Still Fascinated with Pears

 

 Still Fascinated with Pears
We have a new favorite appetizer, which features
Cardamom Pear Butter.   What is splendid about this
appetizer is that the "butter" is really a thick puree of fruit,
which pairs beautifully with sharp cheeses or cream cheese.
AND Rieslings.

You know how pears sometimes have a granular texture?
Somehow that makes me think of Rieslings and the minerality
that seem inherent in good ones.  If you are lucky enough to have
access to a pear tree, here are two recipes to try.

Cardamom Pear Butter
Pair with sharp Cheddar Cheese and crackers &
Johnson Estate Freelings Creek Semi-Dry Riesling

Orange Pear Butter
Pair with cream cheese or cheesecake &
Johnson Estate's Cream Sherry

 

 

 

 

September's Pairings:



A Pair of Pear Sorbets
Pear and grape seasons coincide here at Johnson Estate -
and we have four kinds of pears, including small Seckel pears. 
These sorbets take advantage of our wines AND our pears. 
Both are delicious served as dessert
and both would be nice with a gingersnap cookie or spice cake.

Pear and Riesling Sorbet
Made with Johnson Estate Freelings Creek Semi-Dry or Sweet Riesling
Pear and Red Wine Sorbet
Made with Johnson Estate Chautauqua Rouge

New Year's Resolution Just in Time for Spring

Is late March too late in the year to have a New Year's Resolution?  Here's one, then:  "To not abandon this blog for ten months again!"

Frozen Oregano, March 2012 & the Herb Garden Below

What a difference a year makes.  Last year, at this time, we'd had a flush of warm weather and vineyard owners, like Fred, were sweating each and every cold spell, fearing the worst.  And in fact, the cold frosts of the spring of 2012 were particularly devastating to growers of labruscan, or American, grapes such as Concord, Ives, and Niagara.  Some growers literally had no grapes to pick.

At Johnson Estate, thanks to a diversification of grapes - we have eleven different varieties of three different types (labruscan, French-hybrid, and vinifera) - we were spared wide-spread damage in the vineyards.  Yes, the Concord and Ives yields were down, BUT miraculously and unexpectedly, the French-hybrid and vinifera vineyards fared much better with good quality, well-ripened fruit.  Our Chambourin did get hit with a late summer hailstorm which shredded the leaves and reduced the crop for our ice wine, but we were very grateful for the overall quality of the 2012 harvest.

And what about this year? 
Well, it's cold and so far, the only plants daring to "green-up" are the daffodils. Otherwise, as of March 15th, it looked like this in the vineyard, with the vines just mid-winter twigs with no sign of green tips or buds.  Here are the guys at the end of the winter's pruning in the Riesling vineyards:

Frost Report - April 2012

QUESTION:
Someone on Facebook asked: "Winter's are usually cold in western New York, what's so difficult about this spring?"

ANSWER:
Like many parts of the country, we had an early ten days of spring and since Lake Erie wasn't frozen to keep things a little cooler, the grapes began to grow. Then, when the weather reverted to more normal cooler temperatures and occasional frosts, the buds are at risk.

.

Here's what normal and frozen buds look like.  Each of these vines have three buds - the bottom vine is developing normally, with a primary bud and a smaller secondary bud. The top vine shows frost damage to the first bud and a bulge where the secondary bud is forming.  Secondary buds are just that - better than nothing, but not as big or vigorous as the primaries.

Post March 26 Frost: Day 1

It is perfectly normal early spring weather - 29 degrees, a little frost on the ground, sun coming up. 

BUT, we've just "enjoyed" those ten days of early warm weather - so warm that everything has bloomed, is in bloom, or is certainly in bud.  You name it:  apricots first, then peaches, cherries, even apples and blueberries.  And yes, the grapes are budding, with some varieties, like the Ives, even showing green and secondary buds.  Even the old timers have never seen anything as bad as this will likely be.

The news is bad.  As low as 24-26 degrees last night.  The cup of water on the bench in the garden had a solid one inch layer of ice this morning.  Fred's sample test of apple buds - crunchy.  Not good.

It is too early to tell how bad and (luckily) each of our grape varieties is at a different stage of development, so perhaps a few have weathered the freeze.

