A few weeks ago, I was invited to participate in a virtual wine tasting by the Finger Lakes Wine Alliance. I am of the opinion that just about anything with the word ‘virtual’ attached to it should likely be avoided, but since they sent me a bunch of wine to sample for the event, I figured I could make an exception (this one time). Tweeting tasting notes and other thoughts was to be a big part of the virtual tasting—another reason I approached the task with a fair amount of trepidation. I am relatively new to the world of Twitter (@masi3v in case you care) and I really have no idea what I am doing when it comes to ‘tweeting’—as everyone with whom I have interacted on Twitter would readily agree.

But they sent me a bunch of wine, so what the hell, right?

It seems clear that the Finger Lakes Wine Alliance is really making a concerted effort to publicize the release of these wines and to promote the region.  Several bloggers participated in one of the many such events that occurred during the month of September. I have always wanted to make a trip up to the region given it’s relative proximity to Philadelphia, it’s purported scenic beauty, and it’s growing reputation as a high quality wine region and after participating in this event, there is talk of planning a visit for the coming summer.

There were eight bottles to sample and this was all to go down on a Saturday night in a one hour window. Being the frugal guy that I am, I thought it would be such a waste to just sample each wine and then pour it out (and there was obviously no way I was going to drink all eight by myself—even though it was a Saturday night….). Thus I invited a few friends to come along for the ride. Our friend, the should-be-master chef that lives out in the ‘burbs (more about him HERE) said he would cook (score!) some Riesling-friendly food, and we were good to go.

The eight Rieslings were divided into two flights of four bottles and were all from the 2011 vintage. I had only had experience with one of the eight different producers previously—Dr. Konstantin Frank, perhaps the most respected and best known of all Finger Lakes producers. The Alliance sent along a press pack of sorts that gave some background information on the wines and wineries (some of which is included below).

The first flight (all labeled ‘Dry Riesling’):

2011 Ravines Wine Cellars Dry Riesling: Suggested Retail $17. Nice lemon and grapefruit on the nose that carried through to the palate along with traces of minerality. A nice bracing acidity helped cut through dinner, but overall lacked the robustness that we found in others. Good to Very Good. 86-88 points.

2011 Dr. Konstantin Frank Wine Cellars Dry Riesling: Suggested Retail $15. One of the (the?) best known Finger Lakes wineries, with a stellar reputation for producing fantastic wines. This Dry Riesling was no exception. Nose of lemon peel, petrol and apple blossoms, this was the most acidic wine of the flight (pH: 2.92), and also the most balanced and the longest finish. Very Good to Excellent. 88-90 points.

2011 Lucas Vineyards Dry Riesling: Suggested Retail $14. The palest of the first flight—almost colorless. The nose was tight and muted—not much there at all. On the palate there was not much fruit either and therefore the acidity really stands out and throws the wine a bit out of balance. Good. 84-86 points.

2011 Sheldrake Point Winery Dry Riesling: Suggested Retail $16. This wine was muted on the nose as well, but some hints of peach were peeking through. On the palate, much more expressive with peach, lavender, and a bit of grapefruit. Nicely balanced but there is an odd chalkiness on the finish.  Very Good to Excellent. 87-89 points.

The winner of the first flight was unanimous: the Dr. Frank. The Sheldrake Point and the Ravines had some nice elements, but the Frank did the best job of tying it all together.

The second flight wines were all labeled ‘Riesling’ (one was a ‘Reserve’) and these were in the slightly sweet, more Germanic style:

2011 Fox Run Vineyards Reserve Riesling: Suggested Retail $30. Pale gold with a very expressive nose of lime and stone fruit that morphs into more melon, pineapple and minerals on the palate. Noticeably more of the off-dry style with a fleshier mouthfeel as a result. Very Good to Excellent. 87-89 points.

2011 Swedish Hill Winery Riesling: Suggested Retail $16. Very pale in the glass, notes of peach and honey on the nose, tropical flavors along with the peach and residual sugar on the palate. Nice finish, a very nice wine. Excellent to Outstanding. 89-91 points.

2011 Lakewood Vineyards Riesling: Suggested Retail $13. Another wine that was a bit closed on the nose but peach and apricot came through clearly on the palate. There was a decided chalkiness that dominated all the way through the finish. Good to Very Good. 85-87 points.

2011 Knapp Winery & Vineyard Restaurant Riesling: Suggested Retail $17. A very nice nose of tropical fruit and wet stone. On the palate, a bit disjointed, but with a nice acidity trying to hold it together. Very Good. 86-88 points.

The winner of the second flight was clearly the Swedish Hill which was also the overall winner from both flights.

A big thanks to the Finger Lakes Wine Alliance who supplied the wines for the tasting.

I did try and tweet a bit during the event, but that was mostly ugly—since after the initial tasting, we returned to the wines and we all got a bit loaded. I think I even tweeted notes that included the words ‘sexy’ and ‘racy’ (in the same note). I realized that I was only writing those words in the hope that someone would ‘Retweet’ my comments—the apparent epitome of being ‘cool’ on Twitter.  Yes, I sacrificed my principles (I never use the word ‘sexy’ to describe the taste of a wine—if you think wine tastes ‘sexy’, well, I can’t think of anything particularly witty to say right now since I am handcuffed by my own hypocrisy) to try and be one of the ‘cool kids’ on Twitter. I have a feeling that anyone who is considered ‘cool’ on Twitter might actually have been considered a huge dork in high school.

But that is just a guess….