'Sample NY Beer Festival' in Finger Lakes

CANANDAIGUA, NY -- If you want an extra excuse to look at autumn foliage in the Finger Lakes, the first-ever "Sample NY Beer Festival" will take place this Friday and Saturday at the New York Wine & Culinary Center in Canandaigua.

The event is intended to highlight craft beers from local breweries and brewpubs.

Visitors will be able to participate in the “Taster’s Choice Award” which will be presented at the end of the evening. Each participant will receive a tasting glass bearing a commemorative logo.

The opening event, "NY On Tap," will be held from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday and will include food cooked by the Center's kitchen staff.

The second event, the "Beer Garden," will run from noon to 5 p.m. It will include a variety of beer-themed classes -- seasonal pairings, craft beer pairings, and a classic sausage, cabbage, and beer pairing class.

Tickets to "NY on Tap" are $45 per person or $75 per couple. Class prices range from $20 to $65. Participants who bring their Friday night beer glass to the Saturday event will receive free admission. Pre-registration is required for many of the festival's events, including Friday's "NY on Tap." That can be done online.

The NYWCC facility is located at 800 South Main Street on the lakefront.

---

ON THE WEB
• New York Wine & Culinary Center
• Dowd's Guides

Ithaca outdoor cafes may go smokeless

• From WBNG 12 Action News

ITHACA, NY -- You may be able to dine outside in Downtown Ithaca during warmer months, but soon you might not be able to smoke outside.

"The city is considering the effects of second-hand smoke on the public, and so they're interested in providing a healthy safe place for people where they can come down to the commons and not have to have the second hand smoke," says Vicki Taylor with the Downtown Ithaca Alliance.

The city is looking to ban smoking in roughly half of Ithaca Commons and within 10 feet of outdoor dining areas.

This plan would result with an entire block of smoke free restaurants on Aurora Street, making customers leave the table and the street in order to light one up.

[Go here for the full story.]

---

ON THE WEB
• State Smoking Laws
• Dowd's Guides

NY International Wine Awards to debut

William M. Dowd photo

There's a new wine competition in town. At least there will be in New York City.

Dori Bryant, president of The Polished Palate, and spirits writer Adam Levy tomorrow will announce the debut of the New York International Wine Awards (NYIWA).

The NYIWA is a competition that will award the best wines in various categories as judged by the people on the front line of consumer contact. Trade-only judges will consist of restaurant owners, sommeliers, liquor store buyers, and distributors and importers of fine wine.

Jack Robertiello of Drinks Ink will act as the competition host and lead the judging panel. All judging will be performed blind by a number of panels of experienced wine judges who will then confer and decide in consensus whether a wine receives a double gold, gold, silver, bronze or no medal. Double gold winners will be tasted by all panelists to determine the recipients of the FDR awards, our Best of Category award.

Bryant and Levy hosted the premiere New York International Spirits Awards in June 2009. The success of that inaugural event led to the expansion of the franchise to include wine.

The judging for the NYIWA will take place in closed sessions the week of February 6, 2010, at the Astor Center in New York. The deadline for brands to enter is January 22, 2010.

“The NYIWA is the first wine competition to rely solely on the results of trade-only judging," said Bryant. "These judges are the front line of consumer purchases on a daily basis.”

Details and entry forms are available online.

Manhattan chef's luncheon set for Upstate farm

MILLBROOK, NY -- If the likes of food served at such Big Apple hotspots as Nobu, Centrico and Tribeca Grill paired with wines from the Hudson Valley appeals to you, but the trek to Manhattan doesn't, here's an event that may appeal.

Millbrook Vineyards & Winery will hold its 19th annual Harvest Party from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, October 10. The will feature a four-course meal paired with Millbrook’s finest wines. Signature dishes from three of The Myriad Restaurant Group’s aforementioned restaurants will be prepared by Stephen Lewandowski, Tribeca Grill’s executive chef.

Guests will dine at tables under a large tent bordering the 30 acres of grapevines which are the centerpiece of the 130-acre property. Reservations (845-677-8383 ext. 17) are $135 per person.

