Wine Press FINAL 10-14-10

July 30, 2011

 

           Long Island Riesling shines, new winery and new tasting room open, growers celebrate major anniversaries, Riesling events are coming up, and lots more is happening in New York wine country.

 

            Cheers!

            Jim Trezise

 Martha Clara Riesling Tops All

                  Martha Clara Vineyards 2010 Riesling, Estate Reserve was voted Best of Show (of all wines) at the recent Atlantic Seaboard Wine Competition run by our good friends from the great state of Virginia.  There were 564 entries from 118 wineries in 17 states evaluated by 19 judges, who rated the Long Island Riesling tops in the competition.  While the Finger Lakes region is most often associated with Riesling in New York State, this is a great reminder that several Long Island wineries also produce some stunning examples of the world's most noble white wine.

               There were several other Gold and Best of Category winners including Coyote Moon 2010 River Time, Fulkerson Winery 2009 Traminette, Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards 2008 Cabernet Franc and 2009 Gewurztraminer, Martha Clara Vineyards 2010 So Von Blonk, and Whitecliff Vineyard & Winery 2010 Chardonnay and Awosting White.

               Additional Gold medals went to Belhurst Estate Winery 2010 Semi-Dry Riesling, Chateau Frank Celebre Rose, and Lakewood Vineyards 2009 Chardonnay.

               (Correction: The Fulkerson Winery Cabernet Franc which won a Gold medal at the Long Beach Grand Cru competition was 2008 Cabernet Franc Ice Wine (not table wine).

                Next up, this week, is the fabulous Indy International Wine Competition at Purdue University run by Dr. Christian Butzke and Jill Blume, where a New York Riesling won Best of Show last year over thousands of other wines.  Then, a couple weeks later, it's our own New York Wine & Food Classic.  It's Gold Rush time.                                   

New Winery, New Tasting Room

          Part of what makes the wine industry so fascinating are all the differences--in grape varieties, vintages, wine types, people, philosophies, and even architecture.  When you've been to one winery, you haven't been to them all.

           It's common for old barns to be converted into wineries, often with substantial renovation, but New York's newest winery, which opened Tuesday, is unique: It's a church.

            Eremita Winery in Lodi on the east side of Seneca Lake was long ago (in 1873) The Reformed Church, which owner Joshua Parker has now transformed into a tasting room with the look and feel of a church, including stained glass windows.  In addition to a selection of vinifera varietal wines, he offers a sweeter red wine called Goddess.  The winery, on East Church Street in Lodi, is named after Mr. Parker's grandmother.

            Meanwhile, on Long Island, The Winemaker Studio has opened in Peconic (2885 Peconic Lane) on the North Fork of Long Island.  The new tasting room is owned by winemaker Anthony Nappa, owner of Anthony Nappa Wines, and will feature Suhru wines.

             The legislation recently signed by Governor Cuomo which reduces some regulatory burdens and creates new marketing opportunities for wineries, including satellite stores, is good news for all in the business.

Riesling Events Everywhere

            A major reason why Finger Lakes, New York, and other Rieslings get so much attention among media and consumers is because of the many events sponsored by the producers and their various trade associations.

            Summer of Riesling, the 94-day national promotion involving 200-plus of the top restaurants in America and sponsored by the International Riesling Foundation, isn't even half over and yet the buzz has been huge. 

            31 Days of German Riesling, which has run throughout July, is sponsored by Wines of Germany within the broader context of Summer of Riesling. 

            Manhattan restaurateur and Riesling fanatic Paul Grieco, who created and orchestrated Summer of Riesling, has hosted elaborate Riesling dinners showing how Riesling can go with any foods, even steak!.  And a post this week on bon appetit was titled, "Why You Should Drink Riesling This Summer (and How to Find the Best Bottles)", with specific recommendations by Paul, including a Hermann J. Wiemer Late Harvest Riesling.

          The Finger Lakes Wine Alliance and Finger Lakes Wine Country are planning a major Riesling Launch promotion that will coattail on the end of Summer of Riesling in late September.

           Closer yet is the fifth annual Rendezvous with Riesling at the New York Wine & Culinary Center on August 12 from 7-10 p.m.  Located at the north end of Canandaigua Lake, where the Finger Lakes Riesling Festival will take place on August 13 and 14, the Center will offer guests Rieslings from 30 different wineries paired with seasonal, local cuisine.  In addition, wines may be purchased in the newly renovated tasting room, and event tickets are only $40, available on line (www.nywcc.com) or by calling 585-394-7070.

