New York Gold from All Over

                New York wineries won six Gold, five Silver and seven Bronze medals in the recent Denver International Wine Competition, where Coyote Moon Vineyards also won a Gold and Best Label Series Design for its eye-catching packaging.

              Gold medals went to Chateau Frank 2005 Blanc de Blancs, Dr. Frank 2010 Muscat Ottonel and 2009 Gewurztraminer; Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards 2010 Riesling and 2010 Vidal Blanc Ice Wine; and Sheldrake Point Vineyards Apple Wine.

              At the Tasters Guild Wine Lovers' Consumer Wine Judging, Chateau Lafayette Reneau got Double Gold for its 2010 Semi-Dry Riesling, and Gold medals went to Belhurst Estate Winery 2010 Dry Riesling, Carrie Blush and 2009 Merlot; Chateau Frank 2006 Blanc de Blancs; Chateau Lafayette Reneau 2010 Late Harvest Riesling; Dr. Frank 2010 Semi-Dry Riesling; Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards White Stag; Wagner Vineyards 2007 Meritage, 2008 Vidal Ice Wine, 2008 Cabernet Franc, and Sparkling Riesling.

              In the Sommelier Challenge International Wine Competition, Sheldrake Point Vineyards 2010 Finger Lakes Gewurztraminer took both Best Gewurztraminer and Best of Show White Wine.

              The Hudson Valley Wine Competition, which for the first time included local spirits as well, included 85 regional wines as well as five spirits.  The top awards included Winery of the Year (Millbrook Vineyards & Winery), Best in Show (Bashakill Vineyards 2010 Black Bear Cabernet Franc), Best Overall Hudson Valley Wine made with Hudson Valley Fruit (Clinton Vineyards Jubilee), Best Sparkling (Clinton Vineyards Jubilee), Best White (Millbrook Vineyards & Winery 2009 Proprietor's Special Reserve Chardonnay), Best Red (Bashakill Vineyards 2010 Black Bear Cabernet Franc), and Best Spirit (Tuthilltown Spirits Hudson Baby Bourbon).  Additional Gold medals went to Hudson-Chatham 2008 Chelois and Paperbirch Highlands Raspberry; Oak Summit Vineyard 2010 Chardonnay; and Tuthilltown Spirits Hudson Four Grain Bourbon.

              Separately, Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Book 2010, the #1 selling wine guide, gave Dr. Konstantin Frank's Vinifera Wine Cellars a four-star rating, noting that the winery "remains a leader in the East, with excellent Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Chardonnay, Gruner Veltliner, Pinot Noir, and fine Chateau Frank sparkling wine."

               And we're keeping our fingers crossed for the talent
ed Long Island winemaker Roman Roth and "The Grapes of Roth" winery, which is one of five wineries nominated for Winery of the Year in the Wine Enthusiast's 2011 Wine Star Awards.  No doubt in our mind that he's the winner.

            It's truly amazing how the New York wine industry has continued growing during these recessionary years, and especially how it has spread out across the state.  New York has 62 counties, 53 of which now have wineries, with numbers 54 and 55 not far behind (Schenectady and Rockland counties have licenses pending).  Not long ago there weren't even 50, and 10 years ago fewer than 20.  There are even wineries in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens.  My goal: all 62 counties.  To see a graphic depiction of the current situation, visit www.newyorkwines.org, go to Information and Hot Topics, and the color-coded map is right there.

           As a side note, I just learned of a new world's record for speed in getting State Liquor Authority (SLA) approval of a satellite store license application: 5 weeks, compared with a more typical 5 months.  I have long said that one of the main impediments to our industry's growth is the pain and suffering (and time) required to get a winery license, and if it was accelerated the state would get more excise and sales taxes earlier.  Who knows, maybe someone was listening.

Rain: Enough Already!

                 It has certainly been a wet year in wine country--with the worst by far in the Hudson Valley but other regions affected as well. 

             This week was a wet one in the Finger Lakes, causing the grape growers and wine makers to scramble to get the grapes in and making whatever adjustments are necessary.  Fortunately, we have skilled growers and talented winemakers, backed up by Cornell Cooperative Extension, so the wet weather is more of an inconvenience than a problem in terms of final wine quality. 

            And it's all relative: we're lucky compared with our colleagues in the Paso Robles, California region who had an unusual freeze early this year that destroyed much of their crop.

             The forecast for next week looks much better as the harvest heads toward the home stretch.                          

 Free Run...

           GRAPE Act of 2011 was announced by Representative Tom Reed on Tuesday at Bedient Vineyards in Branchport.  Standing for Grape Region Accelerated Production and Efficiency, the legislation he will soon introduce in the House of Representatives will allow greater flexibility for transporting the highly perishable crop from vineyards to processing plants.  Hopefully it will be in place for the 2012 harvest.  It was appropriate that Rep. Reed announced it at the farm of Jim Bedient, who is a grape grower, grape harvester, and grape trucker--in other words, one busy guy.

               HUDSON VALLEY ART & WINE "Pairing Project" will open this week with a celebration in Albany.  The exhibition of winery-inspired art by local artists is part of Hudson Valley Wine Magazine's year-long celebration to create awareness of the art, wine and cultural experiences that have deep-rooted history in the Hudson Valley region.  For more information, www.HudsonValleyArtandWine.com.

               FINGER LAKES WINE FESTIVAL was named one of North America's 100 Best Events by the American Bus Association (ABA).  Inclusion in the list, published as a supplement to the current edition of Destinations magazine, indicates that the Finger Lakes Wine Festival offers excellent entertainment value to both tour groups and individual travelers from around the world.  Congratulations to the festival organizers and all the participants.

            "Wine, the most delightful of drinks, whether we owe it to Noah, who planted the vine, or to Bacchus, who pressed juice from the grapes, goes back to the childhood of the world."

                                        --Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, The Physiology of Taste