AURELIUS - A wine tour started unexpectedly for some at the Fingerlakes Mall on Saturday, where both red and white wines were served alongside the topic of beef.
“I came out because I had some coupons for Penny's, and I stumbled on this,” said Mary Nellenback, of Auburn, standing at the Amberg Wine Cellars display, part of the third annual Wine Festival and Farmer's Market held in the mall. As a result, she purchased two bottles from the Amberg Wine Cellars booth.
“I asked him what he had that would go good with my lasagna dinner tonight. He suggested the Red Baron and Red Panda, so I tried them. They'll be perfect!” she said.
While plastic cups substituted for glasses, long lengths of valuable information stemmed from some samples. Several local wine producers as well as Equity Angus were ready to field as many questions as visitors were willing to supply.
“Once you open a bottle of wine, I wouldn't let it go more than four days,” Christian Avanzato, sales manager for Amberg Wine Cellars, located in Stanley said. “The first thing that kills a bottle of wine is when air gets in it. You can get a vacuum pump with a one way valve and rubber stopper for under $20 dollars. You're not going to get it all out, but it'll buy you a few more days.”
Never refrigerate wine once opened - always store at 55 degrees, he recommended. And when dealing with expensive wine, never fail to finish it.
“Good, aged wine - rumors have it that they can go bad quickly. The time it takes to finish a second or third glass can change the flavor,” he said.
For most at the mall it wasn't a worry. As Avanzato explained, overwhelmingly the favorite of wine lovers locally are the relatively inexpensive white wines. As is typical, people tend to enjoy whatever wine is predominately produced in their area, that they are likely to be exposed to while growing up. Such was true for Sally Elmer, of Cato. She said she's been drinking sweet, white wines for 10 years.
“I usually get a lot from the Montezuma Winery. Usually as a Christmas gift, my husband gives me a case of their white,” she said. “I just tried the Pegasus and Traminette (from Amberg.) I liked the Pegasus.” Elmer added she usually has some sharp cheese from Colosse Cheese with her wine.
For those who prefer homegrown beef, Marianne Brown, of the Equity Angus farm and store in Port Byron was nearby. While there weren't any samples, there was plenty to learn there as well.
“This is our third year at the festival,” Brown said. “Our cattle are pasture raised: they roam, they graze on hay and corn. There are no antibiotics in their feed. It's not a feed lot, like the beef you usually find in a grocery store. They come from a feed lot, where there are 50 animals shoulder to shoulder in a pen, fed food 24-seven. Their job is to eat and be slaughtered. Ours are not rapid growers. They get to exercise, which improves muscling.”
She added: “My husband will dry age the beef for 10 days, which improves flavor and tenderness, which creates premium beef. They're not slaughtered today and boxed today.”
“I asked him what he had that would go good with my lasagna dinner tonight. He suggested the Red Baron and Red Panda, so I tried them. They'll be perfect!” she said.
While plastic cups substituted for glasses, long lengths of valuable information stemmed from some samples. Several local wine producers as well as Equity Angus were ready to field as many questions as visitors were willing to supply.
“Once you open a bottle of wine, I wouldn't let it go more than four days,” Christian Avanzato, sales manager for Amberg Wine Cellars, located in Stanley said. “The first thing that kills a bottle of wine is when air gets in it. You can get a vacuum pump with a one way valve and rubber stopper for under $20 dollars. You're not going to get it all out, but it'll buy you a few more days.”
Never refrigerate wine once opened - always store at 55 degrees, he recommended. And when dealing with expensive wine, never fail to finish it.
“Good, aged wine - rumors have it that they can go bad quickly. The time it takes to finish a second or third glass can change the flavor,” he said.
For most at the mall it wasn't a worry. As Avanzato explained, overwhelmingly the favorite of wine lovers locally are the relatively inexpensive white wines. As is typical, people tend to enjoy whatever wine is predominately produced in their area, that they are likely to be exposed to while growing up. Such was true for Sally Elmer, of Cato. She said she's been drinking sweet, white wines for 10 years.
“I usually get a lot from the Montezuma Winery. Usually as a Christmas gift, my husband gives me a case of their white,” she said. “I just tried the Pegasus and Traminette (from Amberg.) I liked the Pegasus.” Elmer added she usually has some sharp cheese from Colosse Cheese with her wine.
For those who prefer homegrown beef, Marianne Brown, of the Equity Angus farm and store in Port Byron was nearby. While there weren't any samples, there was plenty to learn there as well.
“This is our third year at the festival,” Brown said. “Our cattle are pasture raised: they roam, they graze on hay and corn. There are no antibiotics in their feed. It's not a feed lot, like the beef you usually find in a grocery store. They come from a feed lot, where there are 50 animals shoulder to shoulder in a pen, fed food 24-seven. Their job is to eat and be slaughtered. Ours are not rapid growers. They get to exercise, which improves muscling.”
She added: “My husband will dry age the beef for 10 days, which improves flavor and tenderness, which creates premium beef. They're not slaughtered today and boxed today.”
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