Tag: Benjamin North Spencer

May 19, 2021 Book Reviews

Book Review: The New Wines of Mount Etna by Benjamin North Spencer

Let’s get the disclaimer right out of the way, shall we? I positively adore the wines of Mount Etna, the

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Vineyard Tile. If you know, you know. #fingerlakes

Vineyard Tile. If you know, you know. #fingerlakeswine. If you DON'T know… here’s the deal. if you want good quality wine in the rich soils of Seneca Lake in New York, buried at a depth of 4 feet in a pattern like that shown here, you need vineyard tile. forget about the word "tile" for a moment because it's a red herring. It should be called vineyard pipe. It’s perforated 4-inch plastic tubing that takes excess water saturation in your vineyard soil and drains it out of your vineyard. With the amount of rain they get here in the Finger Lakes, the water table can rise to within a couple of feet of the surface. Unless you get rid of that water, the roots of your vines will just sit in it and wallow like a pig in a mud puddle, and those roots won't quest down into the stonier reaches of the soil. Your fruit wont get ripe on time and your vines will be much more prone to mold and other fungal infections. $10k an acre as a starting price, says the guy who has the machine to do it here in @senecalakewine - John Wagner @wagnervineyards, who showed me this layout of a vineyard he “tiled” recently. As if “ripping the soil” in preparation for planting a new vineyard wasn’t enough…. Crazy amount of work involved. #senecalakewinetrail

Moonrise over Seneca Lake @senecalakewine #senecal

Moonrise over Seneca Lake @senecalakewine #senecalakewinetrail

I’ve only been back for a little more than a wee

I’ve only been back for a little more than a week but I already miss the volcano. So when it was time to choose wine for dinner last night, I needed a #nerellomascalese fix. Amusingly when I was in Vittoria before going to Etna I had more than one person tell me that the wines of Etna don’t age well. In fact it was implied that after 4 or 5 years they are i drinkable. Um….. I beg to differ. And as exhibit #1 a stunning single Contrada wine from @passopisciaro_cantina that has at least 6 or 8 more years if not 10, to continue to blossom. Bright, juicy with primary fruit melding with some secondary herbs and spices all suffused with that gorgeous powdered stone minerality that holds me in thrall. 2015 Passopisciaro “Contrada Porcaria” Nerello Mascalese, Sicily.
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#volcanicwine #tastethevolcano #etnawine #winewithfriends #winewithdinner #sicilianwine #winestagram #instawine #vinography #winelover

Champagne to share with friends who have started t

Champagne to share with friends who have started to expect every get together with bubbly (my fault). This is a zero dosage beauty from @domainevadinplateau, with berries and wet chalkboard austerity and citrus pith nervosity. Deeeeelish!
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#growerchampagne #bubbles #champagne #winewithfriends #instawine #winestagram #winelover #vinography #winewithdinner #brutzero

Looking up at Contrada Santo Spirito, with Guardio

Looking up at Contrada Santo Spirito, with Guardiola above it, and then past the towards the twin tips of the #etna caldera from the deck at @palmentocostanzoetnawine. A beautiful last look at the mountain and some of its most hallowed terroir before I head back home. #etnadays #etnawine #overtoosoon #nerellomascalese #carricante #volcanicwine #vinography📷

Did you know that there’s this whole “secret” group of high end kosher wines being made in California right now, some of them crafted under the guidance of the state’s most famous and expensive winemaking consultants? Neither did I until recently. So I went and tasted them. Here’s what I thought. Link in bio or just go to Vinography.Com.
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#kosherwine #luxurywine #caiforniawine #undertheradar #winestagram #instawine #vinography #winelover #wineblogger

Wherever you look, there is Etna. Whatever you tas

Wherever you look, there is Etna. Whatever you taste, there is Etna.

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