New York wines continued to shine in major wine competitions, most recently the fabulous Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition which included 11 Best of Class, 11 additional Gold, 34 Silver, and 24 Bronze medals for New York wines. 

             "LA", as we affectionately call it, is a great competition run by Dr. Bob Small, Mary Ellen Cole, and Margie Jones, and in 2011 included more than 3,000 wineries from 16 foreign countries as well as most states in the U.S.  This year, the competition added a new feature for its Gold medal wines--a number score of 90 or above based on a collection of judges' ratings.  Like the New York Wine & Food Classic and Riverside International, LA also uses the International Riesling Foundation's Riesling Taste Profile categories for that varietal (Dry, Medium Dry, Medium Sweet, Sweet).

               Gold & Best of Class honors went to Chateau Frank Blanc de Blanc (93), Chateau LaFayette Reneau 2010 Estate Riesling (94), Coyote Moon Vinyeards 2010 Brianna (94) and 2010 Twisted Sister (92), Fulkerson Winery 2009 Riesling-Traminette (94), Merritt Estate Winery Bella Rosa (95), Sherwood House Vineyards 2008 Estate Chardonnay (91), Sparkling Pointe 2001 Brut Seduction (94), Swedish Hill 2009 Dry Riesling (94) and 2010 Cayuga (92), and Thirsty Owl Wine Company 2010 Diamond (96).

               Additional Gold medals went to Belhurst Estate Winery 2010 Semi-Dry Riesling (94) and 2010 Dry Riesling (93); Dr. Konstantin Frank 2010 Dry Riesling (94) and Semi-Dry Riesling (93); Swedish Hill Winery 2009 Vidal (93), 2010 Dry Riesling (91), and Doobie Blues (91); and Thirsty Owl 2009 Dry Riesling (94) and 2010 Vidal (93).

               At the Critics Challenge competition, New York wines took 5 Platinum, 7 Gold, and 14 Silver medals.  The Platinum were Dr. Konstantin Frank 2009 Rkatsiteli, Lucas Vineyards 2009 Dry Riesling, Sherwood House Vineyards 2008 Estate Chardonnay, Sparkling Pointe 2007 Brut, and Topaz Imperial.

               Gold medals went to Dr. Frank 2009 Gewurztraminer, Hazlitt 1852 Merlot, Lucas 2010 Dry Riesling, 2010 Semi-Dry Riesling, and 2009 Semi-Dry Riesling, Sparkling Pointe 2001 Brut Seduction; and Wagner Vineyards 2008 Semi-Dry Riesling.

               It's interesting to note the consistency of awards among these two separate competitions, which in fact is common.  Next up, this week, are the International Eastern Wine Competition and the San Francisco International Wine Competition where I'll be judging next weekend, so it's unlikely there will be a Wine Press.

 "Eat Drink Local" Week Coming Soon 

           Several New York wineries will be part of the upcoming "Eat Drink Local" week organized by our partners at the edible family of publications, with dozens of restaurants in Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Hudson Valley and the East End of Long Island celebrating the bounty of local foods and wines from June 24-30.  Among the many participating restaurants are such famous establishments as Craft, Gramercy Tavern, Hearth, Morrell Wine Bar and Cafe, Sotheby's Cafe, and Tocqueville.

              Participating wineries include Anthony Road, Dr. Frank, Fox Run, Heron Hill, King Ferry, and Standing Stone from the Finger Lakes; Castello di Borghese, Clovis Point, Coffee Pot Cellars, Harbes Farm & Vineyard, Lieb Family Cellars, Sherwood House, The Grapes of Roth, and Wolffer Estate from Long Island; Hudson-Chatham, Millbrook, and Warwick Valley from the Hudson River Region; and Johnson Estate Winery from the Lake Erie region.

               While the event lasts only a week, the intent is to tastefully remind consumers of the many benefits of buying local foods and wines--quality, safety, reliability, economic support, environmental benefits, and the personal touch of knowing the people responsible for what we put in our bodies.  We're happy to again partner with the edible folks to drive that message home.

