TasteCamp EAST 2010

With two walks and a group 35+ people, we’ve broken up the group (largely based on attendee requests) into two. Evan will be taking the group to Damiani Wine Cellars to tour their pinot vineyard with grower Phil Davis while I take the other group to Argetsinger Vineyard to tour it with Sam Argetsinger and Ravines Wine Cellars winemaker Morten Hallgren. Breakfast (and a little wine made from fruit grown in each vineyard) will be served.

Please plan to met in the hotel parking lot around 8 a.m. (even though those of us going to Argetsinger won’t need to leave until a bit after 8).

Argetsinger Vineyard:

Geneviève Champoux & Julien Marchand
Jeff Lefevere
Joe and Kerri Roberts
John Witherspoon
Lenn Thompson
Meg & Steve Maker
Melissa & Rich Dobson
Morgan Dawson
Sasha & Paul Smith
Remy Charest
Rick Van Sickle
Tom Mansell

Damiani Vineyard

Amanda Maynard
Bryan Calandrelli
Charlie Adler
David Lawrence & Diane Letulle
Debbie & Paul Gioquindo
Evan Dawson
Jared Skolnick & Tracy Ellen Kamens
Juanita & Richard Auffrey
Julia Burke
Melissa & Michael Gorton
Richard Schnitzlein
Susan Guerra

Opening Lunch on Friday is at Heron Hill Winery’s Main Location on Keuka Lake

Lenn Thompson — Wed, 05 May 2010 13:41:10 +0000

There has been some confusion, so I wanted to write a quick post letting you all know that our opening lunch on Friday will take place at Heron Hill’s main location on Keuka Lake.

The address is:

Heron Hill Winery
9301 County Route 76
Hammondsport, NY 14840
1-800-441-4241

Also, a reminder that the only group transportation that will be provided is to and from the dinners on Friday and Saturday nights.

A Note on TasteCamp Meals

Lenn Thompson — Wed, 05 May 2010 12:44:45 +0000

A few people have asked, so here is the recommended payment method for our meals:

Cash: For lunch on Saturday and brunch on Sunday
Cash or Card: For Dinner Friday and Saturday nights

And, as a reminder, the costs for our meals will be:

Friday Lunch @ Heron Hill Winery: $0 (Sponsored by Heron Hill and Finger Lakes Wine Country)
Friday Dinner @ Red Newt Bistro: $30 (Sponsored by Anthony Road Wine Company, Fox Run Vineyards and Red Newt Cellars)
Saturday Breakfast @ 2 separate vineyards: $0 (Sponsored by Damiani Wine Cellars and Ravines Wine Cellars)
Saturday Lunch @ Fox Run Vineyards: $8 (Sponsored by Fox Run Vineyards and Finger Lakes Wine Country)
Saturday Dinner at Stonecat Cafe: $60
Sunday Brunch @ Sheldrake Point Vineyards: $10 (Sponsored by Finger Lakes Wine Country)

When Are You Getting to TasteCamp 2010?

Lenn Thompson — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 17:09:12 +0000

Need a ride from the airport? Looking to carpool from NYC? Want to grab a glass of wine with someone Thursday night?

To facilitate any airport or other travel carpooling — as well as any pre- or post-event frivolity, I thought it made sense to give everyone a chance to let the rest of the group know when they are arriving in the Finger Lakes.

So, let us all know in the comments below when you’ll be getting to town.

Saturday Night’s Dinner at Stonecat Cafe is BYOB

Lenn Thompson — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 17:55:16 +0000

Dinner Saturday night, which will be at Stonecat Cafe on the east side of Seneca Lake, is going to be a BYOB dinner.

The menu is intended to be extremely riesling friendly, so we encourage you to bring something that will pair well with the meal:

First Course: Stonecat Maple Juniper Sausage served with caramelized onions, tangy rhubarb sauce and fresh focaccia

Second Course: Herb-Crusted Chicken Cutlets with Gorgonzola cream sauce, served with sauteed organic greens and toasted almond quinoa.

Third Course: Pecan pound cake with white chocolate mousse and raspberry – apricot puree.

Lunches and Brunch Sponsored in Part by Finger Lakes Wine Country

Lenn Thompson — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 15:33:58 +0000

Throughout TasteCamp 2010, our lunches (and Sunday brunch) will be sponsored in part by Finger Lakes Wine Country.

For Friday, the rest of lunch will be paid for by our host, Heron Hill Winery.

For Saturday, lunch will also be partly sponsored by our host Fox Run Vineyards.

Thank you for the sponsorships!

Dinner Transportation Sponsored by Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance

Lenn Thompson — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 15:24:22 +0000

We found out last week that transportation to and from dinner on Friday and Saturday nights will sponsored by the Finger Lakes Wine Tourism Alliance.

I’d like to thank them for the sponsorship!

Rides and Transportation During TasteCamp EAST 2010

Lenn Thompson — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 17:13:45 +0000

We’re less than a month out before TasteCamp EAST 2010 begins on Friday, May 7 with a welcome lunch and tasting at Heron Hill Winery — so it’s time to talk transportation.

As our returning attendees will remember, there won’t be any formalized transportation for the day-time visits. Car pooling is encouraged, but everyone will be responsible for driving themselves between appointments. It worked well last year and we didn’t see any reason to change it.

For Friday and Saturday, we are exploring buses or taxis from the hotel to dinner and back, but don’t have details yet. It won’t be free, but we’ll try to get a good deal.

The main reason for this post is to give people an opportunity (via the comments) to talk about rides to and from the airports. We have a few people flying in, so hopefully we can get that sorted out.

More details coming soon!

35+ Wineries Sign Up to Pour for TasteCamp Attendees

Lenn Thompson — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 18:38:52 +0000

We set April 4 as the deadline for wineries to sign up to pour for attendees at TasteCamp EAST 2010.

I’m happy to report that we have more than 35 wineries signed up to pour, including just about all of the region’s best.

We’ve published full list of the producers who are going to be pouring.