Catskills tavern braves the rubble

• From The New York Times 

PRATTSVILLE -- This small town, tucked along the banks of a creek in the Catskill Mountains, was ravaged by Tropical Storm Irene.

Main Street was practically washed away, and many of its 650 residents were forced to take shelter at area missions. Yet one thing has not changed: Happy hour at the Prattsville Tavern is still going strong.

The catch? There is no bartender these days, and no bar. Still, the tavern has become a sort of port in the storm, providing not only shelter on its top floor for several regulars who lost their homes, but also a place for residents to drink and return to something that resembles a routine.  

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A place where time goes on and on and ...

Did the summer seem to fly by?

Did this month get away from you before you knew it? If you have problems like this, you may want to consider visiting the Rochester area. I

t's a very special place, where time seems to just go on and on and on.

Don't believe it? Check out the circled headline from one of the area's suburban newspapers. ➨

Grants to fight illegal college drinking

ALBANY -- Drinking among underage college students has been pinpointed by numerous academic and public agencies as a major problem.

As a result, Arlene González-Sánchez, commissioner of the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS), today said federal grants totaling $100,000 will go to five statewide prevention providers to address the problem.

"The consequences of alcohol use on and around college campuses are serious and often life threatening," González-Sánchez said. "Creating a change in the drinking culture on college campuses requires a coordinated and comprehensive approach. This funding will foster development of a college community coalition consisting of prevention professionals, college faculty, including public safety staff, community groups and law enforcement to prevent underage drinking among college students. Working together, we can best protect our future generations and help them achieve their greatest aspirations in life."

OASAS and the New York State Liquor Authority (SLA) will be presenting at the opening plenary of the New York Alcohol Policy Summit on October 6 in Syracuse. The summit is hosted by the New York Alcohol Policy Alliance in partnership with the New York State Public Health Association, and Council on Addictions of New York State.

SLA Commissioner Dennis Rosen said, "As the consequences of underage drinking are too often tragic, keeping alcohol out of the hands of minors is a priority for the State Liquor Authority. We will continue conducting these underage decoy operations across the state and irresponsible licensees will be held accountable when their actions threaten public health and safety."

In August, the SLA conducted more than 200 targeted compliance checks in the largest sting operation in the agency's history. It targeted specific convenience stores and neighborhoods found to have a high activity of selling to minors.

The investigators sent underage volunteer decoys into 212 licensed groceries in all five New York City boroughs. In total, the decoys were able to purchase alcohol at 123 of the premises. In July, the SLA conducted a similar operation in Western New York, sending decoys to 124 grocery stores and charging 41 licensees with selling to a minor. These large scale decoy operations will continue throughout the state.

The funding was awarded to not-for-profit OASAS-funded prevention providers who partner with colleges and law enforcement agencies to enforce underage drinking laws and coordinate community responses to reduce and eliminate youth alcohol access. Each prevention provider will receive up to $20,000 over the next year.

The awardees are required to do at least one law enforcement activity and be required to submit a quarterly report indicating their activities and expenditures. Other allowable activities may include: sobriety checkpoints, party patrols, retail compliance checks, shoulder tap details, evaluation of college and university alcohol and drug policies, responsible beverage training programs, enhance or develop college/campus community coalitions, an educational component, and media advocacy efforts.

Hazlitt expanding in several sectors

NAPLES, NY -- Quick, name New York's top-selling in-state wine.

If you named anything from the prestige wineries such as Dr. Frank, Brotherhood or Martha Clara, guess again.

It's Red Cat, the signature wine from Hazlitt's Red Cat Cellars. If you've only heard of Hazlitt as in Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards and Red Cat as one of its wines, you'll have to adjust your thinking as the company goes through a substantial expansion.

 

Siblings Doug Hazlitt and Leigh Hazlitt Triner have created a multi-million-dollar investment in purchasing the former Widmer Wine Cellars from Constellation Brands Inc. last year, then transforming it into Red Cat Cellars, now in full operation along with their new sister business, East Coast Crush & Co-Pack (EC3). EC3 processes products for a dozen other companies in the wine and beverage industry in New York and elsewhere.

The Red Cat facility has undergone exterior and interior renovations, including repairs and restorstion, new landscaping and new signage. Twenty-two jobs have been added, and a tasting room will open in the fall once state permits are received.

