ONLINE FINE WINE TASTING: Meet the Winemakers - New York s Osmote, Red Hook Winery & Wölffer Estate

We are delighted to be working with New York Wines to release the second of two tastings focussing on this emerging and exciting wine state. On this special evening we welcome a trio of winemakers from New York state representing Osmote, Red Hook Winery & Wölffer Estate who will expertly guide us through the history, geology, climate, geography, grape growing and winemaking of this leading east coast state.

The evening will be hosted by wine school founder Jimmy Smith who has experience travelling to and discovering the superb Finger Lakes as well as Long Island.

The Finger Lakes AVA

Established as an AVA in 1982, the history of winemaking in Finger Lakes dates back to the first half of the nineteenth century. However, it wasn’t until more than one-hundred years later, in the early 1960s, that the region’s wine industry really began to flourish following the successful introduction of European Vitis Vinifera varieties grafted onto hardy, native rootstock. Today the appellation is New York’s largest and most prestigious winemaking region, receiving both domestic and international acclaim for its cool climate varietals. It is home to more than one-hundred wineries / winemakers whose collective passion and innovation have helped to establish it as a high quality viticultural region. Despite the often harsh conditions and the difficulties they pose for growers and winemakers, a huge number of different grapes are successfully cultivated in Finger Lakes. These include European Vitis Vinifera varieties such as Riesling, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc plus French-American hybrids and indigenous grapes.

Long Island AVA

The first vineyard was planted in 1973 at Peconic Bay Winery and in 2001, the AVA was established here for the North Fork, South Fork and the Hamptons. The original vines are still producing wine under the Borghese label. The first grapes to be planted and harvested for wine was Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc.

Surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and Long Island Sound, we have a maritime climate and do get to experience the weather of each season here. It is now one of the most expensive places to own a winery being so close to Manhattan and the Hamptons. Long Island has been compared to Bordeaux in terms of latitude and climate and has allowed 59 wineries to now flourish here in this emerging part of New York State.

Tasting Date: Wednesday 2nd March 2021 at 7:30pm (the tasting will last approximately 2 hours).

TASTING FEE STRUCTURE:

For this special two-hour tasting, an exclusive tasting kit is included in the listed price which includes a 75ml tasting sample of each wine, as well as tasting mat, tasting note paper and pen. Note: Tasting kits will be despatched to attendees within the week leading up to the tasting. Upon placing your order, you will receive a link to confirm all delivery details in your booking confirmation email.

Currently, we are only able to deliver tasting kits within the UK.

DON'T WANT TO RECEIVE A TASTING KIT? We understand that not everyone will want to receive the wine samples, and would rather just register to participate in the online evening without the wines. That is absolutely fine! The fee to just register for this evening without receiving a tasting kit is £10. Just enter the promotional code: 65REGONLY when checking out to ensure you just pay the registration cost. 

Tasting Kit: What's Included:

• 75ml tasting sample of each wine (6 in total) contained in a sterilised glass bottle and preserved with an inert gas (designed specifically for wine preservation)
• Tasting mat
• Tasting note sheet
• West London Wine School pen

Wines Included in Tasting Kit (6 in total): 

Finger Lakes

• Osmote, Cabernet Franc Seneca Lake, 2020
• Osmote, Seneca Lake Chardonnay, 2019

Long Island

• The Red Hook Winery, Robert Foley Seneca Lake Cabernet Franc, 2018
• The Red Hook Winery, Robert Foley Vineyard Selection Chardonnay, 2018
• Wölffer Estate Vineyard, Wölffer Estate Summer In A Bottle Rosé, 2020
• Wölffer Estate Vineyard, Wölffer Estate Chardonnay, 2020

TASTING FORMAT:

Jimmy Smith will host this exclusive tasting live at 7:30pm on Wednesday 2nd March 2022 and will be joined by three winemakers from New York's Osmote, Red Hook Winery & Wölffer Estate. This single-evening tasting will be approximately 2 hours in length. 

Unable to commit on the evening? No problem! Anyone registered for this tasting will gain access to the video recording of the live event, so you can always watch it at anytime in the future - whether its because you missed participating in the live evening or if you want to revisit the presentation at a later date.