Eat First

A tasting of red wines from the Finger Lakes

Drink where you live.

I've lived in Central New York all of my life. As a food writer and blogger with an emphasis on things local and seasonal, I'm interested in "locapours'' to go with our local food -- but I am by no means a wine expert. I like wine with food. I like dry(er) reds, whites and Roses, but can't always come up with a word or words to describe what I like about wine. I like to chat and learn and pick up tips from others, and that's what nudged me to participate earlier this month in a "virtual tasting'' of red wines produced in the Finger Lakes.

The Finger Lakes region produces world-class Rieslings -- this we all know. Less well-known but coming along are some of the red wines grown and produced here -- Cabernet Franc, Lemberger, Merlot, even Pinot Noir, the latter of which is considered extremely difficult to grow, perhaps even more so in a cool, fickle climate like ours. So it was enlightening and informative to participate in a tasting of Finger Lakes reds, ask questions of winemakers and exchange notes with wine writers and bloggers.

The Finger Lakes Wine Virtual Tasting series is an a program of the Finger Lakes Wine Alliance, an organization whose mission is to to increase the visibility and reputation of the Finger Lakes viticultural area, its wines and wineries. Wine writers and bloggers from all over the country participated in the virtual tasting: Florida, California, Ohio, New Hampshire, North Carolina, etc.

 

Sampling eight wines in an hour, taking notes, watching a live video with the winemakers and posting comments on social networks makes for a slightly madcap evening -- but I'm not complaining. It was a lot of fun.

 

Some key takeaways:

 

• Hats off to Billsboro Winery for its 2012 Pinot Noir. The wine is light, slightly tart but smooth. I would like to revisit it with some barbecue or grilled salmon. Others suggested it would  make a fine Thanksgiving wine.

 

• Cabernet Franc is a complex wine that comes off as astringent at times, to our taste buds, at least. We sampled three Cab Francs  from three wineries this evening and found the Hosmer 2011 Cab Franc to be more full-bodied and flavorful than the others. That said, I find that Cab Francs "grow on you" over time. Allowing these wines to breathe (an hour or more) seems to mellow/even them out a bit. I like their earthiness and would like to pair them with something earthy -- like local mushrooms, in a pasta sauce or on a pizza, or maybe a kale and potato soup.

 

• Don't overlook Cab Franc blends. Some of the nicest wines of the evening were blends -- like the complex and balanced 2010 Cabernet Franc/Lemberger from Fox Run Vineyards. Other really nicely balanced blends were the deep red Swedish Hill 2010 Optimus (Cab Franc, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon) and the Hector Wine Company 2012 Essence (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cab Franc and Syrah). Even at just 7 pecent, the Syrah really comes through in the robust and smooth Essence, which ended the evening on a high note (and left me wishing I had a brownie or piece of chocolate cake to go with it).

 

• Rhymes with heritage: Meritage is a Bordeaux-style wine made from a blend of grapes. The Damiani 2011 Meritage was another surprise -- a blend of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot that's medium-bodied, full of flavor and food friendly. It would be great with a pot roast or a steak off the grill. 

 

My advice to those interested in broadening their Finger Lakes wine sampling/drinking experiences: When you visit Finger Lakes wineries in the months ahead, taste at least one red (and a dry Rose where possible) along with the Riesling, Gewurztraminer and other whites the region does so well.

 

Even though the growing season is short, open your mind to our cool-climate reds. You could be very pleasantly surprised.

 

 

 

Virtual wine tasting of Finger Lakes red wines and red blends - participating wineries/wines sampled:

Billsboro Winery, 2012 Pinot Noir

Hosmer Winery, 2011 Hosmer Cabernet Franc

Chateau LaFayette Reneau, 2010 Cabernet Franc

Heron Hill Winery, 2011 Ingle Vineyard Cabernet Franc

Fox Run Vineyards, 2010 Cabernet Franc/Lemberger

Swedish Hill Winery, 2010 Optimus

Damiani Wine Cellars, 2011 Meritage

Hector Wine Company, 2012 Essence

CLICK HERE to read the online coverage of the virtual wine tasting.

 

CNY food product bootcamp: Meet instructor Marty Butts, of Small Potatoes Sales and Marketing

Courtesy of Small Potatoes Sales and Marketing

Do your homemade cookies fly off the plate? Could they -- or your spicy pickled peppers -- be made commercially, without sacrificing quality?

If you have ever thought about bringing a homemade food product to market -- or your friends and family keep telling you should bottle, bag, box or can something you've made -- you should get to know Martin Butts, of Small Potatoes Sales and Marketing. He's on a mission to show people how they CAN get their product out there -- and HOW to do it.