Hazlitt produces about 400,000 gallons of wine annually, 150,000 of it Red Cat. The new facility has a capacity of nearly 4 million gallons.

Swedish Hill headed for Saratoga Springs

Location of new tasting room.

SARATOGA SPRINGS -- A Finger Lakes winery will open a tasting room in downtown Saratoga Springs this month.

Swedish Hill Vineyards, located in Romulus, Seneca County, this year is marking its 25th anniversary. It reportedly will open a satellite store at 379 Broadway, adjacent to the Adelphi Hotel.

Swedish Hill, which also has a tasting room in Lake Placid, has sister wineries, Goose Watch and Penguin Bay. It is a family-owned and operated company headed by Dick and Cindy Peterson.

Wine festival on an island

Boldt Castle on Heart Island.

ALEXANDRIA BAY, NY -- No man is an island, but the island that is home to Boldt Castle usually sees lots of men, women and children attending its 3rd annual Wine Festival & Farmers Market that ends the summer season.

The event, scheduled for this Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. will feature more vendors than in prior years as wel as a Thousand Islands dressing-tasting challenge on the castle grounds on Heart Island.

Shane K. Sanford, director of the Boldt facilities, said visitors will vote for their favorite recipes among three that claim to be home of the original -- Boldt Castle, Thousand Islands Inn and a Chicago blend -- in a blind taste test.

The festival will features wines from 10 wineries in the Thousand Islands and Finger Lakes regions as well as local foods, including cheddar cheese, maple candies, chocolates and honey, as well as agricultural products. There also will be live music and alpacas and goats on display during the event.
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Last year, 2,200 visitors came to the second annual festival, Sanford said, marking the first time Boldt Castle saw more than 2,000 visitors in a single day after Labor Day.

Admission to the castle is $7 for adults and $4.50 for children ages 6 to 12.

The castle is open daily until October 10 and reopens for the weekend of October 15-16. The Boldt yacht house, which sits on Wellesley Island across from the castle, operates daily until October 2.

Bashakill Cab Franc wins HV competition

                                              Photo by William M. Dowd

RHINEBECK, NY -- A comparatively young winery took "Best In Show" honors in the Hudson Valley Wine Competition held here Saturday.

Bashakill Vineyards' 2010 Black Bear Cabernet Franc edged out Millbrook Vineyards & WInery's 2009 Proprietor’s Reserve Chardonnay for the top honor.

The largest number of acres on the Millbrook estate are in Chardonnay grapes, so it seems fitting that a Millbrook Chardonnay took top white wine honors, thus propelling it into the final round.

However, red wine category winner Bashakill emerged on top in a vote of the 13 judges -- including yours truly -- in the only part of the competition that was not divided into judging panels trying different wine.

The competition, which had 94 entries, was limited to Hudson Valley wineries, although they had the option of entering wines using fruit from outside the region if they desired.

Millbrook winemaker John Graziano has been producing wines at the Dutchess County facility since 1984. Bashakill owner/winemaker Paul DiNinno has been working his vineyards since the first plantings on his Wurtsboro land in 2005. His is Sullivan County's first licensed farm winery.

The event was coordinated and managed by Debbi Gioquindo. It was held in conjunction with the two-day Hudson Valley Wine & Food Festival, being held at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds this weekend. Other winners:

Best Overall Hudson Valley Wine: Clinton Vineyards Jubilee.

Best Spirit: Tuthilltown Spirits Hudson Baby Bourbon.

Finger Lakes gets wine & food ambassador

The Finger Lakes has put a face on its wine and food offerings.

Rochelle Bilow has been named "the official Finger Lakes Wine & Food Ambassador" by the Finger Lakes Wine Country Tourism Marketing Association in partnership with Finger Lakes Wine Alliance.

They say she will play a major role in the 2010 Vintage Finger Lakes Riesling Launch, scheduled for September 19-24.

Bilow grew up in Syracuse, studied locally at LeMoyne College, and has a grande dilpome from the French Culinary Institute. She got her start in the food and wine world in Manhattan as a catering chef at the Timer Warner Center and in the restaurant Aldea. She then returned to Syracuse, where she writes and blogs for the Syracuse Post-Standard as well as writing her personal website.

She will be present at a variety of 2010 Vintage Riesling tastings as well as hosting educational videos that will be released throughout September.