Shame on Sears!

I interrupt this blog to vent.

On this day put aside to honor the memory and the service of our military men and women, some idiot from a Sears call center telephoned me to (a) delay the start of her blather by giggling with her co-workers after I said hello, (b) mispronounce my name twice, then (c) try to give me a sales pitch about appliance warranty protection.

On this day dedicated to the likes of my father, a GI who died on a French battlefield in World War II; my stepfather, who served in the Navy in both WWII and the Korean War; my son, who spent four years in the Marines serving on three continents; my son-in-law, who spent eight years in the Marines …. all the way back to my great-great-great-great grandfather Colonel Samuel Miles who fought in the French and Indian War then commanded troops in the Revolutionary War, I couldn’t put up with such crass, unthinking commercialism.

As I said to her “You have the nerve to call me on this holiday when we are remembering the sacrifices and sometimes the deaths of people protecting our country? Shame on your company, and shame on you.”

And, as far as I, a decades-long customer of Sears, am concerned, that chain has gotten the last penny out of me. Sears, go to hell.

'Taste of Summer' to fete LI wines, foods

OLD BETHPAGE VILLAGE -- Taking in many of Long Island's wineries in one day can be a daunting task. But a new event will gather plenty of them in one spot for a day, making sampling a snap.

The first "Taste of Summer" event, scheduled for 5 to 7 p.m. in the Fairgrounds Barn in Old Bethpage Village, will offer more than 100 new-release and featured wines from more than 30 Long Island wine producers.

In addition, products grown on the East End will be paired with the wines by chef Tom Schaudel, co-owner of the new Jewel Restaurant in Melville. Tickets are $75 for general admission, $100 for VIP which allows early entry. They are available online.

Old Bethpage Village is a 209-acre recreated mid-19th Century American village, with an assortment of homes, farms and businesses.

Niagara wine leads NY pack in California

It was a surprise to many when a wine from the Niagara Escarpment took "Best Dessert Wine" honors at the recent Riverside (CA) International Wine Competition.

The honor went to Arrowhead Spring Vineyards' 2009 Late Harvest Vidal that, on the way to the title, also took "Best of Class" and a "Chairman's Award," the latter requiring unanimous agreement among judges, like a Double Gold in most other competitions.

Arrowhead is a small farm winery with just 65 rows of grapes under cultivation. The facility is located at 4746 Town Line Road (Route 93) in the Town of Cambria (14094) between Upper and Lower Mountain Roads on the Niagara Escarpment.

Other "Best of Class"/"Chairman's Award" winners from New York, which also were among the "Sweepstakes" round wines:

• 21 Brix Raspberry Chateau Frank 2006 Blanc de Noirs
• Keuka Spring Vineyards 2011 Riesling
• Liberty Vineyards & Winery Reds, Whites & Blues Rosé
• Thirsty Owl Wine Company 2011 Diamond
• Thousand Islands Winery 2010 Marquette

Other "Chairman's Awards"-only winners:

• Fox Run Vineyards 2009 Tierce Dry Riesling (in collaboration with Anthony Road Winery and Red Newt Cellars)
• Hazlitt 1952 Vineyards 2010 Dry Riesling Homestead Reserve
• Red Tail Ridge Winery 2010 Dry Riesling
• Swedish Hill Winery Blue Waters Riesling

"Gold" medals went to:

• Arrowhead Spring Vineyards 2008 Meritage Reserve
• Casa Larga Vineyards 2009 French Oak Reserve Chardonnay
• Casa Large Vineyards 2009 Fiori delle Stelle Riesling Ice Wine
• Chateau LaFayette Reneau Seyval-Chardonnay
• Dr. Frank 2010 Semi-Dry Riesling
• Fox Run Vineyards 2010 Riesling
• Glenora Wine Cellars 2010 Late Harvest Riesling
• Glenora Wine Cellars 2003 Brut
• Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards Vidal Blanc Ice Wine
• Keuka Spring Vineyards 2010 Vignoles Dessert Wine
• Lakewood Vineyards 2010 Riesling
• Leonard Oakes Estate Winery 2009 Vidal Ice Wine
• Red Tail Ridge Winery 2009 Blaufrankish
• Swedish Hill Winery Spumante Blush 2007 Optimus
• Swedish Hill Winery 2010 Chardonnay Reserve
• Swedish Hill Winery 2011 Riesling
• Swedish Hill Winery 2011 Cayuga White
• Thirsty Owl Wine Company 2011 Snow Owl
• Wagner Vineyards 2009 Estate Bottled Dry Riesling

Other New York wines received won 96 Silver and 39 Bronze awards, for a total of 164 medals.

B.A.M. beerfest and competition set

SARATOGA SPRINGS -- "B.A.M." has nothing to do with chef Emeril Lagasse.

It's the B.A.M. Fest, the initials standing for beer and music.

The beer portion includes beer sampling and a homebrew competition. The music portion includes New Regime and Will Severin.

The inaugural event is scheduled for 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 2, at the Saratoga Polo complex, 2 Bloomfield Road. Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 at the gate, and are available online. Tickets include five beer samples, although extras can be purchased at the event.

The deadline for entering the homebrew competition is May 25. Brewers can get full details by calling 669-4396. The overall event is a fundraiser for The Creative Place International, a non-profit organization that provides arts-in-education resources to young people and their families.

Speaking of Saratoga Polo, the 2012 season is set for July 6 through September 2, with matches scheduled for Fridays and Sundays at 5:30 p.m.

Syracuse entry named NY's 'top burger'

Power Play Burger

There's something about Central New York burgers that appeals to the New York Beef Council.

A Syracuse restaurant has won top honors in the 2nd annual "Best New York Burger" contest, a year after another competitor from the same region came out on top.

This year's champion is the "Power Play Burger" from the Ale 'n' Angus Pub. The sandwich is an 8-ounce Angus patty topped with strips of slow-cooked prime rib and American cheese.

It was created by players, coaches and fans of the Syracuse Crunch professional hockey team several years ago as a promotional gimmick. The pub is located at 238 Harrison Street, near the War Memorial where the Crunch plays.

In the 2011 inaugural event, the "8 Pointer Burger" from the South Trenton Pub in Barneveld, north of Utica, was No. 1.

The selections are made by a team of judges visiting, and secretly sampling, each of the 10 regions of the state the Council designated. Here are the regional "bests" as selected by the judges:

Region 1, Buffalo Area: The Terrace @ Alfred State, Alfred, "Asian Twist Mandarin Beef Burger."

Region 2, Rochester Area: River Park Grille, Waterloo, "Reuben Burger."

Region 3, Syracuse Area: Ale & Angus Pub, Syracuse, "Power Play Burger."

 Region 4, Utica Area: Crazy Otto's Empire Diner, Herkimer, "Cheeseburger."

Region 5, Albany Area: The Spinning Room, Tannersville, "Buckaroo Burger."

Region 6, Adirondack Area: The Pickle Barrel Café, Depauville, "Pickle Barrel Burger."

Region 7, Binghamton Area: McGirk's Irish Pub, Binghamton, "Blarney Burger."

Region 8, Hudson Area: AJ's Burger, New Rochelle, "AJ's Club Burger."

Region 9, NYC Area: David Burke's @ Bloomingdales, "Juicy Burkey Burger."

Region 10, Long Island Area: The Burger Spot, "Parisian Burger."