Throughout my time in this semesters wine class I have gained extensive knowledge about the creation and production of wine and spirits, so I was really excited to go and experience it in person. I was able to go to Bedell Cellars on November 25th in the North Fork of Long Island. I went with my fellow classmate Malica, and thanks to the wine and beverage manager at her job we were able to indulge in a complimentary wine tasting and tour of the vineyard and cellar.
When arriving we were greeted kindly by the conductor of the tour Brad who showed us to our seats. We were given tasting menus and excited to see that we would taste four wines and a cider! I was so excited for the cider because that’s something that we have never tasted in class. The cottage cider was the first thing we tried Brad explained that they use it to help cleanse the palate, made from the apples grown in there cottage orchard built in 1710. The smell of the cider was a pleasant aroma of bright crisp apples and the taste matched exactly, it had a crisp mouth fill, which left my mouth salivating ready for the next glass. Up next was First Crush White 2016 a unique aromatic blend made from 40% Chardonnay, 30% Gewurztraminer, 20% Sauvignon Blanchard 10% Riesling and aged in steel. This wine reminded me of a wine for a beginner something that almost anyone would like; it had notes of apples, lemon and some mineral qualities this wine is very easy to like but to some might think it is one noted.
The remainder of the wines was all red grapes. The first one was called Taste Noveau 2017, made from fermenting whole grape clusters using the classic carbonic macetration technique 90% Merlot and 10% Malbec, The second one was a 2015 Caberbet Franc aged in older French barrels. Lastly we had the Taste Red 2013 a full-bodied blend of 50% Merlot, 30% Syrah, 14% Petit Verdot, 4% Malbec and 2% Cabernet Franc. Out of the red wines I would say the Taste Noveau was my least favorite, because I felt the taste was lacking body and taste it almost had a watered down quality to it but then again it is the first wine of the vintage so with time maybe the flavors would develop more. Taste Red 2013 I was torn between different feelings because I loved the soft and ripe tannins it had but there wasn’t enough complexity in flavor. I was looking forward to the complexness of the grapes since it was a blend but it does have a unique taste that I enjoyed. Out of all the wines I tried the Bedell Cellars 2015 Cabernet Franc was amazing I really enjoyed this wine, the smell was remarkable it smelled just like butter and it coated my mouth like a blanket it had notes of dark cherries, blackeberries and vanilla from fermenting in old French barrels. It left my mouth savoring for more
After the tasting Brad took us on a tour of the vineyard the cellar and the bottling station. Although nothing was in season and their were no grapes on the vines the visuals were absoultely beautiful. We were informed that Bedell Cellars is home to some the oldest vines in the North Forks of Long Island. The first grapevine was planted by founder Kip Bedell in 1980, the soil there is rocky and sandy due to the galciers years ago and the climate is oceanic due to the alantic ocean just east of them.
The Vineyard
An exhibit of what the soil is like
Next we visited the cellar it was so cool to see all the oak barrels and steel tanks. They had all of the barrels labeled with the type of grape date and time and also temperature. I learned that instead of buying commercial yeast to firmament their wine they actually create their own natural yeast, which helps them save money and gives the wine a special taste. Also I found out that there most popular grapes are Merlot, Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc and the best sellers are Merlot and their Rose. The bottling station was nest door, in it was the bottling machine which was very interesting not as big as I would’ve thought I would be but it did look as complicated it could bottle up to twenty bottles per minute! A fun fact about Bedell is that it was the first wine from New York to be served at an inauguration. The 2009 Merlot was in the menu at President Obamas second term inauguration ceremony.
Oak Barrels
Oak Barrel Frm The Cab Franc I Loved !!!!
Steel Tanks For Fermentation
Bottling Room/Station
In Conclusion This experience was so amazing I could not have asked for anything better then this. I was given a wine tasting and tour I feel that this has been such an amazing eye opener to the creation and production of wine, to see it first hand was a great treat I feel that I know so much more about the production of wine. I would definitely love to come back to Bedell in the spring when the grapes are growing on the vine, and I would recommend Bedell wines to a friend any day.
