Tag Archives: Boundary Breaks

#WBC15 WineBloggers Invade the Finger Lakes! A Brief Overview of #WBC2015

imageAfter a long week of jumping through hoops as a tattoo wife and shop owner, it was a pleasure to attend the Wine Boggers Conference 2015 in the Finger Lakes area of NY, or as I like to call it, ‘home.’

Over two hundred and fifty wine writers and bloggers would be participating in a three-day weekend (plus some pre and post excursions!) of wine tasting, exploration, seminars, and networking. I’m an old pro at the tattoo convention scene— but a wine blogger convention? What was that going to be like? I had a few notions, but seeing that it was to be held in our backyard of viticulture in the Finger Lakes area, I couldn’t miss it! This area is exciting, vibrant, and on the cusp of great things…I wanted to see what the OTHER bloggers thought, as a way to see our area (and my ‘hood) through fresh eyes.

All three days were pretty heavily scheduled with events, some as writing workshops, mentoring, and pro panels, excursions to several different wineries and events, and LOTS of wine tasting.

Karen MacNeil and women in wine
Karen MacNeil and women in wine

Keynote presenter Karen MacNeil, wine goddess and author of The Wine Bible, was as inspirational as she was fierce. HERE is a woman to idolize, ladies….strong, professional, and absolutely taking no shit from anyone. Honestly, if that was all the conference had for me…Karen’s words would have been enough. She’ll get a post all of her own, because Karen is an incredible spirit– that the women in the wine industry MUST recognize — as a door opener and trail blazer. She may be in Napa now, but she has the heart and fire of a New Yorker. One of my favorite quotes that she dropped on women in the industry during the weekend was, in relation to sexism in the wine industry: “the barrier has never been sex, it is mediocrity. The door is open, walk through it.” ABSOLUTELY!

a few of my favorites
a few of my favorites

Tastings were a huge part of the event, and I counted over seventy-three wine tasting notes over two days that I took–not too shabby! LOTS of spitting, kids….don’t try to be a hero. You will fail and quite possibly make an ass of yourself.

The tastings ranged from the normal table and pour, to a “speed dating” version of a tasting (wine makers came to your table with their bottle, gave some wine notes, and had five minutes with you, then it was off to the next table!), to a mystery bus excursion….get on the bus, go to a secret location, have an AMAZING TIME, return later to hash out where we all ended up!

Element Winery is taking things to a new level in the Flx
Element Winery is taking things to a new level in the Flx

BoozyLife ended up on the bus headed to Element Winery in Arkport, vision of the incredibly talented and hard-working Master Somm Christopher Bates-whose  dinner and wines will get their own post as well, because I saw things happening there that DEFINE what the Finger Lakes can and will be to the wine industry, in the near future and beyond.

In short, the weekend was exactly what I was hoping it would be, and it opened my eyes to magic happening right under my nose! BoozyLife can’t wait to share some of the wine makers and their creations with you all, because the Finger Lakes are where it’s all happening right now in New York State.

Now, just let me sort out all of these tasting notes…

Repost from Democrat&Chronicle – ‘A lesson in Rieslings — and the power of food pairings’

Boundary Breaks Rieslings are gaining in popularity here in the FLX
Boundary Breaks Rieslings are gaining in popularity here in the FLX

Yet again, our friends at Boundary Breaks were highlighted in the press-this time at the annual Wine Symposium of the Finger Lakes. Writer Thomas Pellechia of Rochester Magazine attended the event, and was happily surprised by the food and wine pairing element of the symposium. He goes on to describe his Boundary Breaks Riesling experience —

“The true highlight of the event was the wine and food-pairing seminar. First was Boundary Breaks 2012 Finger Lakes Riesling (Single Clone #239; $20) paired with poached shrimp with Vietnamese dressing, peanuts and mint. Tasted alone, a fruit sugar sweetness came through from the Riesling, and the slight sweetness of the shrimp was a perfect foil for the light nuttiness and mint freshness. Tasted together, the balance between nuttiness and freshness, finished off with snappy Riesling acidity, relegated any sweetness to a backseat — a complex delight.”

Wine and food are MEANT to be presented together. Riesling is a great wine to serve with ‘difficult to pair’ meals- spicy Thai food, German Brats, even Thanksgiving. Dry and off dry Rieslings usually has a lovely acidity in addition to seafood, and a sweetness that will pair with appetizers and lighter munchies. I have a pretty stocked white wine fridge, holding many bottles of my favorite Rieslings to serve to out of town guests at a moments notice. I can drop names and tell you the legend Boog Star LOVED Finger Lakes Rieslings, especially when served with fresh, local (and husband caught) fish!