Mother Nature Threatens, March 26, 2012

You know those lovely spring days we've been enjoying.  They are a double-edged sword for farmers and winery owners - for that warm spell was long enough to make everything bloom and bud out - apricots, peaches, cherries, and yes, our grapes. 

If that frost that is now forecasted for Monday arrives and stays as long as we think it will, it will mean devastation for all of these fruit crops for this year...

More soon as we follow the weather reports!

An Artic Blast Quells the Owner's and Winemaker's Jitters

It does come to that - when the weather is as mild as it has been this winter of 2011-2012 - you begin to wonder whether you wasted your time and money netting those vines for ice wine.  If Mother Nature doesn't cooperate, you can end up with a lot of mushy, wasted grapes, and the only salvage possibility is something that is not ice wine.

So, it was with some relief that Fred and Jeff Murphy, winemaker at Johnson Estate, watched the weather forecasts and realized that the artic blast that blew in just after the New Year, might just be the needed window for harvest.  The appointed day January 3rd, arrived with temperatures contuning to drop and the skies gray - in the world of harvesting ice wine, that is good - you don't want those little marbles to thaw any, if you can help it.  We were blessed with plenty of hands from two additional farms which made the work go quickly.  Fred was very pleased with the decision to air-stack the Chambourcins, which then froze more solidly as the temperatures dropped to 7 degrees by evening.

More later - how you harvest and then what do you do with the grapes?

Johnson Estate 50th Anniversary Dinner Pairings

In the New Tasting Room to Benefit the Grape Discovery Center, September 30, 2011

Welcome:
Johnson Estate Freelings Creek 2010 Golden Sparkles, the Anniversary Wine

Platters of Cheese and Fruit and Bruschetta

Hors D’Oeuvres for Red Wines:
Johnson Estate Chambourcin & Marechal Foch

   Ratatouille Stacks

   Tomato Petals with Oregano Pesto

   Duck Prosciutto Chips with Caramelized Plums

Hors D’Oeuvres for White Wines:
Freelings Creek Sparkling Traminette & Semi-Sweet Riesling

   Grilled Pears with Arugula & Prosciutto Crisps with Concord Grape Viniagrette

   Season’s Foccacia with Damson Plums and Smoked Blue Cheese

   Roasted Beet Salad with Candied Walnuts & Goat Cheese

Soup Course: Johnson Estate 2009 Seyval Blanc, Butternut Squash Soup & Sage Butter

Main Courses:
Johnson Estate Freelings Creek 2007 Merlot

   Angus Hill Farms Roasted Beef Tenderloin with Wholegrain RollsJohnson Estate Freelings Creek 2010 Chardonnay

   Herb-Encrusted Pork Tenderloin with Cornmeal Muffins

Desserts

   Poached Bosc & Barlett Pear Tart paired with Johnson Estate Red Ipocras

   Mini-Carrot Cakes with Johnson Estate Red Ipocras

   Peanut Butter and Concord Grape Cake paired with Johnson Estate Concord Wine

Cheese Platters, Soup & Main Courses prepared by Robert and Karen Cross, 3C’s Catering.

Hors D’Oeuvres and Desserts by Athenauem Hotel Chefs Ross Warhol, Alex Gray, and Marisa Love.

Wines selected by Jeff Murphy, Winemaker, Johnson Estate Winery.

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Art in the Vineyards, June 4th, 2011 - Here's the Artists

For Drawing:  Lilla Johnson (daughter of the founder of Johnson Estate), www.lillart.com

Using the Entire Value Scale in Drawing, A Fresh Approach
I will be demonstrating an easy method for looking and drawing using the entire value scale. With nature as out model, we will start with a toned paper and use erasers, soft charcoal, and hard charcoal pencils to create bright lights and deep shadows. An emphasis will be placed on basic shapes and how they are lit. This is an easy technique for creating a complete drawing, that produces great results for both the beginner and the experienced drawer.  Participants are encouraged to try this technique but may go on to use their own methods and materials as they so choose.

 

For Painting:  Thomas Annear, www.ThomasAnnear.com

Artist and former Executive Director of the Chautauqua-Lake Erie Art Trail, is a prolific painter of landscapes with much experience in the vineyards, including our own.  Thomas has an easygoing personality, a love of the outdoors, and much experience in plein aire painting.  His enthusiasm is contagious which bodes an afternoon of learning and enjoyment.  Here he is, doing just that.  

