Pindar Tour & Tasting

I arranged another Finer Things Club event for ABF & myself a few weekends ago--we signed up for a behind the scenes tour and tasting of Pindar, one of our favorite Long Island vineyards.

The geek in me enjoyed it a lot. We got to see the chilling tanks where they keep their whites, the machine that presses the grapes, and the back part of the field where they take all the leftover fruit, stems, etc and mix them into compost for future use. Pindar makes a point to be very green, and works with the locals as well to keep that movement going.

We tasted several wines right from the barrel, which I thought was pretty cool! The first was the Merlot, and let me tell you, while I am no wine conneissuer (ABF is a much better 'taster' than I), even I could tell this needed more time in the barrel. The tour guide told us it would be about another year or so before it was ready for bottling.

The vineyard owner and founder, Dr. Herodotus “Dan” Damianos (photo below, blue sweater, next to our tour guide & winemaker, Les Howard), also came along for the tour. He shared lots of interesting facts about how the barrels are made (a single oak barrel, usually made in France, can run up to 1200 each). We learned that a new oak barrel will be made to hold the vineyard's popular Sunflower Chardonnay, and once that wine has been aged, the barrel will then house another type of white, and finally a third type of white, before being retired.

We also learned how America gave France some starter vines more than a century ago after a fungus destroyed all of their vineyards, and how most French wine is technically (wink) American--how do you like that??

I could have sat all day listening to the how's and why's of winemaking, but it was time for our tasting back at the tasting room. We walked out into the bright, warm sunshine (it is CHILLY in that building!) and made our way across the property. The tasting room was PACKED, but they made space for us in the back area. We were anxious to get a chance to sample their reserve red, voted New York's Best Wine! While we waited we tried the sunflower Chardonnay, which I actually loved. Chardonnay is probably one of the last things I'll order normally, but this one was light, bright, sunny, even!

We also decided to take them up on the awesome offer of 5 bucks for a wedge of delicious cheese and crackers. You can't do all that tasting and not eat something! Well, apparently some people in our group could, but we couldn't.

One of the last tastings we had was of the reserve merlot, which won Best Red in New York, among other awards. This was AWESOME. It was rich, smooth, and you could definitely taste the difference between this wine and the younger reds. ABF & I both gave each other a look of surprise and appreciation--and we both agreed this wine was worth the slightly-higher price (it's around 27 dollars, I think, whereas most Pindar wines are around 10-15).

After all of our tastings, we made our way to the outdoor picnic area and ate the lunch we'd packed. I brought some of my homemade hummus, some delicious yogurt from Trader Joe's, and crackers and veggie slices. It was cool but sunny outside, and it was a good way to let the wine wear off before we hit the road again. We definitely enjoyed this afternoon, and we'll be back there again before long, especially to pick up 2 bottles of their awesome Reserve Merlot!

Pindar Vineyards

ABF & I were out this past Sunday in Long Island again, doing some Christmas shopping in some very un-Christmasy weather. Oh, it was horrible. Rainy, cold, dark at 3:30pm. Feh. I DID purchase my very first Le Creuset Dutch Oven (thanks to a birthday gift card from a good friend). I'd been saving that card for a special occasion, and 30 percent off Le Creuset was special enough for me!

Where was I? Oh yes...we ventured allll the way out East to one of ABF's favorite places, Pindar Vineyards (and also the site of our second date, when I was still quite nervous and, well, quiet. Ha--that era is over!) ABF was picking up gifts for co-workers, and I was wandering around checking out the discounts.

ABF asked if I wanted to go for a tasting while we were there, and of course my answer was yes! Hey, I wasn't driving! Like Duck Walk, it's 4 dollars for 5 wines.

The first wine I tried was their everyday white, Autumn Gold. This was good, but not great (then again, I'm more of a red than white drinker, so keep that in mind). It's definitely affordable at just under ten bucks a bottle. It wasn't too sweet or too dry. As they explain in their tasting notes, it's like your basic Pinot Grigio. Good, but I didn't HAVE to take this one home. ;)

Then I moved on to their 2008 Sauvignon Blanc. I'm slowly starting to appreciate that grape more and more. These grapes grow about 100 feet from the Long Island Sound. I thought this was EXCELLENT, and ended up bringing home a bottle (12.99).

Third on my list was the 2007 Johannisberg Riesling. I love Rieslings, and tell everyone I know that they do NOT have to be cloyingly sweet (though I don't mind those, either!) This Riesling is the perfect balance--sweet but not too sweet. I could definitely taste a peach-like note in there. Very good!

One of ABF's favorite wines there is their Merlot. Hanging out with ABF has definitely given me a new appreciation for Merlots, which I didn't use to like as much. I'd had too many weak, watery ones. Duck Walk's still remains a favorite of mine. This one, Pindar's 2008 Merlot, is very smoky, which I'm not super crazy about when it comes to my wine. ABF loves it, but I'm still lukewarm on this one.

If you're looking for a light, slightly puckery red for your next meat and/or Italian dish, try out their 2006 Cabernet Franc, which goes for 18.99. This wine, a rich ruby-colored beauty, won Pindar the Best Red Wine at the 2007 NY Food & Wine Classic.

My final selection was the Cabernet Port. I'm a dessert wine lover (though I so rarely drink them, oddly enough), and I had to give this one a sip. It tasted very raisiny. Not quite as tangy as the other ports I've had, but this was a nice, sweet, subtle port. It would make a lovely gift, and at 14.99, it won't break the bank.

If you're counting, yes, you're right--that was a tally of 6 wines, not 5. When I couldn't decide between the Cabernet Franc and the port, the server happily gave me a sample of both. Woo hoo!

In the spirit of the holidays, Pindar also set out two crockpots bubbling with aromatic offerings: one was mulled wine, super heavy on the cloves (a little clove goes a lonnnnng way with me) and the other was non-alcoholic mulled apple cider. I actually preferred the cider. ABF and I both had some before we got back on the road.
If you're looking for something to do on your next date, I highly recommend a wine tasting at your nearest vineyard! Wine tastings are a great idea, especially when you're first getting to know someone. It gives you something to talk about say, should both of you be a little quiet at first. :) You're also not going to get DRUNK, so there's no embarrassment factor. They may also inspire you to try a new wine with a new dish--or give you great gift ideas for friends and coworkers. I know ABF got some good deals for his shopping list, and I always find something delicious to bring home with me. I am open to hear your suggestions for what to pair with this Sauvignon Blanc that is now safely tucked away in my fridge!