But first a legal disclaimer as may or may not be required by an act of federal legislation:

The event that follows was not open to the public. I was an invited, based on my past posts on cocktails and spirits. At the event I received fifteen (15) free samples of alcoholic libations, which were followed by light appetizers. I paid nothing to attend. In addition I was graciously given a one-liter bottle of LiV Potato Vodka, one 750 ml bottle of Finger Lakes Distilling McKenzie Rye Whiskey, and one 375 ml bottle of Long Island Spirits Sorbetta Lemon by their respective distillers.

I’m glad that that is out of the way.  Now let’s begin.” Read more.

Our imported Australian Shiraz represents the Mazza family’s intimate knowledge and appreciation of regional wine and grape flavor and quality, from Italy to Germany to New York to Australia. We are pleased to share with you some of the finest, hand-selected wine from - literally - the other side of the world. 

Each [spirit] is created using the finest regional fruits and at every step of the process the distiller is assessing aroma and flavor to ensure the highest quality product.

Eau de Vie, French for ‘water of life’ or more loosely ‘essence of life’, is a fruit brandy.  While brandy most commonly is derived from grapes, Eau de Vie is produced using any number of other fruits.  Here, at Mazza Chautauqua Cellars, we use four fruits to craft our Eau de Vie: pear, apple, cherry and plum.  All of the fruits are prepared for distillation by crushing them, adding a yeast culture and fermenting them in order to produce the alcohol that will be distilled.  The mash (or crushed fruit) is fermented for 10 – 14 days and loaded into the still in its entirety.  By distilling the mash, and not pressing it for juice first, we obtain a more flavorful spirit.  After a second distillation, the spirit is blending down to 40% alcohol to produce the final product.

Grappa, a traditional Italian spirit, is produced from the fermentation and distillation of grape pomace.  Grapes are pressed to separate the juice from the skins with the juice being drawn off for wine production.  For the production of Grappa, the grapes are gently pressed and the remaining skins, pulp and some juice are taken from the press and fermented.  This mixture, known as must, is loaded into the still, once it completes fermentation, where it is distilled twice to create the Grappa spirit.  With every different variety of grape variety used for the production of Grappa, a different character presents itself in the spirit, indicative of its origin. 

Fortification spirit is high proof alcohol (85% alcohol or 170 proof) that is used in the production of port and sherry style wines.  The starting material for this process is wine, which the variety can be chosen depending on the final use.  For our Forte of Cabernet Franc (a ruby style port), we distill Cabernet Franc wine to create the spirit for fortification of the Cabernet Franc must during production of the port.  A number of other base wines are used for production of fortification spirits for both our sister winery, Mazza Vineyards, and a number of other regional wineries for which we distill.