Dan's Papers - May 23, 2008 - Over the Barrel... with Lenn Thompson

With just its second incarnation wrapping up last Wednesday night, Brooklyn Uncorked has already solidified its status as the premier Long Island wine event of the year. With 30 wineries pouring at BAMCafe in Brooklyn, there isn't a better way to taste over 100 Long Island wines in a matter of a few hours. And this year's event was much better than last year's - which was already great.

This year, in addition to all those local wines, organizers invited a handful of local breweries, a couple of cheese shops, and several restaurants and other food vendors, making for a much more complete taste of "local." Now if only they'd intersperse the food with the wine, instead of housing them on different floors. Hopefully next year.

With so many great drinks and eats, it'd be silly of me to highlight all of the ones that struck me, but here are a few of the best and most interesting finds.

Ever heard of Bouke' the North Fork's newest producer? Neither had I until I spotted their unfamiliar labels from across the room. Don't feel bad though, Bouke's founder, Brooklyite Lisa Donneson used Brookyn Uncorked as her label's coming out party, pouring a dry rose and white table blend. She expects to release her lone red, a blend, in the winter. Bouke', pronounced the way bouquet is, aims to make affordable wines that can be opened any night of the week. Donneson thinks that wine should be an "everyday pleasure for the senses." Gilles Martin, formerly of Martha Clara Vineyards, makes the wines. He also consults at Sherwood, House Vineyards and Sparkling Point. The rose ($15), a blend of cabernet sauvignon and merlot, is satisfying and certainly seasonally appropriate. The white ($18), a mélange of chardonnay, pinot gris, sauvignon blanc and Gewurztraminer is floral and citrusy. It seems best suited to ocean- or pool-side duty.

Another wine that impressed for less than $20 was Martha Clara Vineyards' 2007 Pinot Grigio ($16). Fresh, clean and citrusy, it's a darn near perfect summer sipper. Don't expect the same boring lemon-water flavors of cheap Italian pinot grigio though. This one has more depth and mouthfeel. New winemaker Juan Micieli-Martinez's attention to details-both in the vineyard and in the winery-in this, his first release at Martha Clara. His 2007 Viognier isn't released yet, but it's a definite improvement on the last vintage as well.

One of the more interesting wines of the afternoon came from Roanoke Vineyards. Their 2005 Blend One (NA) won't be released for a while, but it features 52% Malbec (the 04 bottling is heavy on cabernet franc). That Malbec dominates the nose with plum and anise, but by blending it with merlot, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc, some of the heavy, tar-like flavors sometimes associated with Malbec are smoothed out. Red production was a little low for Roanoke in 2004, but this is a wine worth keeping an eye out for. Two more reds from 2005, a meritage-style blend and a merlot, were also impressive at the Osprey's Dominion Vineyards table.

Because man cannot live on wine alone, there were several beers on tap that I'll be looking for as well.

Southampton Ales & Lagers is making some of the best beers in the country and their new batch of Abbot 12-and Abbey-stye dark ale-is filled with fig, dried fruit and caramelized sugar flavors. At 10% ABV, this isn't a beer to guzzle. Pour it in a snifter or even a wine glass, let it warm a bit out of the fridge, and savor it over the course of an evening.

Another favorite beer of the night was Sixpoint's Righteous Rye Ale. Extremely earthy and malty, it's extremely complex with grassy, herbal and rye notes-and plenty of hop character. Sixpoint is making some great stuff in Brooklyn, but they don't bottle much of their beer. Look for it at bars and on tap at better beer stores.

If you didn't make it to Brooklyn Uncorked this year, make sure you go next year. For $50, attendees ate and drank very, very well.