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VACANT EXECUTIVE BOARD POSITIONS, HSMAI
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Wolffer Estate (Vineyard Trip)
It was few days after it started to get cold when I made a trip to Wolffer Estate Vineyard, Sapagonack, New York. It took about two hours from the city. Movie bottle shock was playing in the bus. It is very touching story of first American Chardonnay that won the international wine competition, but I only have tasted their Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 vintage. It is my first love and it had strong impact to pull me into the wine industry.
When we got there, a lady was waiting to guide my group. She first took us to the vineyard. She said that the vineyard grows Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Chardonnay and started to grow Trebbiano from 2010. She said that they started the vineyard with Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot in 1974. It seemed to be a bit too cold to grow thick skinned grape but she said that Long Island makes great Cabernet Franc. She picked a cluster of Chardonnay grape and handed over to our group so that we can taste fresh grapes off the vine. She clearly and confidently mentioned that she does not practice organic farming while I was enjoying the grape. She stressed that she does not use harmful chemical so that we have no problem eating fresh grapes. 
The day we got there was only few days after most grapes were picked and few grapes were still hanging around the trees and waiting to be dessert wines. She mentioned that they hand pick their grapes.
Her vineyard has rich top soil and it drains very well while it holds water for long enough and then dries out. The root of vines go forty feet down. They do not need irrigation because they usually have enough rain, however, this summer was awfully dry and they had to irrigate for the first time. She also picks the leaves so that grapes are exposed to sunlight. She jokingly said that Deer ate about a ton of grapes last year and she brought nets to protect vines this year but I know that loss of grape to wild animal can be serious damage to the winery. The way she protects the grapes from deer looked very nature friendly because I know that some vineyards install electric fence or hunt deer. Grass is unusual in vineyard but Wolffer vineyard has plenty of grass around the yard.
They pick Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in early September for sparkling wine while the grape still have good amount of acidity and then harvest the rest in later of the month. Then she took us to winery and showed us how they make their wine.
Luckily I had a chance to freshly pressed Chardonnay juice. It was very high in acid and sweet. The machine was destemming Chardonay grapes very quickly. I know that some winemakers use the stems to create tannins for red wines but it was not the case since it was Chardonnay. 
They use Tank Method for their sparkling wine. The huge stainless steel tank was very cold and it formed water drops outside of it. She said that one of the job that takes some time is punching down or pumping over red wine every six hours during maceration. Red grapes for Rose does not have to be macerated.
Then I had a chance to look at their barrels. They buy new barrels every year. She said the first thing she does after she buys the barrel is to put water in them and check if they leak. I truthfully can not imagine how much work and time that would take. It is such a huge barrels and they have so many of them. She said that once they place the barrels, they never get moved because it is too heavy. They were designed to be in one place and she pumps in and out all the wine. They have to top off the barrels once in a while because the wine evaporates.
Then we headed to the tasting room. We had about sixteen people and it was impossible that we have seats inside the room. Instead, we decided to sit outside tables. I tasted their Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc. I can not judge tasting room personnel’s skill and knowledge because we were such a huge group for one person to serve. However, she still tried to explain how the each wine was made but the other side of the table could not hear it. It was still a great experience overall.
Master Sommelier Laura Williamson accompanied our group to the vineyard trip. She certainly put more time to study wines than vineyard owners and knows more wines. However, she is nobody to judge efforts that farmers put in to plant and harvest to make great fermented grape juice. I think she understands that. She was there and stayed humble and very respectful the whole time. Masters certainly understand the hard works of farmers and wine makers. In reality, it all comes down to one bottle and that is it. The bottle gets graded and price gets decided according to that many times. How about if we give stories to each bottle? How about if we think of the time the winemakers and the wine have been through and the time they waited before they show themselves. I like to appreciate the phenomenon of nature and the vineyard trip was a great chance for me to do so.
Works Cited
Oklahoma Grape Growers Deal With Deer. (2014). Retrieved October 31, 2015.
Crushing and Destemming Grapes – Winemaker’s Academy. (2012, June 30). Retrieved October 31, 2015.
1978 Chateau Coutet
I happened to have 1978 Chateau Coutet, Barsac at BLT Prime steakhouse.
It was oxidized. It looked very pleasantly oxidized for about 40 years.
it was sweet, still pretty high acidity, high in alcohol. I tasted a lot of stone fruits
and some tropical fruit, nuts and some hazelnut syrup, but all those don’t matter.
It was delicious. There is no need for analysis or evaluation. I would consider it rude
to judge the wine that was slowly aged and matured for decades and learned from years.
Glasses of Sauternes and Barsac
HSMAI
Dear HSMAI student members,
We have the link to register for the November 7th HSMAI Recruiting Event (below).
The event will be from noon till 2 pm on the NYU campus. We are inviting students from NYU, Cornell, Penn State, St John’s, City Tech and Baruch. We will have hiring managers from top hospitality companies in New York to talk and share insight about how students can stand out when applying for jobs, as well as in the interview process. Immediately following, we will allow time for the students to introduce themselves to the hiring managers. We are encouraging students to bring resumes to share with these great companies.Student Seminar: “Positioning yourself for Hospitality Recruitment”Saturday, November 7th, 2015
12:00 pm — 2:00 pm ESTNYU School of Professional Studies Building
7 East 12th Street – 3rd floor
New York NYRSVP IS REQUIRED!Please free feel to let us know if you have any questions.