               The week also includes daily events and a list of seven ingredients to cook and eat: strawberries, peas, chives and green garlic, rhubarb, lamb, oysters, and yogurt.  Sounds like a feast!  For more information, visit http://www.ediblemanhattan.com/events/eat-drink-local-week or go to our web site and click on the link..

               We are also partnering with GrowNYC on a fundraiser for the Greenmarkets in New York City, which provide great opportunities for selling New York wines directly to consumers.  We provided the wine for the event, which is on June 25.

                Finally, we're participating in the Bar & Wine Show at the Jacob Javits Center on June 27-29.  I'll be giving a seminar and tasting titled, "Uncork New York--The New Gold Standard" featuring an array of top award-winning wines.  New York wineries or groups participating under the New York Wine & Grape Foundation's sponsorship include Casa Larga Vineyards, Coffee Pot Cellars, Lieb Family Cellars, Wagner Vineyards, and Hudson Valley Wine Country along with the Hudson Berkshire Beverage Trail.

                In short, lots of New York wine activity in New York City.

Direct-to-Consumer Regional Comparisons

         The latest survey by VinterActive on direct sales to consumers included some interesting comparisons among the regions surveyed: Napa, Sonoma, and Paso Robles in California; Oregon/Washington (lumped togethe; New York; Illinois/Indiana; Ohio; and Texas.

            In terms of average price per case among the wineries which responded, New York is the second lowest ($196), IL/IN is $164, and Napa, not surprisingly, tops them all at $503 ($42 per bottle!).

            The importance of direct sales (at tasting rooms, via internet, wine clubs, etc.) to New York wineries is obvious, since 78% of respondents' total sales are direct, behind only Texas at 85% (Napa is 39%).

             New York wineries fare well in tasting room sales, drawing an average of 16,129 visitors annually (Napa 10,516, IL/IN 26,375), with average sales per visitor of $70.24 (Napa $158.87, OH $51.79) and total average tasting room sales at $485,410 (Napa $1,002,789, OR/WA $263,803).

             The largest regional differences between the entire west coast and the other states represented are in wine clubs and internet marketing.  West coast wineries have been far more aggressive in creating and marketing wine clubs as well as fully utilizing internet capabilities like web sites, ecommerce, email marketing, and the social media like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.  It seems like New York and other states have some catching up to do.

               Overall, direct-to-consumer sales grew 12% last year to a record $3.4 billion, with significant future growth predicted by survey respondents. For a number of reasons, direct sales are the best for wineries, and particularly the small ones like we have throughout New York.

Small Sips...

             The New York Wine & Culinary Center in Canandaigua celebrated its fifth anniversary this week with the completion of a $200,000 renovation and the announcement of a new $250,000 grant to support its educational programs featuring New York wines and foods.  Since opening, the Center has attracted over 200,000 visitors, had over 100,000 patrons in the Taste of New York restaurant, served more than 75,000 flights of New York wines in the tasting room, and purchased more than $1.4 million of New York from various regions.  On hand to toast the occasion were Lt. Governor Bob Duffy, Assemlyman Joe Morelle, and Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb.

               Roman Roth, the talented winemaker at Long Island's Wolffer Estate and his own The Grapes of Roth, is also becoming somewhat of a TV celeb.  This week he appeared on the Today show to teach the art of blending wine to all five on-air talents. It was vintage Roman--a great blend of viewer-friendly knowledge, warmth, and humor that makes wine fun and approachable.He's a natural star. http://bites.today.com/_news/2011/05/31/6754831-want-the-perfect-wine-take-a-lesson-in-blending.

               Maple syrup production in New York jumped 81% this year to 564,000 gallons, the highest since 1947, with more than two million taps it the state, which is #2 to Vermont.  I know: what does this have to with grapes and wine?  Nothing, except that we are always glad to hear that our colleagues in agriculture are doing well.  And the syrup is great!