Wine Press FINAL 10-14-10

December 10, 2011

 

             Paumanok scores big, more New York Gold, young people fuel the industry's future, researchers fight a really stinky bug, and new wineries keep opening.

            Cheers!          

            Jim Trezise

 Paumanok Riesling Shines

                  Paumanok Vineyards Semi-Dry Riesling was named one of the "Luxury Dozen 2011" wines by the online version of the Wall Street Journal on line.  Like the other 11 in the group, the Long Island winery's winner was among more than 800 fine wines blind-tasted by experts.  Paumanok has long been one of the region's premier producers, with Rieslings that always shine.  For more information, visit WSJwine.  Better yet, visit the winery and taste your way through excellence. www.paumanok.com.

                Meanwhile, Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards 2009 Gewurztraminer won a Gold and Best of Class at the International Women's Wine Competition, joined by a Gold for its 2010 Vidal Blanc Ice Wine, while Coyote Moon Vineyards garnered Golds for its 2010 River Run and 2010 River Time. 

The Young Generation Gears Up

              There are lots of metrics showing the success of the New York grape and wine industry--growth in the number of wineries, multiplication of tourist visits, increasing reputation for quality wines--but perhaps none is more important than the number of young people who are jumping or diving into this business.

               This is quite rare among agricultural businesses, where the younger generation has gone to college and left the farm to pursue other professions.  But the grape and wine industry shows great future promise as the next generation gets its feet wet and hands dirty in the business that outsiders see as "romantic" but in reality is lots of hard work and high risk--but with really good people and products as the reward.

                Some of the younger generation came from families already in the business like Brittany Bagley, Jason and Pindar Damianos, Matt Doyle, Jason Hazlitt, Jonathan Hunt, Peter Martini, Kareem Massoud, Evan Miles, Jonathan Oakes, Rob Smith, Ben Stamp, and Greg Tones.  Others like Justin Boyette, Jeffrey Dill and Matt Whalen have entered from different routes.  And some (Peter Martini, Rob Smith, Greg Tones) are graduates of the superb LEAD NY program training the agricultural leaders of tomorrow.

                 This is just a quick, top-of-the-head list, and we are working on identifying the many other young people who will carry this industry forward.  The fact that they have cast their lot with the grape and wine industry is a strong vote of confidence in the future.  

                  I hope to publish an extensive list of the new generation in the near future, and don't want to leave anyone out, so please feel free to let me know of others that I may not know about.  Email [email protected]

Fighting a Stinky Bug

               For those who view the grape and wine industry as romantic, let me introduce you to the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB).

                   I first met the Bug, live and in person, in my hotel room in Charlottesville, VA last fall during a conference of the National Grape and Wine Initiative (NGWI), a group which determines national priorities in research.  I met some other Bugs at the lunch table--and this was a highly reputable hotel that is part of a national chain.  Coincidentally, one of the presentations given by United States Department of Agriculture researchers was on the Bug--which has quickly become a top research priority.

                   This ugly, mid-sized bug is voracious and will eat virtually anything--corn, peppers, tomatoes, apples, grapes, peaches--and last year cost mid-Atlantic apple growers $37 million in crop losses.  The value of crops in the 33 states where the Bug now resides exceeds $21 billion.

                   As a result, USDA has awarded $5.7 million to 10 institutions around the country, including Cornell University, for research and education to help growers cope with a new and potentially devastating pest.  The funding came from the Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI), a new part of the latest Farm Bill which has been vital to grapes and other specialty crops.  While many are pushing for cuts in the federal Agriculture budget, cutting funds for this type of emergency research is penny wise and pound foolish.

             

New Wineries Open 
             They just keep coming--new wineries in different parts of the State--with three openings in the past few weeks.  
                The Champlain Wine Company (www.champlainwinecompany.com) is in Plattsburgh in North Country, which until recent years was never thought of as wine country.
                Long Cliff Vineyard & Winery (www.longcliffwinery.com) in Sanborn is in the Niagara region, which has been enjoying a renaissance during the past decade.
                Monello is right across Route 14 from Fox Run Vineyards, adding yet another winery to Seneca Lake.
                It's hard to keep up with all the growth, but we're determined to pin down the numbers by December 31 so we can update our web site, brochures, and other materials. 
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