One of the BEST RIESLING REVIEWS EVER-and it’s for a Finger Lakes GEM

Epicurious just released an article Best Rieslings Under $20 (follow the link for the entire link), highlighting stand out Rieslings from around the world. The selection from the Finger LakesArea is from our friends at Boundary Breaks Vineyard— and we are so happy to see them recognized for their accomplishments!

Article author Paul Grieco, General Manager of Hearth Restaurant NYC said of the 2012 Boundary Breaks Riesling Geisenheim No. 239, Finger Lakes, New York ($20) “Long and lean in frame but with colors bursting from the canvas…think David Bowie in his Ziggy Stardust days.”

Are you kidding me? Comparing that wine to Bowie? PERFECT-they’re a group of young, hardcore Riesling rock stars over there! Not to mention a few of the vineyard crew are rocking tattoos by my husband-vineyard Manager Kees Staple is working on a custom Riesling sleeve that will be awesome when complete, adding to the rocker status. 😉 Congrats guys–now go grab a bottle of this gem, kids…it’s BoozyWife approved! 🙂

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Boundary Breaks Vineyard-Outstanding Rieslings, Sunchokes, and a Locavore Celebrates the Arrival of Spring

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Saturday morning was one of my favorite anticipated days living in this area-first nice Saturday to visit Ithaca Farmers Market on the waterfront of Cayuga inlet. It was chilly down by the water, but the sun and blue sky gave enough promise for spring, so we bundled up and headed downtown.

20140421-101932.jpg Our new friend Kees Stapel, vineyard manager for Boundary Breaks Vineyard in Lodi, NY, had his table set up and was all ready to pour their vast array of Rieslings. They focus on and produce only Riesling wines, from drier styles to the sweeter, and even a silky late harvest. Check out their gorgeous website here: Boundary Breaks Vineyard Their web presence is only surpassed by the quality of the wines produced. The crew at BB take an amazing amount of pride in their vines, fruit, and creative process…and the hands on knowledge shows, along with the dedication they pour with. I went back after the tasting and grabbed the Ovid Line 2012 Riesling. It’s a semi-dry made from a blend of different Riesling grape clones, and is the only blended source wine they make. Bright apple, apricot, lychee favors, with a slight acidic complexity and sweetness make this a very food friendly, flexible wine; the acidity is well balanced and the sweetness not at all overpowering. I am an admitted dry wine drinker, but living in the Finger Lakes has helped to open my mind (and palate) to all of the hidden gems sourced from our area. I recommend checking them out, Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast sure have!

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Excitingly, spring has sprung and some of our local farmers braved the chilly air to bring the first of their veggies as well. A time ago I read an article about foraging in the wild, and recalled fiddleheads and sunchokes mentioned as springtime delicacies. I’ve had the opportunity to taste (as well as bring back) fiddleheads from Nova Scotia, and we use them from the freezer stock throughout the year. Sunchokes (also called Jerusalem Artichokes) are the tuber root of a type of sunflower, and a cousin to the artichoke most of us are familiar with. WiKi sunchoke info It looks a bit like a potato or ginger root, and the skin can be peeled but is edible. Raw, the consistency was that of a sweet water chestnut. They can be roasted, added to salads raw, or cooked into a multitude of soups. I excitedly grabbed a pound of the sunchokes in various sizes (along with a bag of kale for roasted kale chips), my bottle of wine, and looked forward to a creative night in my kitchen!

Had to open the bottle of wine first, of course, but the actual dinner prep was a breeze. I treated the sunchokes like simple potatoes-washed of dirt and chopped, tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, and roasted in a 375 degree oven until they were browned (about half an hour, 45 minutes). I added F. Oliver’s white truffle oil to finish the dish–I love that stuff way too much. I also roasted my kale with the same ingredients (minus the truffle oil), for about 15 minutes in the same 375 oven. Keep your eye on kale, chips become cinders quickly if you’re not paying attention!

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The results? A locally sourced, adventurous and delicious meal! Once roasted, the sunchokes had the flavor of a sweet, nutty roasted artichoke minus leaves–maybe think just the stem, with a bit more potato-y density and starch. The flavor is mild and quite delicate. The wine was a lovely accompaniment to the flavor. Now, I was made aware that some people have digestive issues with the sunchoke, and the reaction can be the same as too much dairy or fiber…(the nickname ”fartichoke” came up once I did a bit more….ummm…research). I had no major noticeable issues, but this might not be the dish to impress a first date with 🙂 On that note, get out to your local farmers market, grab a veggie you’ve never tried, and experiment–you’ll be glad you did! Enjoy locavore adventures in your area!

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