Forthcoming blogs

Posts that I plan to publish in May 2012 include further additions to the series on viticulture that began with the post, Can 100% Certified Organic Grapes be Grown in Long Island. These include:

• Osprey’s Dominion Vineyards, on the North Fork
• Channing Daughters, in the Hamptons AVA
• Wölffer Estates, Hamptons AVA

I will be posting a review of the Web sites of all the LI wineries & vineyards.  The results are interesting and, I hope, thought-provoking.  What do you, when you visit a winery website, look for?  Well, this is about what I look for when I pay a visit.

I also propose to post reviews of wine shops and bars in the Greater Metropolitan Area of New York City–in addition to Empire State Cellars–this Spring:

• Domaine Franey, a distinctive wine shop in the Hamptons
• Wines by Morrell, another selective wine shop in the Hamptons
• W.I.N.E., another highly-selective wine store associated with E.L.I.’s
• PJ’s Wines, a large wine shop in Upper Manhattan that has what I consider the finest wine newsletter by a retailer that I’ve yet read.
• Astor Wines, a large and important retailer with a strong program of events, classes, and tasting; it is also committed to selling a decent selection of New York Wines.
• Sotheby’s Wine, a retail and auction firm that focuses on the Grand Crus of the world

In the Fall, I intend to write about:

• A visit to Whitecliff Vineyards in the Hudson River Valley
• Millbrook Winery, also in the Hudson Valley
• Oak Summit Vineyards, another Hudson Valley winery
• Benmarl Winery, by the Hudson River
• A review of two excellent wine shops in the New Paltz area
• The Norton grape, the only native American variety that can hold its own with European ones.
• An essay on ‘natural’ or ‘minimalist’ wine-making–what is it and does it really make a difference?
• A piece on international wine competitions:  are they good for the consumer, or for the contestant?
• Why I reject the 100-point rating system for wine.

Down the pike I’ll also publish my favorite wine Web sites and wine bloggers.  Oh, yes, and I’ll review books that I think belong in any serious oenophile’s library . . . some new, some old, some basic, some less so, and books on New York wineries . . .  and write about other topics as they become germane or strike my fancy.

For 2012 . . . any other thoughts or suggestions?  They are certainly welcome.  Just leave a comment.