The Harvest Party lunch menu:

Wine & Cheese Reception:
Hudson Valley cheeses, grapes, bread
2008 Millbrook Unoaked Chardonnay
2007 Millbrook Pinot Noir
2007 Millbrook Merlot Proprietor’s Special Reserve

First Course:
Centrico’s seafood ceviche with jalapeño, cilantro and lemon confit
2008 Millbrook Tocai Friulano

Second Course:
Nobu’s Black Cod Miso, Chef Nobu Matsuhisa’s signature dish
2007 Millbrook Chardonnay Proprietor's Special Reserve

Third Course:
Tribeca Grill’s braised short ribs with truffled celery root mousse, brown butter carrots and porcini mushrooms
2007 Millbrook Pinot Noir Proprietor's Special Reserve
2006 Millbrook Cabernet Franc Proprietor's Special Reserve

Fourth Course:
Gala apple tart with pumpkin cinnamon crème fraiche
Coffee

Millbrook Vineyards & Winery, founded in 1985, was the first vineyard in the Hudson River Region of New York dedicated exclusively to the production of vinifera grapes. It produces 10,000 cases of wine per year.

---

ON THE WEB
• Millbrook Vineyards & Winery
• Myriad Restaurant Group
• Dowd's Guides

'Hudson Valley Hard Cider Experience' set

WARWICK, NY -- The Applewood Winery in Orange County is set to host the inaugural "Hudson Valley Hard Cider Experience."

The event, which will offer visitors tastings of hard cider, apple wines, and food and wine pairings accompanied by live music and displays, is scheduled for noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, November 7. Admission is $10 for tickets bought at the winery in advance or $12 on the day of the event.

Applewood lists itself as the oldest working farm in Orange County and one of the oldest west of the Hudson River. The farm was founded on Minisink Indian lands in 1700 by Samuel G. Staats who acquired about 5,000 acres of wilderness from the governor of the colonial Province of New York.

Many owners later, the farm came into the hands of Dr. and Mrs. Donald B. Hull. Their eldest son, David, eventually took over the operation of the fruit and cattle operation and gradually transformed it into a full apple operation named Applewood Orchards. In the autumn of 1993, David’s youngest son, Jonathan, and his wife, Michele, opened the winery. Since then, wines from vinifera grape varieties, as well as hard cider and apple wine have been produced.

---

ON THE WEB
• Applewood Winery
• Dowd's Guides

Scenes from a Chowderfest, Troy style

William M. Dowd photos

TROY, NY -- The 3rd annual Troy Chowderfest drew a field of 26 chowders to be evaluated by a four-judge panel inside Brown's Brewing as thousands of attendees of all ages enjoyed the sunshine and chowder sampling outside on River Street Saturday afternoon.

The festival, which included plenty of beer, soft drinks and chowders of all descriptions, along with live music and children's activities, has in short order become a staple in the riverside city’s public schedule, bringing more and more people each year to the Marina District.

Proceeds from the $1-per-entry sampling tickets and competition entry fees go to support the programs of the Troy Boys and Girls Club.

---

ON THE WEB
• Chowderfest Slidshow
• Dowd's Guides

Widmer vineyards donated to RIT

ROCHESTER, NY -- In the midst of an unprcedented growth in the number of wineries in New York State, one of the oldest is being closed.

Widmer Winery, located in Naples about 40 miles southeast of here, will be closed by 2011 and the building and vineyards donated to Rochester Institute of Technology. RIT offers academic programs in wine, sustainability and culinary arts.

Widmer is owned by Constellation Brands Inc., headquartered here in Rochester. It is the world's largest wine company.

Constellation CEO Rob Sands said the company plans to move production of its Taylor, Paul Masson and Manischewitz wines from Widmer to its Canandaigua Winery, located about 20 miles away. It said it probably will move the 55 jobs at Widmer to Canandaigua.

RIT is getting a piece of history as well as 860 acres of land on which there are 220 vine acres with 640 vines to the acre.

The foundations of Widmer's Wine Cellars began more than a century ago when Swiss winemaker John Jacob Widmer and his wife, Lisette, moved to the Finger Lakes. He planted his first vines in 1883 and his wine business started in 1888 when he began filling kegs and barrels on request, mostly for Swiss immigrants in Rochester and in Paterson, NJ.