For Photography:  James Hoggard,  www.JamesHoggardPhotography.com

People interested in photography should bring their own camera “so that we can find ways to improve everyone's photography with the equipment they already have.   I will bring my various camera systems so that:  a) they can find out about something different, b) I can be using something similar to what they own, if I have something like it, and c) because people love to find out about my older film cameras such as the large-format view camera I use for most of my work. This will be a fun, casual, hands-on photo experience that will take the form of whatever the participants want to learn.  With a class size this small, I will be able to customize to fit everyone's needs and interests quite well (I hope)”.

   

Cameras I will have on hand for anyone who wants to discuss them:
    Large format view camera (4 x 5") system
    Hasselblad 500C medium format system
    Nikon digital SLR system
    Panasonic digital point and shoot

Other camera accessories that people might be interested in:
    Hand-held light meters
    Filters for black and white and color photography
    Tripods
    Backpacks for lugging all this crap around

Topics to be discussed
    Basic composition of landscapes and scenics
    Exposure
    Light, and time of day
    The Zone System for exposing and developing black and white film
    Absolutely anything anyone WANTS to discuss!

For Watercolor:  Robert Holland, www.robertjohnholland.com
While the medium Bob has selected for instruction on June 4th is watercolors, his art encompasses many different media including sculpture, drawing, and painting.  In fact, his work and inspirations and his many interests defy easy description.  A visit to his website will provide additional information on this talented artist. 

2011: A Late Spring?

Iris lane in bloom in late May 2010

Well, compared to last year, it does indeed feel like a late spring.  But in fact, the season is only about a week or so behind other years.  The apple trees have begun to bloom and the grape vines are starting to bud.  It does remove the perennial spring worry of an early, killing frost.  Rain, abundant this year, can also make life difficult in the spring - think mud and tractors and bogged down.   Jeff Murphy, our winemaker, has just left for the spring London International Wine Fair and will be showing our ice wines, Seyval Blanc (popular in the UK apparently), and our sparkling Traminette.  Lucky boy.

Tasting Room renovations have keep us hopping since the end of January and we are glad that they are complete.  We will need the rest of the month to prepare for the activities that will consume us in June! 

• Like iris season.  I'm trying to find those galvanized French flower buckets so that we can display and perhaps even sell iris in the winery.  
• Like the Westfield Farmer's Market.  We're going to try to be a regular vendor and offer baked goods to go along with a small selection of wine each week. 
• And like the "Chautauqua in June Learning Festival", for which I raised my hand, brainstormed about, wrestled with class descriptions, dates, and collaborative partners, and am now praying that some will find them interesting enough to entice them to register. Go to the Calendar to see What's Happening in June.  There's a "Winemaker's Dinner", "Sunday Morning Vineyard Walks" and three special classes - "Art in the Vineyards, Plein Air Painting/Drawing/Photography", "A Day in the Garden, Propagating Daylilies and Iris", and "Learn to Make Oregano Pesto".

In addition, we seem to have so much to say that we've increased our eNewsletter to a monthly publication - see the latest here:  http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs095/1103337379073/archive/1105419437315.html

Tasting Room Renovations, Finally Complete

Yes, the renovations are finally complete.  The long-planned renovations which began in late January were finished in early May, thanks to the hard work of a dedicated group of tradesmen and the patience of all of our staff.  We are hopeful that the expansion and renovations will make tastings more enjoyable and that we have been successful in highlighting the best of our historic building. 

Johnson Estate Winery - Jacketed Stainless Steel Tanks Visible from Tasting Room

The Tasting Room Renovation
The spring renovations in our retail tasting room reflect the answers to and our consideration for the following questions.  

