Ep 97: New York State: The Finger Lakes Part 4 with Richard Rainey from Forge Cellars

Explicit content warning

05/24/22 • 41 min

To download the transcript CLICK HERE

Welcome back to part 4 of our four-part series on the Finger Lakes wine region. Again I am joined by Richard Rainey, Managing Partner of Forge Cellars. He continues his reign of energy and gives us more information on Seneca Lake (the deepest, largest lake of the Finger Lakes). We will talk about why his wines have certain flavours and what the terroir has offered up. You will learn about a very surprising but amazing food pairing match for Riesling, along with conversations on petrol notes in Riesling, sustainable packaging etc! Enjoy!

If you want to skip ahead:

1.54: Talking about their naked bottles (their bit for sustainability)

5.02: Being included in The Wine Spectators top 100 wines of the year (twice)

6.53: The tough vintage 2018

8.09: The difference between Seneca Lake and the other two main lakes, Cayuga and Keuka.

13.04: The Lieu-dits of Forge Cellars

15.51: Talking about and tasting the Breakneck Creek Riesling 2020 ($26 in the US)

18.02: Petrol/Kerosine flavours in Riesling

22.09: The size of Riesling plantings compared to Other US regions and Canada

24.31: Talking about and tasting the Leidenfrost Riesling 2020 ($26 in the US)

31.35: Food pairings with Riesling and a new one: TINNED FISH

36.46: Coming to visit Forge Cellars

39.13: Actual stats on Rielsing plantings and total plantings for New York State, Finger Lakes and Washington State

Fancy watching some videos on my youtube channel: Eat Sleep Wine Repeat

Or come say hi at www.eatsleepwinerepeat.co.uk

Or contact me on Instagram @eatsleep_winerepeat or on email: [email protected]

Until next time, Cheers to you!

To download the transcript CLICK HERE

If you want to skip ahead:

1.54: Talking about their naked bottles (their bit for sustainability)

5.02: Being included in The Wine Spectators top 100 wines of the year (twice)

6.53: The tough vintage 2018

8.09: The difference between Seneca Lake and the other two main lakes, Cayuga and Keuka.

13.04: The Lieu-dits of Forge Cellars

15.51: Talking about and tasting the Breakneck Creek Riesling 2020 ($26 in the US)

18.02: Petrol/Kerosine flavours in Riesling

22.09: The size of Riesling plantings compared to Other US regions and Canada

24.31: Talking about and tasting the Leidenfrost Riesling 2020 ($26 in the US)

31.35: Food pairings with Riesling and a new one: TINNED FISH

36.46: Coming to visit Forge Cellars

39.13: Actual stats on Rielsing plantings and total plantings for New York State, Finger Lakes and Washington State

Fancy watching some videos on my youtube channel: Eat Sleep Wine Repeat

Or come say hi at www.eatsleepwinerepeat.co.uk

Or contact me on Instagram @eatsleep_winerepeat or on email: [email protected]

Until next time, Cheers to you!

Previous Episode

Ep 96: New York State: The Finger Lakes Part 3 with Richard Rainey from Forge Cellars

To download the transcript CLICK HERE

Welcome back to part 3 of our four-part series on the Finger Lakes wine region. I am joined by Richard Rainey, Managing Partner of Forge Cellars. His energy is going to make you feel on top of the world. Of course we will talk a little bit about Seneca lake, where they are based, but we will be discussing their use of wild yeasts and how that affects the fermentation and flavours compared with commercial yeasts. Richard will be talking about all the interesting things he is doing out in the vineyard to be more sustainable and you will learn why geology has a huge effect on the flavour of his Rieslings.

If you want to skip ahead:

2.42: Chat with Richard

2.32: Richards story in the wine world

6.07: What it’s like to enter into the Finger Lakes

8.28: The distance between all the lakes

11.11: The superstar winemaker of Forge Cellars and his history

17.24: Why is the focus of Forge Cellars Bone Dry Riesling

20.39: Discussing the low intervention in the winery and using wild yeasts

22.29: The difference between fermenting with commercial V wild yeasts

29.42: Sustainable farming in the vineyards and talking about cover crops, indian runner ducks and low weight tractors

39.25: Talking about the Classique Dry Riesling

40.56: Tasting the Classique Dry Riesling 2020

43.32: The mother rock of the finger lakes, the salt mines and how this affects the flavours of the Rieslings

Fancy watching some videos on my youtube channel: Eat Sleep Wine Repeat

Or come say hi at www.eatsleepwinerepeat.co.uk

Or contact me on Instagram @eatsleep_winerepeat or on email: [email protected]

Until next time, Cheers to you!

Next Episode

Ep 98: Viticulture: The annual growth cycle, understanding your meso-climates, and soil structures and nutrients (Part 1)

To download the transcript CLICK HERE

This episode is all about vine growing and vineyard choices. Firstly we will look at the annual growth cycle of a vine so you can fully understand what happens each year, and at every stage. I will be breaking down the different categories of climates out there and then looking deeper into the meso-climates of each site. Then we will get really geeky looking into soils, and talking about textures, nutrients and minerals.

If you want to skip ahead:

3.22: The annual growth cycle – looking at each stage in the year and the hazards and issues vines can come across

13.14: Looking at the difference between continental, maritime and Mediterranean climates. What qualifies as cool climate, moderate and warm, and the effects of being far from the equator. Effects of:

altitude

-mountains

-slope aspect

-bodies of water

22.19: Looking at different soil textures and types and the nutrients that a vine needs.

Fancy watching some videos on my youtube channel: Eat Sleep Wine Repeat

Or come say hi at www.eatsleepwinerepeat.co.uk

Or contact me on Instagram @eatsleep_winerepeat or on email: [email protected]

Until next time, Cheers to you!