Some Words on Terroir

Here at Fox Run Vineyards, we have a deep appreciation of the complex interplay between our estate vineyards, management of the vines, the cool-climate of the Finger Lakes - with its levels of sun, wind and rain, and our winemaking process. When we think about terroir, we consider all of the factors that contribute to the wine that we ultimately produce.

Soil plays a primary role in all of this and the soils of our various sites are varied and unique in their composition and configuration. Ancient river deltas and lake shorelines lie under our Lake Dana and Hanging Delta Vineyards. Lake Dana's shale and stone is now hidden by a thick layer of sandy loam. The resulting well-drained soil is ideal for the ripening of Riesling vines. And the Hanging Delta Vineyard Block, once a river outlet, presents alternating bands of clay and sand. The Riesling grapes produced on both of these parcels are so distinctly different; we created the Geology Series to showcase these vines.

And yet, after twenty years of cultivating our estate vines, we have seen extraordinary Rieslings coming from other parcels, clearly due to the particulars of a singular year - therefore that element of surprise is there from year to year.  And such is true for our other estate varieties: Chardonnay, Lemberger, Cabernet Franc, and Pinot Noir. The positioning of parcels on the slopes leading down to the shores of Seneca Lake, the fine differences between parcel soil composition, our rigorous work in the vineyards and sensitive treatment of vines that receive varying levels of rainfall from season to season, together create an interactive system that we define as terroir, but that which includes the cellar decisions made after the precise timing of the harvest and grape selection. 

Scott Osborn, Proprietor

At Our Winery Café, Chef Tony Gullace Creates Garlic-Infused Tapas Menu for August

Every August, we celebrate the local artisan garlic harvest in a serious way – hosting our 2-day festival of all things garlic, by bringing together garlic growers and experts, farmers, specialty food producers, artists musicians, and thousands of visitors. All of this fantastic garlic action takes place in a village square atmosphere we create for the occasion, on the spacious lawns behind our winery.

 

Chef Tony Gullace

This winter, brainstorming with my good friend, Chef Tony Gullace, we can up with the idea to extend the celebration with a garlic-infused tapas menu, and feature it throughout the month of August at our winery café. Tony Gullace is one of Rochester’s iconic chefs – and he and I have been friends for over 20 years. His acclaimed restaurants in downtown Rochester are hugely popular, sought-out culinary destination points and include: Max of Eastman Place, Max Chophouse, Max Sushi Noodles and Max at the Gallery. His passion for cooking is equally fueled by the utilization of topnotch local ingredients.  He has prepared the menus for several Fox Run Garlic Festivals and for the numerous garlic dinners we used to have on the Saturday night of the festival. We don’t do the Saturday dinners any more – getting too old for those late, late nights - as many of you famously remember. But Tony has returned for recent festivals to create great garlic-infused dishes for the Glorious Garlic weekend. We are so fortunate to have Tony’s culinary stamp on the festival.

With local garlic as the star ingredient, Tony created a short but varied tapas menu for the Fox Run café - featuring a chilled tomato-garlic soup - middle eastern sampler of hummus, tabbouleh and babaganoush - Lively Run goat cheese (one of his absolute favorites) with roasted garlic and roasted red peppers and finally, an assortment of olives and mushrooms in a garlic-parsley sauce. All of these small dishes have been meticulously paired with our estate wines. Tony is writing up all the recipes for the home chef and has added a litany of tips for preparing and working with cool-climate garlic.

Our August visitors will also be able to purchase local hardneck garlic in our market everyday. Detailed descriptions for each type will point out the rather incredible differences in flavor these varieties offer and the interplay between wine and bulb.

Scott Osborn, Proprietor

Find Out What Makes A Cool-Climate Wine Tick

"Clouds and Water" by Arthur Dove, Geneva's Foremost Artist

Our very first Wine Symposium of the Finger Lakes, which takes a serious, global view of cool-climate winemaking, is slated for March 23. I’ve been actively involved with the conceptual planning of this event and currently serving as an advisor. We have a great line-up of seminars, led by top-flight experts and a five-star lunch planned. Here’s a breakdown of the day’s schedule:

Overall, the event is aimed at the serious wine enthusiast ready to learn more about this great American region, and stellar regions abroad, famous for their cool-climate bottlings.  The event is a terrific collaboration between Geneva Growth and the Finger Lakes Wine Alliance, with support from the New York Wine and Culinary Center, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, the City of Geneva and the Geneva Area of Commerce. Held at the beautiful Scandling Campus Center at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, it’s a great opportunity to really delve into what makes a cool-climate wine tick. Iconic wine expert Dan Berger and New York sommelier Thomas Pastuszak will demystify northern reds and whites, including those from Italy, France and Germany.  We will also mix it up with classical and innovative wine and food pairings, led by James Treadwell, one of Canada’s top sommeliers, and co-owner of Treadwell Farm-to-Table cuisine in Port Dalhousie, Ontario.