In the last five years years in New York State, hundreds of small food enterprises have launched -- some from farms looking to extend their season and reach by selling "value added" products (think jams, jellies, preserves, salsas, sauces, etc.) and others from home kitchens or shared use facilities like Nelson Farms, near Morrisville.

 

On March 22, Marty will lead a three-part, day-long workshop in Utica that focuses on launching and growing a food business. Participants can sign up for individual sessions or sign up for the full day. Full-day tickets include all three workshops -- ABC's of Starting a Food Product Company, Running a Great Farmers Market Booth and Getting On and Staying On the Shelf -- and a locally sourced lunch.

 

The event will be held at the thINCubator (short for “the home for Innovative New Companies”). Tickets cost $55 for the day ($25 per workshop; plus registration fees). For registration information, CLICK HERE.

Marty describes himself as an advocate for local foods. At Small Potatoes, he works with small producers in upstate New York and food business incubators around the country to help people start and grow food product businesses. He formerly served as director of Syracuse University's Community Test Kitchen.

 

Marty is a good friend and a personal mentor --  I've bounced food story ideas and food product ideas off him myself. He's honest without being bubble-bursting, generous with his time and knowledge and so passionate about local food and food systems that it's positively contagious. He's a lively, engaging speaker and a good listener.

 

I peppered him with a questions about home-based foods, becoming a "foodpreneur'' and his upcoming workshop. His answers are below.

 

Is this a new workshop? Or something you have offered before? How did it come about?

MB: The three individual sessions I'll be presenting I have presented before, however this will be the first time I've presented them in the full day format. The third one I'm presenting (Selling Your Product) was actually the first one I've developed, and I've added the other sessions over the last couple years based on my changing experiences, and how the marketplace for local food has developed. 

What do you see as local homemade foods with real potential in the marketplace?

MB: There's a lot of room in the marketplace. Some categories are more crowded than others, but a great product from a company that provides great service can find success. 

I think I'm most excited to start seeing products from the growing New American population.  As our refugee and immigrant population continues to grow, we're going to start seeing more and more ethnic foods breaking in to the market. Food often serves as a way for New Americans to integrate into a community. Riggies, Utica greens and tomato pie represent the history and tradition of populations that moved to CNY a hundred years ago, and foods more representative of Asians, Africans or Eastern Europeans will be what influences our food culture for the next 100 years. 

How difficult is it to transition a home/farm food product to the marketplace? Can you share some local success stories? 

MB: Starting any new business is a lot of work and commitment. It just is. Expect long days, missed parties and the occasional feeling of impending doom. But if you have a good plan, product and attitude you can make it happen. Hundreds of food companies have opened across the state to varying degrees of success.

Better Brittle is a great example of a company that has steadily grown from a small footprint to something much larger. Karma Sauce is another one. I'm a big fan of how Divine Brine in Long Island has grown their business. Deborah's Sweet Treats started home based, grew into the farmers market and just opened up a brick-and-mortar gluten-free bakery in Baldwinsville. 

It also depends on how you define success. For some people starting a food business is a hobby. Something to do on the weekends for some added income. Other folks launch with a handful employees from day one with the goal of world domination. 

What are some of the top "takeaways" you want people to get from this workshop?

MB: Well, usually one of two things. Either YES I CAN! That's my first choice. Or, HECK NO, I'D BETTER NOT! And that's OK too. If someone takes the classes and decide they don't have what it takes, well then it's $55 well spent. Either way I try to make the advice practical and actionable. We won't be talking about hypotheticals. Every attendee, whether they have a food business or are looking to start a new one, should have tools they need to take the next step.

I also try to impart to folks that finding success with a business in the food system takes fully engaging your community and your place in it. The new food economy is tapping into something much bigger than dollars and cents, and being open to everything it has to offer will not only help you be successful, but can have far reaching impacts in your community. Feeding people is a powerful thing and I hope people walk away from the sessions with some sense of that to go along with their new tools. 

$55 (plus) fees for a full-day workshop that includes a local lunch? That's a bargain!

MB: And coffee! And cookies!! And bagels!! A guidebook on starting a food business!!!! Buttons!!!!! And probably some other stuff. It really is a good value, and that's because I'm working with some sponsors to help keep the cost down: thINCubator, where the event is being held, the Oneida County Public Market, Szarek Greenhouses, Old Goat Jams, The Mohawk Valley Small Business Development Center have all provided support. I get to take the credit, but it couldn't happen without the support of all these organizations. 

What's the best thing someone has ever said to you about one of your workshops?

MB: That the advice I gave them worked. Not every company that launches is going to make it, even if they do everything "the right way," but hearing from people that I gave them some of the tools that helped them turn their idea into action is really amazing. Gives me chills every time. 