—
Kind Regards,HSMAI E-Board
my wine shop analysis
As I approached Astor Wine and Spirits located at 399 Lafayette Street, New York, NY was surprised by how large the store was. It appears to be a large warehouse but once you walk inside you are surrounded by elegance. If you are a lover of wine, this is the place to shop. From moment you walk in it is a learning experience. Even if you have no knowledge of wine when you walk in when you leave will feel like an authority on the wine that you choose to buy. They have an aisle for every wine, and the wines are separated by region. Above each they have a sign that lets you know about the region from including soil type, climate, and type of grapes grown in that region. The sign also tells you about the taste to expect from the wine. It will tell you if the wine is sweet, semi-sweet, what hints of flavor to expect in the wine. If after reading the signs you still find yourself with questions, the staff is very knowledgeable and will courteously answer you.
If you are having a dinner party you can speak about the wine you buy as if you are a certified sommelier. I noticed wines from Champagne, Alsace, Burgundy, Loire Valley, Bordeaux, Rhone Valley, California, Spain, Greece, New York, and many other regions that I did not know about. Astor Wine and Spirits also has a cold room, and the walls are made of glass. The glass wall has a sign painted on it inviting everyone to come in and look. At Astor Wine and Spirits most of the wines are stored and displayed lying down. For each region they have a staff recommendation of a wine. The store gives equal attention to each wine that it sells.  The Staff at Astor Wine and Spirits are very friendly, welcoming, and helpful. The employee that I spoke to seemed very knowledgeable about wines. The store also offers free wine tasting.
They have a section of the store set up for wine tasting, and a calendar is posted letting you know when they are. Astor Wine and Spirits offer a wide price range, and they have some wines on special which appeared to be a great bargain. The wines are priced from the very expensive to the $10.00 bottles. They are located below the Astor Center which offers classes and events about wine and cocktails. The fact that the store and the Astor Center are connected allows for the possibility for this to become a social networking environment where individuals with the common interest of wine can meet.  The sales associates are not rushed when they assist you. They were available to answer all my questions, even invited me to come back for their next wine tasting. Although I did not buy anything, I felt comfortable and will come back to the store again. I cannot think of one thing that would improve this store, they seem to attend to every customer’s needs.
Expand Your Palate, One Circle at a Time
Which Path of Circles Will You Follow on Your Personal Exploration of Wine
As you expand your understanding of wine and the options you have take a look at this infogram from Wine Folly. Think about flavors you like and then choose some wines to taste between classes. Let me know what you tried and what you like and did not like. I will do the same!
Click here to view Wine Folly’s website.
Winemakers Cultivate the 718 Terroir
“It turns out that Brooklyn’s maritime climate is perfect for controlling fungal disease and the white rooftop has photosynthetic advantages over a traditional vineyard,” Mr. Shomaker said.
who knew!
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/18/nyregion/winemakers-cultivate-the-718-terroir.html?ref=dining
retail wine shop
Stolen Wine, Oh My
Trends are not always so good: Wine Theives
Retail Wine Analysis
Retail Wine Analysis
Misha Billinghurst
New York City College of Technology
Wine & Beverage Management
Professor K Goodlad
October 15 2015
For my retail wine visit, I visited Astor Wines & Spirits (www.astorwines.com) located on Lafayette Street in the Downtown section of Manhattan. Astor Wines & Spirits has been in Greenwich Village since 1946. It is located in the De Vinne Press Building, a New York City landmark. Andy Fisher has been the president of the store since 1971 and expanded it nine years into his position. After Astor Wines moved to the De Vinne Press Building in 2006, he opened Astor Center, and educational center located above the retail store. Astor Center offers classes and events focusing on contemporary food and wine.
The 11,000 square feet spaces offers over 4,500 wines organized by region or country. The layout is customer friendly to those who have basic knowledge of wines. Most retail stores I have been to were organized by taste, and not location. I mostly saw wines from Spain but otherwise, it was evenly distributed in the wines they offered. While identifying where the wine comes from, they also provided information with the most common grapes and tastes of the area. Also, each shelf had a “staff pick”, which highlighted and particular wine a staff member liked and their opinion on it.
The first thing I saw when I walked in was a showcase of wines with a sign that “Great Wines under $12”. This immediately showed me that Astor Wines & Spirits was not just for the high end community. Wines ranges from $6.99 to over $1500 and from very common to extremely rare. This was a wine store for any type of wine or spirits drinker. They also offered a variety of organic wines.
While Astor Wines & Spirits offers an extensive line of wines, Astor Centers offers informative classes for beginners to experts. There are two to three classes/events a week that range from wines by specific regions to specialty cocktails. They also offer free tastings on certain days. One of the benefits directly located in the retail store is their Cool Room. The room is temperature and humidity controlled and properly stores delicate wines at an angle. The Cool Room is designed for just expensive wines but for all wines that require a gentler handing when being store.
When I visited the store, there weren’t many customers but the staff didn’t directly acknowledge. They looked like they were busy with the upkeep of the store but didn’t ask if I need any assistance. I wish they would’ve spoke to me, but the stores layout and helpful tips around the store allowed me to find enough information on my own.
My recommendation for Astor Wines & Spirits is to be more approachable for their customers. I purposely stood near staff members to get assistance, but no one asked if I need help. Most of the customers looked like they knew what they were getting, so it’s possible that I could’ve gave the same impression. Otherwise, Astor Wines & Spirits is a great choice for anyone looking to buy affordable quality wine or experience some vintage and rare wines. Astor Wines & Spirits can be a wine store for a beginning wine experiencer to the biggest wine enthusiasts.
References
Astor Wines & Spirits www.astorwines.com
Astor Center – Wine and Food Experiences in New York City www.astorcenternyc.com
Finding a Customer-Friendly Wine Store. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://guides.wsj.com/wine/buying-and-storing-wine/finding-a-customer-friendly-wine-store/
