The Wine Spectator lists Ravines Dry Riesling as one of this year’s 100 most interesting wines of the world!  This follows recent accolades by Eric Asimov, New York Times wine editor calling Ravines “One of the best producers in the Finger Lakes,” and recommended Ravines Dry Riesling as his top pick for Thanksgiving saying, “among some excellent whites, it was our favorite wine with food.”

Wine Spectator Top 100 Wines

“Ravines Dry Riesling is like no other, it is my own personal expression of Finger Lakes Riesling. Each vintage is different in its own way, but the style does not change: delicate aromas of floral, citrus and fruit, vibrant acidity and a mineral-tinged finish. I stir the lees to create a richer mouthfeel and ferment out the sugar which brings focus to the flavors and aromas.”

-Winemaker, Morten Hallgren

Due to high demand, we are now sold out of our 2009 Dry Riesling. The 2010 vintage is now available, exhibiting many the same qualities and nuances of flavor.

Eric Asimov visited Ravines Wine Cellars during the 2011 Harvest season:

“I was a bit starstruck when he came to the tasting room because I have appreciated his work for years, but he is a super-nice down to earth man,” reflects Lisa Hallgren. “He said he was ‘blown away’ when he first tried our Riesling and that was such a big complement for us.  Not everyone appreciates the focused, minerally style we make as it’s very different than other Finger Lakes producers, but Eric likes it and his opinion means a lot to us.”

Morten Hallgren in a Finger Lakes vineyard. Photo by Nathaniel Brooks for The New York Times

Deep Lakes, Icy Climate, Great Wine

Diner’s Journal: The Good Life Comes a Little Harder in the Finger Lakes

We’re pleased to be in the company of other Finger Lakes wineries to celebrate the Riesling 2010 vintage. While Morton’s time is spent in the vineyards, Lisa hits the road in September and especially looks forward to visiting northern NJ and NYC.

Here’s a few highlights of where you can expect Ravines 2010 Dry Riesling to be poured:

Sept. 22 USP presents Harvest in the Square, Union Square, NYC

Sept. 22  Red Feet Wine Market, Ithaca, NY — Finger Lakes Riesling Hour 5-7pm

Sept. 24 Whole Food Market, Paramus, NJ — Finger Lake Riesling Tasting 2-5pm

Brad Coelho – Unidentified Appellation – Ravines Wine Cellars, One of the Finger Lakes’ Finest

“While Morten’s chromosomal connection is undeniable, his scholastic route, achieving advanced degrees in Enology & Viticulture at Ecole Nationale Superieure d’Agronomie in Montpellier didn’t hurt.”

Quentin Sadler – Quentin Salder’s Wine Page – Finger Lakes New York, part 4, Keuka Lake

“These were world class wines and showed a level of winemaking skill and vision that was breathtaking, I look forward to watching what happens at this superb little estate in the future.”

Stephen Meuse – Boston Globe – Plonk of the Month: Domestic Policy

“Ravines Keuka Village Finger Lakes White Wine 2008 Featherweight tart-crisp vignoles-cayuga (hybrid) blend; delightfully breezy sip with a scant 12 degrees of alcohol and picnic written all over it.”

Brian Kirby - The Other 46 – In a New York State of Mind

“I know, I know, another post on New York wine.  What can I say, I’m in a New York State of mind, especially after tasting the Ravines 2007 Cabernet Franc.  A wine like this makes me want to rename my website TheOther47.com or better yet, EastoftheWestCoast.com.  You never know what the future holds…”

Lenn Thompson – New York Cork Report – The New York Cork Club’s June 2010 Selections

“Ravines Wine Cellars 2008 Pinot Rose : The Ravines is 100% pinot noir and offers nice floral character to go with orange-grapefruit, watermelon and cherry fruit flavors. Showing a subtle silkiness to go with fresh acidity, it stays true to pinot noir.”

Ball Square Fine Wines – Videos on YouTube – Ravines Wine Tasting with Morten Hallgren

Check out this video of Morten Hallgren, Ravines winemaker, giving a tasting at Ball Square Fine Wines.

This past weekend we celebrated our first Annual Ravinous Club Member Party with over 70 members! A huge thanks to all who came – we had a great time with all of you, pouring our wines and enjoying  the spectacular weather and view in front of the lake! We really enjoyed this celebration of a gathering of friends and hope you did as well.

All of the food, from the appetizers all the way to the desserts, was prepared by Lisa, Ravines’ resident foodie, using all locally grown and produced food. Check out all of the recipes below and try them for yourself. Each dish can be enjoyed with Ravines wine – we recommend the Dry Rose, Dry Riesling or Keuka Village White for any of the dishes!

Laurence Francois’s Mediterranean Couscous
2 cups uncooked couscous
2 cups tomato juice
1 T salt
2 T olive oil
1 cup chopped fresh tomato
1 cup minced fresh onion
1 cup chopped black olives
1 cup crumbled feta
½ cup fresh chopped flat leaf parsley
Juice of 1 fresh lemon
Salt & pepper to taste

Boil tomato juice with salt & olive oil, add couscous and stir then remove from heat and cover. Let stand 5 mins.  Gently scrape couscous from pan into bowl, making sure to break apart clumps.  Let cool.  Add other ingredients, mix well and chill.

Grilled Chicken with Garlic Scape Pesto

Brush your grilled chicken with this pesto sauce 5 minutes before it comes off the grill.

