I was in Aurora, New York last week staying at the Inns of Aurora on Cayuga Lake. Up north then travelling southwest I arrived at Hosmer Winery in Ovid, New York. Yes I said Ovid and not COVID! And I tried a 2021 Lemberger wine not to be confused with Limberger cheese! And to further confuse matters Lemberger is known as Blaufränkisch in Germany and then even in Germany it is sometimes referred to as Limberger. Please someone untie the Gordian knot!
Without confusing you and I further, time to just try this pale-colored wine.
Aroma: Intense smoke like an Alberta wildfire, raspberry, Bing cherry, a dusting of cloves and Red Twizzler licorice. A bit mysterious but given here in Ontario we have no access to Finger Lakes wine instead being inundated with California wines highly profitable but on the most part “consumer friendly” and reliably boring. In summation a captivating aroma!
Palate: One may say this is a bit weak kneed on the palate and yes I will clap at the 11.9% alcohol making this a “refreshing” wine compared with so many monstrous 15 .5 % wines. In beer terms a craft brew blonde! Very light red fruit and a short finish. Not so German but very Cayuga Lake! I would almost serve chilled as a white wine.
Personality: A 99-pound weakling perfectly delighted and comfortable with being so. No big bazooka alcohol. Complete Cayuga charm! I am the perfect anti-wine wine LCBO liquor monopoly if that makes sense. A wine that makes you think and think again.
Food Match: Mushroom Bourguignon! Or with some Dilly Girl cheese from Fromagerie Muranda on Cayuga Lake.
Price: $26 USD.
Cellarbility: Drink sooner than later.
RKS 2024 Wine Rating: 87/100.
(Hosmer 2021 Lemberger, Finger Lakes, Cayuga Lakes AVA, Hosmer Winery, Ovid, New York, 750 mL, 11.9%).
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