In the early afternoon, awards will be presented for the Finger Lakes AVA Riesling Challenge.

Following the ceremony, a culinary star from the White House, Chef Walter Scheib, together with five top chefs from the Finger Lakes, will present a five-course luncheon menu, expertly matched with wines selected  by our team of wine professionals. Chef Scheib will also share his personal experiences at the White House, over a span of 11 years, and serving under two presidents.

The day will end with a Finger Lakes Grand Tasting, offering up exciting new releases from the area's finest wineries. Winemakers and proprietors will be on hand to give an in-depth look at their wines and technique.

And fitting to have it all take place in Geneva, an historic lakeside city, that well-known wine writer Alice Feiring (recent Wine Personality of the Year from Imbibe magazine) referred to as the future Napa of the East Coast. With its historic districts and sweeping views of Lake Geneva, home to the early modernist artist Arthur Dove, and the Smith Opera House, one of the oldest operating theaters in the United States, it’s a city experiencing a renaissance.

Tickets and further information can be found at: www.winesymposiumfingerlakes.com

Scott Osborn, Proprietor

Tierce Goes to Washington

Tierce Goes to Washington

Yesterday was such a super day for all of us at Fox Run Vineyards. At Century Liquor and Wines in Rochester, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced that Tierce Riesling 2010 will be served at the Presidential Inaugural Luncheon on January 21, 2013. Senator Schumer, Chairman of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, informed us that it will be served along with the first course. Thank you Senator Schumer!  We are so proud of our senior winemaker Peter Bell and his winemaking team.

For those who are not familiar with Tierce (Latin for “third’) - this is a collaborative wine created by our senior winemaker Peter Bell, with winemakers, Johannes Reinhardt of Anthony Road and Dave Whiting of Red Newt.  A limited production wine, with approximately 300 cases made each year, this innovative, “shared” venture brings into play complexities and nuances that set it apart from all other bottlings coming from single wineries – making it uniquely Finger Lakes.  Says Peter, “It's a one-third each blend of Riesling lots from each winery. It's all done by a series of punishing tastings. And ultimately we're looking for an austere style. We talk about minerality, electricity and tension. Can you quantify them? No, but we know what we're looking for.” Since the first vintage of Tierce, in 2004, it has gone on to be recognized as one of the iconic wines of the Finger Lakes wine region.

As Jim Trezise, President of the New York Wine and Grape Foundation pointed out - "The Inaugural Luncheon is the ultimate power lunch in the world, with the President hosting his Cabinet, leaders of Congress, Supreme Court justices, diplomats, and others who wield global influence--and who will experience the fine wines and foods New York now produces."

I’d like to extend a very special thanks to Jim Trezise, for making this all possible. And Jim stated it so well. “The 2010 Tierce has won awards and accolades around the world, and is symbolic of the spontaneous cooperation among Finger Lakes wine producers.”

Other outstanding producers from across this great state will be represented at the luncheon as well,  including Bedell Cellars 2009 Merlot, from the North Fork of Long Island, to Rochester’s Crown Maple Syrup and apples from Golden Harvest Orchards in Otsego, NY. “The luncheon menu reflects Schumer’s choice of a theme for the 57th Inaugural Ceremonies. Faith in America’s Future commemorates the United States’ perseverance and unity and marks the sesquicentennial year of the placement of the Statue of Freedom atop the new Capital Dome in 1863.”

A great day, a great achievement – and what a superb way to start the New Year!

The "Tierce Brothers" with Senator Schumer, from left to right: 
Peter Bell, Dave Whiting and Johannes Reinhardt.

 Peter Bell and I listen to Senator Schumer announcing the great news.

Scott Osborn, Proprietor

December - A Time for Celebration and Appreciation.

Our estate vines in winter.

