Jul 28, 2010

Blogshoot Booze Offer

It occurred to me that I live in the heart of one of the country's best wine regions. 'Tis true. Fingerlakes (NY) wines win national competitions on a regular basis. Don't ask me why, or what the tasting descriptions mean (initial scents of vanilla and grapefruit tingle the palate with a light fruity... wtf?), but we do have some good wines. And now, some good liquors...

I'm planning to hit Finger Lakes Distilling today or tomorrow for a quick tasting, and probably to supplement my own shelf. Specifically, I'm interested in their Rye - as noted, whiskey is my vice - but I intend to sample their vodka and gin as well.

The other excellent option is Six Mile Creek's Spirits by Battistella - a local vineyard that expanded into vodka, gin, etc. I haven't tried their vodka or gin yet, but speaking from experience, their Limoncella is *fantastic*. There's a bottle in our freezer right now, as a matter of fact.

If anyone attending the shoot would like me to bring them a bottle of something from our region, email me - zercool at gmail - and let me know.

Decent wines* can be had in the $10-15 range, the Six Mile spirits run about $25, and the FLD stuff seems to be about $30 for vodka or gin, and $45-50 for rye.

I'm not made of money, of course, but I can float anyone who's interested in one or two bottles until the shoot.

* - decent wine is a matter of taste, as we all know. Finger Lakes reds can be rather hit or miss (although "Tug Boat Red" is a consistently great easy-drinking red table wine), but our whites tend to be excellent. If you know a type you like and a price range, I can probably find something appropriate.

5 comments:

MHAithaca said...

If Tug Boat Red is "great," the problem you often have with Finger Lakes reds isn't the wines. ;-)

Actually, I'd start out with "tastes vary," and go on to say that lots of Finger Lakes wines appeal to a wide variety of palates. Some really are quite excellent, and many wineries have evolved enormously over the last several years, if you haven't tried them lately.

We happen to have some surprisingly good Bordeaux-style red blends, including Standing Stone's Pinnacle (the best of them) and Six Mile Creek's Quintessence. McGregor has some stunning reds.

Among the whites, the area is known for its Rieslings, and some of them even deservedly so. Hermann Wiemer is improving. Staci has made some great Gewurztraminers at a couple of wineries.

Finger Lakes Distilling's spirits have really impressed me, and I think you'll like the rye. Too bad you missed the chance to buy some bourbon, but I'm happy to share mine. The fruity spirits are also great for certain situations, such as, say, over ice cream.

And I think you'll find the gin and vodka from Battistella to be excellent. The gin is surprisingly good. I wish it were a little more affordable, so I could experiment with cocktailing it instead of sipping it.

ZerCool said...

I wish it were a little more affordable, so I could experiment with cocktailing it instead of sipping it.

This from the man who ordered a mixed drink made with 16-year Lagavulin?

Heathen!

MHAithaca said...

Yeah, I think they're charging about as much for 200ml of gin as you'd pay for a 750ml bottle of Lagavulin.

And the "classic silver bullet" was good.

Mike Golch said...

I cam for a visit from BorePatch's sit.I just had to add my 2 cents worth.In the not to Brag too much Ohio has some good Wine regions as well.

Bob said...

New visitor here, via Borepatch. This post took me waaaaaaaay back, when I was living with my in-laws (now ex-in-laws, thank all the gods) not far from Cortland. Ithaca was a regular hangout and shopping area, and I remember visiting Six Mile Creek not too long after they opened and trying their wine. Glad to see they've had success.