This month...

1. Letter from Andy
2. Syracuse Wine Meetup Group
3. March Discount Wines by the Bottle for $4
4. Winemaking Tip: Specific Gravity
5. From Our Blog

Dear Friends,

I want to personally thank all the couples, groups, family members, and friends who have come to make their own wine with us at Lakeland Winery and hope your experiences have been enjoyable and memorable.

As those of you who know me personally have already learned, I take a lot of pride in trying to provide an educational exploration into the world of winemaking and fine wines. So, as I introduce our first monthly newsletter for March, I hope it will be a useful resource for all those winemakers out there—and aspiring winemakers too!

I have been diligently pursuing ways to share the personalized winemaking experience with as many people as possible and let everyone know just how amazing wine that you make here tastes. You just can't find this kind of quality wine in stores—and we have dozens to choose from. Ask anyone who has been here to make their own wine before—the taste speaks for itself!

"To date Barry and I have made 10 wines with Andrew. Making my own wine has opened the door for us to try new wines from around the world. Barry and I have found a great new pastime and will now continue to create our own wine collection without all the additives found in commercial wines. Also, because we keep so many in ours homes, the cost is a lot less than stores, besides all the fun we have making it. Be sure to find a group of friends to share this experience with." — Bill & Barry

But we're more than just a make-your-own-wine winery:

• You can find wines made by Lakeland Winery in our store at any time, or at the Central New York Regional Market beginning in May on Saturdays from 7am to 2pm. Our list of $5 bottles (375ml) includes Provocative Peach, Ravishing Raspberry, and Keenly Kiwi. Our list of $10 Deliciously Sweeter bottles (375ml) includes Cabernet Franc Ice Wine (labeled Dessert Red), Riesling Ice Wine (labeled Dessert White), and Chocolate Raspberry Port (labeled Chocolate Decadence). See our full list of wines to purchase by the bottle on our web site.

• Keep an eye out for our wines at weddings and other local events in the Syracuse area. We've most recently featured our wines at the Syracuse Chocolate and Wine Festival.
• We hold private wine tasting parties for $5 a person, be it for an upcoming wedding, birthday party, anniversary celebration, or a group of friends from work. We have dozens of wines to try!
• We founded the Syracuse Wine Meetup Group, your source for exciting winetasting events. To attend our events, join for FREE at our Meetup Group web site and we'll see you at our next event on March 28th at 7pm, our Cheesy Wine Party. Scroll down for more info!
• Winemaking Gift Certificate Packages are available too. Think: weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, and the holidays.
• We also make personal arrangements for your wedding. Imagine a bottle for every guest that was made by you and your loved one with a special wine label to mark the occasion.
• As head winemaker, I can personally create a batch of custom wine for you—including free delivery to your home! Have a look at our wine list and give me a call to place your order.

As a local small business, I love hearing feedback to let me know your comments or ideas. The winery may be small, but we're definitely growing and I try to provide an intimate, welcoming, and fun atmosphere—whether you come to make your own wine or bring a few friends by to sample our extensive wine collection.

We're open every weekday evening by appointment for winemaking or wine tasting, and every Saturday from 10am to 5pm. To make an appointment, check out our calendar for an available time and call me at (315) 572-4763.

Again, thank you for your support. Continue reading below for the rest of our March newsletter!

Thanks,
Andy
(315) 572-4763
andy@lakelandwinery.com
www.lakelandwinery.com

Syracuse Wine Meetup Group

Meet fellow Wine Enthusiasts near you! Come to a local Wine Meetup (but you have to join on our web site first!) to taste new wines; learn about noses and legs; and discuss great vintages and estates. Everyone's welcome, from new bouquet-sniffers to educated connoisseurs.

To attend our events, join now for FREE: http://wine.meetup.com/405

Next Meetup
Cheesy Wine Party
When
Friday, March 28 at 7pm
Where
Lakeland Winery, 877 State Fair Blvd., Syracuse, NY 13209
Who Should Come
Wine snobs and other pretentious cheesy type people.
Why
Learn to be a fun loving person like the rest of us.
Details
Please bring Cheese and a comparable wine to share, with maybe a small amount of crackers. We provide the wine glasses, but professional wine drinkers may bring their own:)

The 3 Wine and Cheese Paring Challenges:

• Texture - The softer the cheese the more it coats the mouth, blocking many wine sensations. Solution - White wines tend to have more refreshing acidity and therefore a more appropriate cleansing effect on soft or creamy cheeses.
• Sweetness - Some mild cheeses taste slightly sweet and make dry wines seem acidic, tart and devoid of fruit. This happens whenever a food is perceived to be sweeter than a wine served with it. Solution - In general, semi-dry and sweet wines are more versatile with cheeses than are dry wines.
• Flavors - Very ripe, spicy or pungent cheeses have overpowering flavors that eclipse most wines. Solution - Strong cheeses require strong wines. Red wines (packed with fruit, acidity and flavor), sweet or aromatic whites and fortified wines like ports and sherries have the best chance with extreme flavors.

Summary: Mild hard cheeses match a wider range of wines than do soft, ripe or mature cheeses. Overall, white wines go better with cheese than red wines. Furthermore, sweeter whites tend to be more versatile than drier whites. The more tannic the red the harder the cheese needs to be. This website shows an assortment of wine and cheese parings: www.gourmetsleuth.com/cpairing.htm

"Great group. It is all about sharing wine." —Mike

"It was great. If didn't make it you missed out." —DanaWitchey

"this group is just starting up and we hope to see more people join- we think it has very good potential- " —Lisa

March Discount on Our "First-Born" and Other Wines by the Bottle: 375ml Bottles for $4

Our "first-born" wines that we made when the winery first opened, and a few others, are available at a special discount price of $4 for the month of March:

• Val de Grace (R), born on January 13, 2006
• Argentine Malbec (R), born on January 1, 2007
• Castellina Supertuscan di Siena (R), born on March 16, 2007
• Rosso Fortissimo (R), born on January 1, 2007
• Valpolicella (R), born on February 8, 2006
• Ruisseau Blanc (W), born on January 14, 2006
• Vieux Chateau du Roi (R), born on February 3, 2006
• Corvina Classica (R), born on February 3, 2006
• Limited Edition Australian Petit Verdot (R), born on January 14, 2006

Winemaking Tip of the Month: Specific Gravity

Specific gravity is the most important measurement—besides temperature—that you can make after fermentation is complete. On most dry wines, the instructions say to wait until the S.G. is 0.996. But, if you wait a few more days until the S.G. is 0.990 you have the added benefit of creating a noticeable difference in both higher alcohol content AND lower residual sugar.

So, why is specific gravity so important? Years ago, several of my own first dry red batches were made on a weekly schedule, without taking into account the S.G.—rack after 7 days and stop the fermentation after 14 days. To tell you the truth, I couldn't tell you the S.G. reading when I added the sorbate to sterilize the yeast. But after a year, that dry red wine wasn't that dry. What a hard lesson I learned. I hope I can save you the embarrassment as you proudly show off your 'home made wine' to friends and family.

—Andy

From Our Blog: www.lakelandwinery.com/blog

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