December is a time for celebration and appreciation. To all of our special customers and friends, we joyously extend our warmest wishes for the 2012 Holiday Season. Thank you for your business and valued friendship.

And what a landmark year this was for Fox Run. In January, we became a family-owned winery - a dream that has been 20 years in the making. We have always been about vinting our estate wines with perfection and passion. But now, with this pivotal change in place, we are pushing our creative boundaries even further.  2012 saw the launch of an exciting Riesling trilogy - the Lake Dana Vineyard Geology Series: three wines, three groundbreaking styles. These distinct and aromatic Rieslings express the beauty of our winemaking, our terroir and the geological profile of our unique soils. 

And known for our iconic cool-climate port series, we introduced Hedonia, a white port crafted from exotic Traminette grapes.

Our 20th Annual Garlic Festival took place this past August. It’s considered the reigning heirloom garlic festival on the East Coast. And, as in every year, thousands of epicureans, wine lovers, vacationers and fans descended upon our scenic winery grounds overlooking Seneca Lake, enjoying all of the fun and deliciousness of this great event.

Chatting with wine buyers in Hong Kong.

2012 was also a year of important travel overseas. Ruth and I crossed the Atlantic for Fox Run’s launch in the United Kingdom. We visited our importers in Belgium and Denmark as well, and saw how much wine drinkers in Europe are appreciating the distinctive flavors of New York’s Finger Lakes cool-climate wines. In November, I took my first trip to Hong Kong, an exciting wine market growing at an electrifying pace, where I poured Fox Run wines for influential sommeliers and beverage directors. The affinity between Asian food and Finger Lakes Riesling is so perfect that I’m expecting to have a very good problem - keeping up with the demand. 

A great year from start to finish.

From all of us at Fox Run Vineyards, Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas and all best wishes for a very happy and healthy 2013.

Scott Osborn, Proprietor

Please enjoy our archival material!

If Your Refrigerator Could Talk

by Ben Peacock, President, Tousey Winery

Dieticians would say that you can tell a lot about a person from a peek inside their fridge.  I would argue you can tell just as much from what's on the outside.  For reasons unknown to me, people seem  desperate to reveal and express themselves via the white and chrome vastness of this kitchen utility's outer surfaces.  All of which are ready to be scanned and analyzed by covert fridge scanners like me.  There's the snotty nose kid on a bicycle, the reminder of a dentist appointment and more often than not, a green takeout menu.

The Key to Life?

by Dr. Steven Hickman, Intern Emeritus

“Has anyone seen the key?”

Especially in the fall and summer, this refrain can be heard echoing off the stainless steel tanks and concrete floors of the Fox Run cellar.  The key is not the one that unlocks the cellar door, which is a rather mundane looking item.  Winery hardware is more complicated than that: we're looking for the elusive but necessary key that will allow us to sample the wines in our tanks.

A Winery Owner's Screed

by Scott Osborn, President

The big question I hear in the tasting room these days is, “Why don’t New York restaurants carry a selection of New York wines?” This is a one of those hot-button questions that can get a winery owner seething with frustration. I define 'local' as anything made in my state, or better yet, within 100 miles or so of where it's being sold. We see advertisements every day from restaurants boasting that they use only local ingredients. This practice, called Locavorism, is a big selling point at the moment.

But too often you go out to support a good restaurant and the local farmers who they are sourcing from, and the first thing you notice is that the wine list is heavy on west coast and imported products. Often there are no local wines at all, or a token one just for show. How can they reconcile these two practices, one wonders? These folks have a double standard that is not even remotely defensible.

Here are some statistics.

July Reckoning

By: Kelby Russell, Winemaking Team Member

There is no denying it, we are definitely into the month of July.  As much as we might like to close our eyes and pretend that it is still June, Independence Day is now behind us and the dog days of summer are beckoning.  Don't get me wrong, we absolutely adore the glorious sunny days that summer in the Finger Lakes means - especially as those sunny days transform into molten twilights that seem to last forever.  You will notice, however, that I did not employ the normal cliché of "carefree summer days," and that is precisely the point.

Our daily calendar for the month of July is a complete mess.

Update from the Vineyard

With the July sun warming us through here on Seneca Lake, it's time for a quick update on how the growing season is treating our vineyards thus far.  Peter in particular would note that he is a bit cynical about the whole process of trying to forecast the quality of a vintage based on a few weeks of weather; you may remember that he is even hesitant to discuss the quality and direction of a vintage the following May.  It must be said that this certainly represents a very practical way of assessing the grapes and resulting wines: wines take time to come into their own and, even in a brilliant growing season, grape quality can be ruined in an instant after a single tantrum by Mother Nature.

