Living 15 minutes from NYC has its advantages. A few Saturdays ago, the kids and I did something we haven’t chanced yet. We drove to the Union Square Greenmarket in NYC. For me, like many other people, this is the ultimate farmers market in the area and pretty much anywhere. There you can buy anything from cut flowers and produce to locally farmed, antibiotic-free meat and cheeses that is all made by farmers held to high standards (read more about the Greenmarket)
The kids played in the big playground a bit and then we did our shopping just like I did when I lived on 30th and Madison just a few blocks north. My market basket filled with many healthy looking green vegetables felt like a fait accompli and a new era for our family. Exiting the market, we passed a wine stand for Anthony Road Winery, a producer from the Finger Lakes region of New York State.
Feeling festive and up for new things, the three of us stopped and I sampled their Dry Riesling, Pinot Gris, and the Gewürztraminer. The wine is truly quite good and offers a unique, rather complex palate at a pretty price. I had to quickly make a wine selection because Spaghetti & Meatball were getting anxious and wine tasting at a farm stand is not so glamorous with a 4 & 5 year old tugging at you and asking when can we be done. I quickly chose to bring home 2 bottles of the Anthony Road 2015 Dry Riesling (retailing for $17.99)
I have really enjoyed this wine and I wanted to share my tasting note with you as well as a little bit about the Anthony Road winery, and the Finger Lakes region. Aside from going to watch racecars with my Dad at Watkins Glen Raceway, I am not too familiar with the wine and the last time I was there I was more into the unbelievably good local ice cream than the wine. 15 years later, I now think it is time to make a trip up there and explore the booming wine scene.
TASTING NOTE: ANTHONY ROAD 2015 DRY RIESLING
Pale lemon in color, with aromas of white nectarine, blossom, lime, white pepper, yellow apple, and a hint of ginger and stone. This is a youthful wine with medium alcohol (11.7%), medium body, and a delightful palate. This would be delicious paired with white grilled fish or as a refreshing accompaniment to an appetizer plate of charcuterie, cheeses, olives, fruit paste, and toasts. Truly enjoyed this wine!
WINERY HISTORY: The Anthony Road winery is located on the west side of Seneca Lake. It is a family owned, family run winery established in 1973. The winery consists of 3 vineyards (the Martini vineyard, the Finger Lakes Teaching & Demonstration vineyard, and Nutt Road vineyard). They produce a large line of wines ranging from dry whites & reds on one end of the spectrum to lusciously sweet dessert wines on the other. The winery is open year round, 7 days a week. Read more about John Martini and his stand at the Union Square Greenmarket here.
THE FINGER LAKES AVA:
This wine producing region consists of over 100 wineries and is known for its aromatic Rieslings and clean, Chablis style Chardonnays. The deep glacial lakes store heat well into November, which raises the temperature in the vineyards around the lakes. The Finger Lakes region consists of several deep, glacial lakes that are shaped like fingers. Amongst those are the most popular Seneca Lake and Cayuga Lake. The heat from the lakes raises the temperatures and protects the grapes in the winter from frost and the long, cool growing season adds complexity of flavor to the grapes, the wine. The three largest produced wines in the AVA are Riesling, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Franc. However, the region also produces a good quantity of Pinot Noir, Gewürztraminer, Merlot, and Pinot Gris.
Swirl, sip, sigh….
Owasco Lake image by Lida licensed under CC 2.0, available here.
Finger Lakes Map by Michael J at the English Language Wikipedia licensed CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2165846
Anthony Road Dry Rielsing 2015 is a personal photograph