1.  How do we maintain respect for the historic apple cold storage facility built by Fred's grandfather in about 1920?  

2.  How do we expand the tasting room to give more space to our visitors and maintain this respect?

3.  How do we portray our dedication to quality in both our products and the visitor experience?  

Johnson Estate - South East Bar & Wine Racks

Johnson Estate - South West Bar & Cucumber Barn Beam

We began with the premise - especially in the old tasting room where the ceiling is low due to a second story - that the additions and changes should reflect what would have been possible during the 1920's.  We decided to maintain the use of bead and board for the bar fronts - a frequently used material and one that permitted us to recycle our existing bars.  We kept the old wooden windows and their simple moldings.  We kept the hemlock rafters and elected not to cover or paint them.  We decided to keep the old insulation, essential for a cold storage building, and painted it black.  We found some antique goose neck barn light fixtures and they are now attached to the old beams and we made sure that the new ones were appropriate for an agricultural processing facility of the 1920's.  And we did a lot of recycling, as best we could, using the old bars, wine racks, and shelving in the new tasting room.  And yet, we think we have succeeded in also providing an inviting and comfortable location for tastings and one which provides a view of some of the winery's productive activities.

A Celebratory Wine for the Winery's 50th Anniversary

A Celebratory Wine

Sparkling wines and champagne are most often purchased for celebrations and we thought that a sparkling wine would be apt for the winery's 50th anniversary.  We named this sparkling Traminette,  Golden Sparkles, in honor of those 50 years.  Traminette is Cornell University's version of a Gewürztraminer. It is, in fact, Gewürztraminer crossed with Seyval Blanc (a French-American hybrid that makes a lovely aromatic dry white) and then crossed back again with Gewurtz.  This is about our seventh year growing Traminette; we have two very pampered vineyard blocs of about an acre each right out the back door of the winery.  One bloc is on grafted rootstock, the older bloc is not.  Both are irrigated.  About four weeks before harvest, we selectively trim the leaves covering the fruit on the east side of each row.  This allows the morning sunlight to shine directly on the berries causing them to further develop the aromas that will bloom from a newly poured glass.

And a Spring Recipe - Frais Royale

Made with Johnson Estate’s Golden Sparkles

1 tbsp of raspberry liqueur, like Chambord or other berry liquer
2 tbsp of pureed fresh strawberries (may be partially frozen)

Pour the liqueur into the bottom of a champagne flute. Add pureed strawberries. Then pour the
Sparkling Traminette to fill the glass. Take care not to overfill too quickly since the bubbles will
be profuse!

 

What to Do with Pears? Pairings and Recipe

September 2010

What to Do with Pears?

The pears in our small orchard here at Johnson Estate are just ripening. All right, I'll admit it, I was fascinated by the idea of an espaliered lane of pear trees and planted three kinds: Bartlett, Bosc, and Seckel. I did not really concern myself then, of course, of dealing with the abundance of pears once they started fruiting! Well, that day has arrived and here are a few ideas - some quite simple, combining the natural affinity of pears and cheese with wine (Johnson Estate, of course), plus a salad recipe from a best friend who serves it at Thanksgiving and uses our Johnson Estate Port.



1. Bosc Pears with White Cheddar Cheese: Serve with Johnson Estate's Freeling Creek Cabernet Sauvignon

2. Bosc Pears with Parmesan Reggiano: Serve with Johnson Estate's Freeling Creek Estate Riesling (pictured above)

3. Anjou Pears with Soft Goat Cheese: Serve with Johnson Estate's Seyval Blanc (aromatic like a Sauvignon Blanc)

4. Roasted Pears with Blue Cheese and Arugula: These lighted sweetened baked pears and salty Stilton offer the perfect complements to the complex, peppery flavor of arugula. Click here to see full recipe.

Spring Projects at Johnson Estate

While the rest of us are eager for warm, sunny spring days, the vineyard owner is always restrained - even after cold, snowy winters like this one. Not too much heat, not too fast. Don't want the buds to grow too early and then be nipped by a spring frost. This spring's unseasonally warm weather has provoked worry about whether this will happen this year. But, so far, so good.

Life is very busy in the spring at a farm and vineyard, but especially so this year at Johnson Estate. After well over a year of deliberation and planning, we have commenced construction of the new warehouse. It will be sandwiched between the historic cold storage building where the retail room is and the more modern tank building. The new building will house finished goods (aka cases of bottled wine!) at stable temperatures, and permit us room in the original building to expand our retail room which is sometimes choked during busy times. Brian, who is in charge of the everyday winemaking under the supervision of Jeff Murphy, our winemaker, is in seventh heaven and is like a small child waiting for his birthday surprise. In the future, he and his crew will not have to endure western New York chills to pass from building to building! Photos soon!