The Coolest of Cool Climates

By: Kelby Russell, Winemaking Team Member returned from afar

Having spent the previous four months in Tasmania, returning to the Finger Lakes a few days ago has truly been a joy.  From catching up with family to catching up with friends old and new, the only thing as rewarding has been the sudden change from winter weather to summer weather (and daylight hours) for the first time in nearly ten months.  I may grumble about the increase in temperature and the adjustment to trying to sleep in a room at 70 degrees rather than 40 degrees, but that would be the definition of missing the forest for the trees.

The Oregon Trial

by Peter Bell, Winemaker

You could tell from the previous couple of blog posts. People in the wine business tend to be among the world’s most eager practitioners of what the British call a Busman’s Holiday. When we take a break from our wine-related tasks, whatever they may be, what do we have a burning desire to do? Taste wine, meet winemakers, visit other regions, or at the very least, seek out and consume a wine style that is new to us.

In Praise of Rose

by Scott Osborn, Fox Run Vineyards President

There’s nothing like a good vacation, where cell phone signals and the internet are intermittent, to let a person relax and reflect. My wife Ruth, her sister and brother-in law and I recently took a much-needed trip to St. Maarten in the Caribbean. It was a first visit for all of us. It was also a chance to get away from one of the snowiest winters on record and one of the rainiest springs.

Old World Ramblings Uncover Great Characters, Tasty Wines

By Dan Mitchell, Regional Sales Manager

From time to time we experience something that causes to us revisit our understanding of the time-space continuum. Hollywood would have us believe that time moves much more slowly when we go through the daily routine of running away from an exploding vehicle. You and I know that time moves more slowly when standing in line behind someone at the grocery store writing a check. I recently experienced an extreme example, where time actually moved at HALF its normal rate: a seven hour flight across the Atlantic with screaming toddlers on three sides.

In The Post Riesling Hour Haze...

by Evan Dawson - Author of Summer in a Glass: The Coming of Age of Winemaking in the Finger Lakes

I have the pleasure of standing in for Peter Bell this week - or sitting in, or writing in, if you like - and I'd like to spill a little news about Riesling. It comes from Peter, and I don't know what he'd think about me writing it here, which is all the more reason to post it now and hope he's cool with it later. After all, a colleague in the news business taught me years ago: Don't ask for permission; ask for forgiveness.

Update From The Deep South: Harvest is Over!

By:  Kelby Russell, Winemaking Team Member from afar

Greetings once again from the Down Under's Down Under, Tasmania!  Home of wallabies, platypuses (platypi?), freakishly large moths, and birds that only sound quaint in name until their screeching calls awaken you before sunrise.  If kookaburras do congregate around 'the old gum tree,' as the sing-song rhyme would benignly have us believe, then I would seriously consider supporting the otherwise destructive logging industry here.

Getting Wine Into the Barrel

In this post, former Fox Run employee Dr. Steven Hickman elaborates on one of his favorite activities: filling barrels. During his time at Fox Run, he emptied and filled hundreds of them. A generous and enthusiastic soul, he also donated to the winery the following:

• an expensive camera
• a high-end mountain bike
• a microwave oven
• cases of wine to taste and evaluate
• plenty of his time
• a gas regulator
• a car, and
• a little multi-articulated flashlight, which was so useful that it came to be known as The Hickman Apparatus

How many of us can say that we have a device named after us? Never mind that it was just a scientific-conference freebie: it serves as the ne plus ultra illumination device for barrel filling. Read on...

When Viticulture and Ornithology Collide

By John Kaiser, Vineyard Manager

First and foremost, I would like to clear up my current Avifauna issue. Is it Kildare, or Killdeer? And why am I concerned with this situation? The answer is simple: it doesn’t matter with whom I discuss this matter; no one is certain what this bird's true name is. 

Tawny Time, Part II: It Was NOT Like Giving Birth

By Peter Bell, Winemaker

As I write this, I’m looking back on the last month or so of work, during which we assembled and bottled our latest Tawny fortified wine. Every time we complete a difficult blending task, there descends on the lab a palpable sense of accomplishment: that almost goes without saying. How to describe that feeling is the hard part.