Martha Clara, Lamoreaux Landing Lead "Classic" Awards

                 Martha Clara Vineyards 2010 New York Riesling won the coveted "Governor's Cup" for Best Wine, and Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars was named "Winery of the Year" for consistent quality at the 2011 New York Wine & Food Classic held his week at the superb Watkins Glen Harbor Hotel.  This year's Classic included 741 entries from 105 New York wineries evaluated blind by 21 judges from around the United States and world.

              Other top winners included Bedell Cellars 2006 Blanc de Blancs (Best Sparkling Wine), Owera Vinyeards 2010 Casenovia Blush (Best Rose/Blush), Keuka Lake Vineyards 2010 Estate Bottled Leon Millot (Best Red), and Leonard Oakes Estate Winery 2008 Vidal Ice Wine (Best Dessert).

              In addition, Earle Estates Meadery was awarded "Specialty Wine Champion" with its Best Honey Mead and Best Fruit Wine medals; "Best Limited Production Wine" (made in fewer than 100 cases) went to Fox Run Vineyards Fine Old Tawny Port; and "Best Spirit" went to Swedish Hill Winery Raspberry Infusion.

              The 51 Double Gold, 66 Gold, 237 Silver, and 234 Bronze medals awarded reflected the consistency of quality among various wine varietals and regions, with 64 of the 105 wineries winning at least one Gold medal or above.  As an example, of the five "Best of Category" awards, two were from Long Island, two from the Finger Lakes, and one from the Niagara region, with five different grape varieties underlying the wines.  Full results are available in the "New York Gold" section of www.newyorkwines.org.

               As in the past few years, two major highlights for both judges and staff involved the "food" part of the New York Wine & Food Classic.  On Sunday evening, chef/owner Jerry Pellegrino of Corks restaurant in Baltimore had help from some other judges in preparing a local, seasonal, incredible feast at Lakewood Vineyards--topped off with Mercer's Wine Ice Cream.  The Monday night dinner was held at Red Newt Bistro, where Dave Whiting graciously hosted us and the kitchen crew upheld the creativity and quality that Deb Whiting inspired.  On Tuesday night, many of us also watched the "Chopped" episode on the Food Network which featured Deb as a competitor.

               The Watkins Glen Harbor Hotel is an extraordinary facility with superb customer service, and  the ideal place to hold this competition.  Located right on the waterfront at the south end of Seneca Lake, the hotel's rooms are elegant, food good, and service impeccable.  It is also very close to Lakewood Vineyards, where Teresa Knapp and the backroom crew sort nearly 3,000 bottles of wine into flights in preparation for the competition.

         This Friday, consumers and representatives from the media and trade will have a unique opportunity to taste and purchase the top wines--Double Gold and Gold medal winners--from the 2011 New York Wine & Food Classic. 

         The event takes place at the New York Wine & Culinary Center in Canandaigua, with tickets priced at only $30 to taste dozens of great wines along with great foods prepared by Chef Carlo Peretta of the NYWCC and Chef Sam (Samantha Buyskey) of Simply Red Bistro located at Sheldrake Point Vineyards on Cayuga Lake.

          The Governor's Cup winner, Martha Clara Vineyards 2010 New York Riesling, will be there, as will six of Lamoreaux Landing's wines that won it the Winery of the Year honor.  Other participating wineries, often with multiple wines, include Americana, Casa Larga, Glenora, Goose Watch, Heron Hill, Keuka Lake, Knapp, Leonard Oakes, Macari, McGregor, Montezuma, Owera, Penguin Bay, Rooster Hill, Serenity, Sheldrake Point, and Swedish Hill.

           The New York Wine & Culinary Center hosts a "New York Gold" month each year based on the Classic results, but this tasting, from 4 to 7 pm on Friday, is the only time all these wines can be sampled in one place at one time.  For information and registration, visit www.nywcc.com.

Wine--the Economic Engine

              Fox Run Vineyards' recent Garlic Festival is a great example of the wine industry's role as a major economic engine for New York State's economy.

           On August 6-7, 10,400 people came to the festival, including many from a dozen other states who specifically come for this event and then to enjoy wine country as a bonus.  There were 37 non-wine vendors, virtually all of them small family businesses from garlic growers to producers of sauces and jams, as well as crafts.  Four bands kept the place hoppin'.

            The weekend event involved 33 Fox Run employees, 17 volunteers, and 10 people keeping the parking sane.  More than 2,200 bottles of wine were sold, generating $130 in excise taxes and $5,000(!) in sales taxes for the state and county.

             Let's not forget that many of the 10,400 people who enjoyed the Garlic Festival also purchased gasoline, ate at local restaurants, stayed in hotels and Bed & Breakfasts, and visited gift shops along with other wineries.  In other words, the data which Fox Run co-owner Scott Osborn generously shared with us is just a drop in the bottle in terms of the wine industry's economic benefits to the region and state, which totals more than $3.76 billion annually.

             At a time when the national and state economies are struggling, the smartest thing that New York and other states can do is partner with the wine industry to make sure the growth continues and the benefits continue flowing to government as well as industry.

   "Wine is life."

                                                       --Petronius