            The Finger Lakes Riesling Festival, now in its third year, describes itself as "A Mile of Family Fun" and includes wine, food, craft, and other vendors along Lakeshore Drive which borders the lake.  More information is available at www.rieslingfestival.com.

             Finally, of course, many wineries enter many Rieslings in many wine competitions, winning many Gold medals.  It all adds up to promotion, and it pay$.

Big Anniversaries: 50 and 30

             The New York grape and wine industry is in a very exciting period of strong growth, improving quality, and increasing recognition.  It wasn't always so, and it's good to stop and remember our roots, and to recognize the pioneers on whose shoulders we stand.

              On Friday, August 19, the New York State Wine Grape Growers (NYSWGG) will celebrate its 50 anniversary, and Women for New York State Wines (WNYSW) its 30th. 

              NYSWGG started everything. Previously, there was no trade association to protect grower interests.  So a handful of people, including Seaton "Zeke" Mendall (vice president for grower relations at Taylor Wine Company) and Monty Stamp (Lakewood Vineyards), pulled it together.

              The group represented growers in relation to processors as well as developments in Albany and Washington, and over the years became very involved with Winegrape Growers of America; John Martini and Jim Bedient each served as WGA president.  On a state level, they have advocated allowing the sale of wine in grocery stores for decades, and they will never give up.

              NYSWGG also had the vision to try to fund research and promotion through a wine grape marketing order which brought me into the industry in 1982.  The order passed, but was later overturned on a technicality--and there went our budget.

             Growers never give up, so they dug into their empty pockets to keep us working and eventually joined with the New York Association of Wine Producers to create a new umbrella organization, of which I became President.  That gave me another year to go to Albany and get a comprehensive package of legislation, including the creation of the New York Wine & Grape Foundation.

             The grower organization is now involved with a VineBalance project involving sustainable wine growing practices, and remains active on many fronts, with Don Tones as its current president.

             Women for New York State Wines was created in 1981 as NYSWGG's promotional arm after Maxine Fullagar and others met a group of Canadian women who were actively supporting their local wines.  Why not in New York?

             WNYSW began exclusively with women directly involved in the vineyard business, but over time included others who simply loved wine and wanted to promote the local product.  We refer to them as our "Ambassadors of Taste" because they travel around the state (and beyond) giving tastings to consumers.  They have greatly expanded the reach of our very small staff.

             Appropriately, the August 19 celebration will be at Lakewood Vineyards, whose Monty Stamp was NYSWGG's Treasurer for decades while his wife Bev Stamp and daughter Teresa Knapp have been an integral part of WNYSW.  And, as always, the grower gathering will be catered by Carol Bower, who simply makes the best picnic food you can imagine. 

             More information is available from Lakewood Vineyards ([email protected], 607-535-9252)

                          

               

 

Free Run... 

           Research by Cornell University in viticulture & enology has been a vital part of our industry's quality revolution, and with public funding shrinking all the time, the New York Wine & Grape Foundation's Board of Directors has decided to pursue a Research & Development Order based on industry funds.  

              Our friends in the apple industry have both a marketing order (for promotion) and a research order, and just recently increased the assessments due to the success of the program. At this point, we are only pursuing the research initiative, and will ask the New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets to begin the process.  Under the best of circumstances, that is likely to take a couple years, but we need to start sometime.

 

              Board of Directors of NYWGF is delighted to welcome four new members, all bringing valuable perspectives to the table.  Patrick Hooker, formerly Agriculture Commissioner and now in charge of agricultural business development at Empire State Development, will represent that agency.  Jessica Ziehm, for many years the communications director at the Agriculture Department and now in a new position there, is that agency's representative.

              Kevin Faehndrich, the President of Upstate Wine Company of Ithaca and recipient of our Distributor award this year, joins the Board as the wholesaler representative.  Rodney Misch of Arsenal Wine & Liquor Depot in Watertown, which does a great job promoting a variety of New York wines, is the retailer representative.

              The NYWGF Board's functional and geographical diversity ensures that all interests are well represented in shaping the research and promotion programs.  NYWGF was created in 1985 by unanimous vote of the legislature as the sole organization to administer public funds supporting the industry's growth, a role reaffirmed by Wine Market Fund legislation in 2004.

 

   "One barrel of wine can work more miracles than a church full of saints."

                                                       --Italian proverb 

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