4 cups Basil
12 garlic fresh scapes, chopped
½  cup olive oil
1 cup  grated romano cheese
½ cup pine nuts
4 garlic cloves
Salt & pepper to taste.

Blend all ingredients in a food processor.

Cold Green Bean & Lemon salad

4 Cups Fresh Green Beans
½ cup olive oil
2 fresh lemons
1 red onion, finely sliced
Salt & pepper to taste

Blanch green beans in boiling water until slightly tender then plunge into ice water. Dry beans then add oil, lemon juice and lemon zest, onion & seasoning. Refrigerate.

Lisa’s Potato Salad

8 white potatoes (small new or red will also do)
1 cup chopped red or white onion
½ cup chopped green scallions
1 cup homemade mayonnaise or Hellman’s mayonnaise
½ cup sour cream
Juice of 1 lemon
1/3 cup fresh oregano
salt & pepper

Gently boil the potatoes until just tender. Let cool and cut into 1 inch cubes.  Mix the mayo, sour cream, lemon juice & seasonings. Add potatoes, onion, scallions & oregano. Mix well & chill.

Rick Van Sickle - New York Cork Report – Guest Post: A Drier Style of Riesling at Ravines Wine Cellars

“Morten admits that Ravines doesn’t “try to be everything to everyone” which, to be honest, is a refreshing change from so many of the Finger Lakes wineries that tend to do just that and end up with a whole mess of wine that perhaps is fine for the masses but misses the mark for serious wine lovers”

Sue Guerra – On the Vine: TasteCamp – East Highlights

“Dry Riesling 2008 – Argetsinger Vineyard: The wine had the same intense minerality with floral notes, citrus, and great acidity, plus a little more richness and body on the finish.”

John Witherspoon – Anything Wine : An Afternoon at Ravines Wine Cellars

“On paper he knows what he’s doing and his knowledge and passion definitely translate to the glass” (speaking about winemaker Morten Hallgren)

Remy Charest – The Wine Case : Tastecamp day 1: Great Riesling – and some surprising reds

“But the real surprise came from Ravines Vineyard … the wines displayed confident and precise winemaking choices, the Rieslings were bone dry and built for the long run”

Michael Gorton – Undertaking Wine : Ravines Wine Cellars: More Than Just Riesling

“…make sure you visit and taste Ravines. And if you happen to be around when they have wine pairing dinners, make sure you make a reservation. I know I would.”

Julien Marchand – Empty Glasses : Tasting Through Riesling at TasteCamp 2010

“…bone dry Rieslings are made for the long run as seen the oldest of the three was still razor-sharp, with the structure and acid which will hold this wine together for years to come.”

Rick VanSickle – Wines in Niagara – RickWines, The Blog: A Journey to the Finger Lakes: Part 1

“The Ravines style is built around tight, mouth-watering, bone-dry rieslings that are balanced between fresh fruit and acid. They are made for the long haul in the cellar even though they are released to the public with some bottle age.”

Sasha Smith – Spin the Bottle : Finger Lakes Highlights: Argetsinger Vineyard

“The wine, made in a dry style, had a steeliness, minerality, and finesse that set it apart from the other local Rieslings I sampled over the weekend, and it was one of my favorites of the entire trip.”

Lenn Thompson – The New York Cork Report : TasteCamp EAST 2010 Interview: Rick Van Sickle (WinesofNiagara.com)

“What tasting or vineyard walk was and will be the most memorable for you? The Ravines Wine Cellars tasting and Argetsinger Vineyard walk … Fascinating owners and winemaker who is steadfast in his beliefs. And perfectly matched to his grower.”

Zesty Lemon Chicken

3 fresh lemons
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 t wild fennel pollen or dried fennel
1 t fresh thyme, finely chopped
2/3 c olive oil
s&P
1 whole chicken, pieced

Grate yellow zest of 2 lemons avoiding bitter white part and then . Add juice to garlic & spices. Slowly whisk in olive oil in thin stream. cut remaining lemon into thin slices.
Pour 3/4 of marinade over chicken pieces and massage a bit. Let marinate overnight. Grill until cooked appx. 30 minutes and grill lemon slices too. Spoon remaining 1/4 marinade over chicken and garnish will grilled lemon slices.
Serve with Ravines Dry Riesling.

It wasn’t an easy harvest and I’m sure everyone is glad it is over.  2009 was one of the years requiring extra sweat and blood from the growers, winemakers and production crews alike.  An early frost and somewhat rainy growing season complicated conditions for everyone.  Growers had to drop a lot of fruit to achieve desired ripeness levels and spend many hours on their tractors spraying vines to keep the mold & diseases under control.  Vintners who worked their tails off in the vineyards this year were rewarded with clean, ripe fruit, good sugar levels and nice acidity.  Pinot Noir and Riesling were the harvest stars at Ravines this year. Winemaker, Morten Hallgren, is delighted with the overall quality of the grapes.

Sam Argetsinger brought us beautiful Riesling  grapesfrom his famous limestone soil vineyard.  Sam’s father, Cameron Argetsinger died last year before he could see the wine made from the vineyard he planted 35 years ago receive one of the most significant scores for Riesling ever given to a Finger Lakes wine. 91 in the Wine Specator for the Ravines Dry Riesling, Argetsinger Vineyard.  He and Morten take it all in stride.