
www.virginiawine.org
www.corcoranvineyards.com
www.redfox.com
www.chrysaliswine.com
www.swedenburgwines.com
www.breauxvineyards.com
www.bluemontvineyard.com
www.sunsethillsvineyards.com
www.hillsboroughwine.com