---

ON THE WEB
• Rochester Institute of Technology
• Widmer Wine Cellars
• Dowd's Guides

'Water, water everywhere ...

... and not a drop to drink."

That line from "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by the English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772–1834) came to mind on Sunday afternoon when I stopped to gaze at the Cohoes Falls in the little Albany County city of Cohoes and found someone with a much better view.

A lone bicyclist left his wheels close to shore (see background when you double-click on the image to enlarge it) and somehow managed to make his way to the edge of the falls where he sat down and looked around. He also outwaited me. I presume he got back safely.

William M. Dowd photo

---

ON THE WEB
• Mohawk Towpath Scenic Byway
• City of Cohoes, NY
• Dowd's Guides

Hyde's Degas exhibit adds wine dinner

GLENS FALLS, NY -- Chalk up an extra to go with The Hyde Collection’s exhibition "Degas & Music."

The museum will hold its annual "A Taste of Art: A Wine and Food Experience" from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Friday, September 18.

The wine tasting décor will evoke the feeling of a 19th Century café concert, a popular form of musical entertainment of the period featured in the exhibition of the French Impressionist's paintings.

Putnam Wine of Saratoga Springs and Uncorked of Glens Falls are creating a collection of wines from New York and states, as well as from Australia, Europe and South America to go with food samplings from a number of area restaurants -- The Anvil, Cherry Tomato, The Farmhouse Restaurant, Friends’ Lake Inn, Fifty South, GG Mama’s, Grist Mill, Luisa’s Italian Bistro and The Sagamore -- and Adirondack Community College’s culinary program.

The Davidson Brothers Restaurant and Brewery will host the beer garden in the museum’s Hoopes Gallery. Music will be provided by The Dick Caselli Trio and Alambic. A silent auction will feature and art-related items.

Tickets are $75 per person. Reservations are required: (518) 792-1761 ext. 23 or by e-mail.

A special master class is open to Connoisseur Committee members, those contributing an additional $250 to the event. All proceeds from the wine tasting event will benefit The Hyde Collection’s exhibitions and educational programs through the museum’s annual fund.

Quadracentennial dinner reviving historic foods

ALBANY, NY -- Chef Brian Molino (right) is known for the modern cuisine he creates at Marché, the upscale restaurant at the boutique hotel 74 State.

However, for the past few months he has been working on a very old menu with the assistance of curators at the Albany Institute of History & Art (AIHA). The goal: Celebrate the Hudson Quadracentennial by recreating dishes popular in the region during Dutch colonial times.

The dishes will be part of a special dinner scheduled for Saturday, September 26. A portion of proceeds for every ticket will be donated to the AIHA, one of America's oldest such institutions. Traditional Dutch punches and beers froim Brewery Ommegang will accompany the meal.

Molino is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. Before joining the startup staff at Marché, he worked at such places as Tom Collichio's Craft in Manhattan, Jack's Oyster House in Albany, and the Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz.

The meal will begin with cocktails and hors d'oeuvres served from 6 to 6:45 p.m., with the first course served at 7. The price is $74 per person, plus tax and gratuity.

Hors d’oeuvres:
 Baked oysters with sweet corn pudding, gouda with spiced apple-onion chutney
, turkey confit with crispy parsnips, lamb hutspot with brioche crouton, traditional Dutch punches.

1st Course: 
Fresh seasonal vegetable salad with herbed vinaigrette, Brewery Ommegang Rare Vos.

2nd Course: 
Lightly smoked roasted sturgeon with butter-braised cabbage, Brewery Ommegang Hennepin.

3rd Course
: Bacon-wrapped rabbit loin with nutmeg-scented asparagus, Brewery Ommegang Byre de Mars.

4th Course:
 Roasted pork tenderloin with garlic-apple stuffing and autumn squash,
Brewery Ommegang Abbey.


5th Course:
 Warm bread pudding with black currants and candied quince, Brewery Ommegang 3 Phils.

Reservations and other details: (518) 434-7410

---

ON THE WEB
• Hudson Quadracentennial
• Marche at 74 State
• Albany Institute of History & Art
• Dowd's Guides