Mid-Winter's Day

Seven degrees doesn't seem to be an amicable way to start the day, but this one was a sunny one. The snow was crunchy underfoot and there was no wind. Good day to commence pruning of my espaliered pear trees - much easier, somehow, than fruit trees growing "freeform".

Despite very cold winter days, the grape vines on Johnson Estate's 110 acres are being pruned from dawn to dusk. Little by little, the crews are making their way around the farm, pruning first the hardy concord and labruscan vineyards before moving to the more delicate ones which are pruned last so that any winter damage is evident. Before they are pruned, the vines are shaggy with the growth of the previous summer's canes - a reddish brown, the color of cinnamon sticks. The happier the vines were the previous summer, the more the canes there are and the more lush the color.

Pruning, it turns out, is an art and many elements go into it. How old is the vine? How vigorous was last year's growth, are the main canes healthy? How much fruit does the winemaker want from the vineyard in the next season? The men and women holding the shears know the answers to these questions, usually, and somehow, almost instinctively, prune appropriately and quickly. Practice makes perfect, I am sure.

Deleafing of Traminette Prior to Harvest 2009

Fall at the Farm

The leaves are dropping in waves and in this photo, the sycamores planted by Fred Johnson, Sr., have done just that. Harvest, running late this year, wasn't complete until early November as we wanted to give the grapes as much time as possible to ripen. Here's a photo of the new Traminette vineyard after deleafing to expose the fruit to as much sunlight as possible.

Harvest Beginnings, October 2, 2009
It has been a blustery, rainy day, but now the sun has gingerly appeared and is shining on the metal posts of our new Riesling vineyards on the first slopes to the south. In the background, the trees are still very green, but if you look carefully, you can see the beginnings of orange on the maples, the first to show their fall colors. I’ve just cut some oregano and thyme for the coq au vin I am making and I filled my sweatshirt, kangaroo-pouch style, with Seckel and Bosc pears from the espaliered trees in the orchard. Sounds blissful and pompous!

The harvest started last week, first with the Marechal Foch, whose dark, small berries were sweet despite the less-than-congenial summer for ripening grapes. We knew that they were sweet – and the crows discovered them first. Then Ron set up the campaign to discourage the birds from nibbling – a multi-variable approach: cannons (sporadic booms which are eventually not so surprising and if you walk near the gas tank, you can hear the click which will warn you that the boom is coming), the mylar balloons in yellow, red, or black with large, owl-like eyes that are meant to remind the birds of the owl’s carnivorous nature, mylar strips that wave and crinkle and are like chalk squeaking on a chalk-board to birds, and finally, the bird distress calls – all signals that maybe they don’t want to be there…

We are hoping for Indian summer weather to continue to ripen the grapes while the leaves on the vines are still green and can process nutrients. The Niagaras are harvested, many sold to a winemaker near Philadelphi, and the rest for our winery. The Traminette is beginning to ripen and I noticed that they had been de-leafed. Fred explained when I asked that yes, deleafed on just one side of the wire. When I asked why, it was because the winemaker had requested that only the east side of the fruit be exposed so that the sun could “caress” the fruit (!).

Spring at the Farm and Winery

A Late Frost and a New Riesling Vineyard

The vineyards are flush with new growth about ten inches long (or at least they were yesterday - they grow fast!)- all a tender lime-green color. At least the buds that were not frozen are a lime green color with a delicate, and what looks like a miniature grape bunch, at the end. The frozen ones are all brown and crispy.

One week ago, a cold spell threatened many of the area's vineyards with damaging frosts. By and large, the damage to our vineyards was limited to the most northern of our vineyards, particularly the Chancellor vineyards (a French hybrids that were Frederick Johnson Sr.'s favorite wine grape). Unfortunately, some other local vineyard owners were not so fortunate and their concord crops will be seriously diminished.

Our vineyard manager, Ron Guzzetta, is very busy and this week's major task was the planting of a new Riesling vineyard - with the assistance of laser technology, which significantly reduced the time required to plant these new acres of vineyards.

Jennifer Johnson