January 28, 2012

             Good times for wine, more New York Gold, New York meets New York, Niagara region scores, and more.

            Cheers!          

            Jim Trezise

 Let the Good Times Roll

                   "On the Cusp of Shortage" was the title and prediction of a presentation by Nat DiBuduo of Allied Grape Growers, who is always one of the featured speakers at the signature "State of the Industry" session during the Unified Wine and Grape Symposium each January in Sacramento, which draws some 10,000 industry people from all over the world.

                Nat referred to a pending shortage of grapes (good news for growers, who therefore may get higher prices) despite new plantings, predominantly white varieties and particularly of Moscato which is soaring among consumers.  Jon Fredrikson of the renowned Gomberg Fredrikson wine consulting firm echoed that sentiment based on a 4.5% increase in case sales last year (to 345 million) and the fact that the U.S. is now the largest wine market in the world. 

                 The down side of that for domestic wineries like New York's is that producers worldwide are now targeting the U.S., especially since its 2.6 gallons of per capita adult wine consumption is miniscule compared with other countries, leaving plenty of room for growth.  To put the competition in perspective, last year the federal Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) approved  more than 120,000 different labels.

                 Jon described the current trend as a "dream market" for consumers, with all kinds of new products and flavors which often serve as "gateways" for branching out into other wines.  Sales in grocery stores (which are simplest to track) were up significantly in 2011, including 12% for Pinot Grigio, 64% for Moscato, 101% for unoaked Chardonnay, and 202% for the hot-selling "Sweet Red" category--proving that many people talk dry but drink sweet.

                 There are many other bright spots: the large and relatively affluent Baby Boomer generation predominantly consumes domestic wines; their kids, the Echo Boomers or Millennials, also comprise a large consumer base that has taken to wine; direct-to-consumer wine sales are now allowed in 39 states, with New Jersey being the latest, and that DTC sales channel is growing strongly nationwide; and wine is increasingly becoming a more integral part of the American lifestyle and culture.

                  The bottom line: The outlook for American grape growers and wineries, as well as consumers, is better than it has been in a long time.  Cheers!

               Several  New York wines recently received high scores in major consumer media or wine competitions, with lots more to come now that we're moving into wine competition season.

               Sparkling Pointe 2001 Brut Seduction from Long Island received 90 points from The Wine Spectator, and that publication's James Molesworth previewed his rating of 26 Finger Lakes wines by saying, "Finger Lakes winemakers are starting to push the envelope in terms of both quality and price."  Top winners were Hermann J. Wiemer with its 2009 Finger Lakes Dry Riesling Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard (92), 2010 Finger Lakes Dry Riesling Magdalena Vineyard (91), and 2010 Finger Lakes Dry Riesling Reserve (90), joined by Anthony Road Winery 2009 Riesling Martini Reinhardt Selection (92) and Bloomer Creek 2010 Finger Lakes Riesling Tanzen Dame Morehouse Road Second Harvest VS.

                Meanwhile, at the Winemaker Challenge International Wine Competition, Gold medals went to Sherwood House 2007 Blanc de Blanc and its 2010 Estate Grown Chardonnay Oregon Road, along with Wolffer Estate 2007 Noblesse Oblige Rose.

              Last Sunday a delegation of sommeliers and media representatives from The Big Apple took a tour of one of our country's most historic wine regions, the Hudson River Region north of  Manhattan.  They spent the day visiting each of the five wineries which are involved in our "New York Drinks New York" promotion, culminating in a great dinner with all five wineries (and their wines) present.

              Tomorrow we will greet a similar group for a three-day orientation of the Finger Lakes and the 21 wineries involved in our program, along with others from the Thousand Islands and Niagara regions.  A second Finger Lakes tour will take place in a couple weeks, given the amount of ground to cover, and finally a two-day tour to Long Island featuring the nine wineries involved there. 

               These "cellar visits" are the first phase of an exchange program between city and country organized by First Press Public Relations, the excellent agency orchestrating our overall program.  The second phase will involve a three-day visit to New York City by representatives from all 38 wineries to better understand that market and how they can either break into it or expand their current sales.  The signature event will be a major tasting for media, trade, and consumers at the Astor Center on Monday, March 12.

                "New York Drinks New York" is both the theme of the program and its goal.  New York City is the world's most competitive wine market, with no regional chauvinism favoring New York wineries.  Quality is the key, and we're happy to give our fellow New Yorkers a taste of New York.           

     "What through youth gave love and roses, age still leaves us friends and wine."

                                                  --Thomas Moore