There's been a few occasions where after a workshop I talked with an attendee and you could just see they felt unburdened knowing they had an option. Laid off, out of work for two years with no good prospects, feeling the impending layoffs coming, underemployed and barely scraping by. I've been there and it grinds on you. Empowering people to control their own destiny by getting involved in a food system business? For me, there's nothing better.

 

CLICK HERE for Marty's TedX Utica talk on "Re-Defining Our Food Culture''

 

Dining Out: S2 Bistro, Scotch 'n' Sirloin, Syracuse

Summer is coming. Eventually. It's gotta be. We're looking forward to warm days on the veranda and in the yard.

Until then, there is the open-pit fireplace in the S2 Bistro at the Scotch 'n' Sirloin. Cozy tables for two ring the fireplace. Sit there for a while, and you'll wish you were wearing short sleeves.

 

Also, there is the food. In case you've been hibernating the last six months, Yann Guigne, former chef and co-owner of L'Adour Restaurant Francais (RIP) in Syracuse, has joined the Scotch as executive chef. His French touches are making a mark on the bistro menu, and last fall he introduced a new menu, the first in seven years, in the Scotch's dining room.

 

I cannot speak for the traditional steakhouse half of this landmark Syracuse restaurant -- it has been several years since we've eaten in the dining room. But the S2 Bistro is one of our favorite places.

 

We love that you can go for a drink and get warm by the fire. We like that there's complimentary popcorn and peanuts and that you toss the peanut shells on the floor. We like the community tables, which promote mingling with other patrons and offer a good view of multiple TV screens when a Syracuse University basketball game is on. And we love that we can have a casual meal of a couple really nice not-so-small plates and share things easily.

 

We went to the bistro for a belated Valentine's Day treat. Here's what we found.

 

THE VIBE: Cozy, intimate, warm, convivial, rustic, romantic. The bar is lively and so are the community tables. If you're after a more quiet meal, ask for one of the booths towards the back of the room.

 

LIQUID ASSETS: Beer, a nice selection of wines by the glass and bottle, signature cocktails and a long list of scotches and whiskeys for those who like the hard stuff. We would like to see more New York wines on the wine list.

 

THE MENU: The Bistro menu changes a couple times a year and includes soups, salads, seafood and fish, a flatbread pizza, burgers, sandwiches and pasta.

 

WHAT'S A VEGETARIAN GOING TO FIND: Pretty slim pickings - this is a steakhouse, after all. The fall/winter menu offers Mushroom Fettucini tossed with tossed with shiitake, oyster, Paris mushrooms, Parmesan and truffle cream sauce -- order it minus the bacon and grilled chicken. There is a warm goat cheese baguette with herbs de Provence over mesclun greens. Also, truffle French fries with black truffle creme.

 

THE FOOD: We shared a lovely cheese plate ($16) that contained goat cheese, Camembert, blue cheese, Cheddar, walnuts, dried apricots and prunes, berry preserves and a pile of mesclun greens. Part of us wanted to ask for more baguette slices, but we knew if we kept eating bread and cheese we would spoil our next course.

 

I've loved every bite of the Poached Eggs Meurette ($9) twice now. Two perfectly cooked eggs are served on baguette slices, with bacon, onions, mushrooms, red wine sauce and mesclun greens. It's a really savory and elegant way of having breakfast for dinner, and Yann says the dish is a runaway hit with diners, who probably will complain if he removes it from the menu.

 

The slider plate ($12.50) stars all-natural, grass-fed angus beef from Drover Hill Farm, Madison County. The burgers were cooked to medium-rare, as ordered. Robert would have liked a more delicate roll with the sliders, to show off the flavor of the local beef. The burgers come with pickled green beans and French fries on the side.

 

Who can resist a ramekin of creme brulee ($6)? Not us. Creme brulee is one of our favorite desserts. The custard was thick and rich and not too sweet, with a beautiful brown crown of burnt sugar to crack our spoons through.

 

THE SERVICE: Very professional and attentive, even at the community tables, which can be tricky for a server to navigate when the room is crowded.

 

THE DAMAGES: $80 plus, including four glasses of wine. We probably should just order a bottle. Consider visiting on a Monday, when the restaurant offers 45 wines at 45 percent off, to celebrate its 45-plus years in Syracuse.

 

THE NEXT TIME: I swear I'm going to order something other than the Poached Eggs Meurette. Maybe the in-house smoked salmon? Or the trout prepared Yann's mother's way, with garlic and lemon butter? What menu surprises will spring bring?

 

THE DETAILS: The Scotch 'n' Sirloin is at 3687 Erie Blvd. East, DeWitt. Dinner is served 5 to 9:30 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 5 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. Sundays. The bar opens at 4 p.m. daily. For more information, call 315-446-1771 or visit www.scotchnsirloin.com.