Wine Press FINAL 10-14-10

February 18, 2012

 

             New York wines travel the world, the industry continues to grow, the kids get involved, and Hammondsport is way cool.

 

             Cheers!          

             Jim Trezise

 New York Drinks New York

                    New York wines are going into New York City--but not before New York City sommeliers, wine store professionals, and wine writers visit "wine country" in the Finger Lakes, Hudson River, and Long Island regions. 

               That "exchange program" is a key part of our "New York Drinks New York" promotion, which involves 38 wineries from various regions that are eager to get their slice of the Big Apple.  Wineries from the Niagara and Thousand Islands regions are also participating.

              The first step involved some great market research conducted by First Press Public Relations, the superb small agency that is orchestrating the program for us.  The information and opinions shared by the New York City wine intelligentsia provided valuable insights into the perceptions, challenges and opportunities facing New York wines.

                Next up were "cellar visits" to wineries in the Hudson River and Finger Lakes regions by groups of New York wine professionals, with a second Finger Lakes trip starting tomorrow and the Long Island session next weekend.  The groups have the opportunity to visit some of the wineries, taste the regional wines, savor some great local foods, and learn how to prune vines (in winter, of course).  The Finger Lakes visits also involve great local foods at the New York Wine & Culinary Center and several food-focused wineries like Heron Hill, Knapp, Red Newt, Sheldrake Point, and Wagner Vineyards--topped off with a visit to the awesome Finger Lakes Distillers operation of Brian MacKenzie and Thomas MacKenzie (not related!)

                  The tables turn on March 9-12, when represenatives from the participating wineries descend on New York City for a series of in-store tastings, a bus tour of Brooklyn wine shops, a group dinner, and the grand finale tasting for the trade, media, and consumers on March 12 at Astor Center.  New York wines have already become such a hot item that more than half of the consumer tickets sold out within hours of when they went on sale.

                   Another fun part of the program is advertising on taxi tops, with the "NY Drinks NY" message accompanied by names of participating wineries and the mini-web site created specifically for this program (www.NYDrinksNY.com).

                   The "New York Drinks New York" program will provide a great start to getting a larger presence for New York wines in New York City.  The next challenge will be finding the money to maintain the momentum.

The World Drinks New York Too 

 

             New York wines will also be sampled around the world again this year, starting in a couple weeks at the massive Prowein trade show in Dusseldorf, Germany as well as Foodex 2012 in Tokyo, with London, Brussels and Hong Kong also on the calendar along with several events in our neighbor to the north, Canada.

             Our growing export program is orchestrated by Susan Spence and made possible by the Market Access Program of the United States Department of Agriculture, and has provided substantial benefits to the New York wine industry by increasing awareness, trial, and sales of New York wines--and our industry's reputation for quality on an international level.

             With the creative efforts of photographer Randy Tagg and graphic designer Book Marshall, we have produced attractive "Uncork New York" exhibits that travel the world with a crew from the Foundation office joined by

 several wineries from different regions. The Tagg/Marshall team also created a stunning, statewide "Uncork New York" winery directory to educate the trade and consumers about the regions and varietals of Empire State wines.

             The Prowein show will feature wines from Fox Run Vineyards, Hermann J. Wiemer, Lakewood Vineyards, Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars, and Sheldrake Point Vineyard in the Finger Lakes; Johnson Estate Vineyards in the Lake Erie region; and Wolffer Estate from Long Island.

            Our friends in Japan will enjoy those wines along with Chateau Frank, Dr. Frank, Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards, Ma Lung Winery (Brooklyn), Spring Lake (Niagara), and Thorpe Vineyards (Lake Ontario).

            The Toronto show will feature Dr. Frank and Ravines Wine Cellars from the Finger Lakes; Millbrook Vineyards & Winery from the Hudson River Region; Martha Clara Vineyards, Osprey's Dominion Vineyards, and Paumanok Vineyards from Long Island; Mogen David (Lake Erie); and kosher wines from Manischewitz Wine Company.

               Meanwhile, Merritt Estate Winery in the Lake Erie region is shipping some of its Late Harvest Delaware to China, following the debut three years ago of its Bella Ice, a sweet red wine with intense Concord flavor.  The Late Harvest Delaware, which will be featured at the Wine China trade show, has an attractive label with Chinese script.

               Why spend time on export?  Why not?  We're in an increasingly global market, and establishing new markets takes time.  "New York" is known around the world, but people only think of it as a city and are always surprised that it's part of a much larger state that makes some great wines. The export program also gives us resources we otherwise wouldn't have, as well as media attention by top wine and travel writers from around the world.

                Bottom line: It's an invetment in the future.

             

 

D&C:  Industry Growth, Next Generation
 
               The Rochester Democrat & Chronicle ran a couple great articles last Sunday about the growth of the wine industry in the Finger Lakes and the trend of younger generations getting involved in the family farm.
                   "Finger Lakes Winery Pioneers Watch and Welcome Change" by Diana Louise Carter traces the explosive growth of the industry during the past decade in particular, along with the opportunities and challenges that it brings.  "Keeping the Vino in the Family" by James Battaglia features Meaghan Frank (fourth generation at Dr. Frank), Jonathan Hunt (winemaker at Hunt Country Vineyards), and brother/sister team Mark and Jeanne Wiltberger at Keuka Spring Vineyards as examples of young people carrying on the family business. 
                   There's also a great photo of Art Hunt (father) using a "wine thief" to give a sample to Jonathan (son and winemaker) who is holding one-year-old William Boutard-Hunt (grandson and son).  These three wineries all happen to be on Keuka Lake, but the trend is happening all over the state, and we're still compiling a comprehensive list. The important thing is that the younger generation is showing its passion for the wine business, and confidence in its future.
                   One of the many things the New York Wine & Grape Foundation does is serve as an "incubator" for new wineries by helping them get started.  We get phone calls or emails every week with basic questions, and have put resources on our web site to help people save time and money in the complex process of starting a winery.  Steve Conaway of Thousand Islands Winery recently told legislators that every winery in that fast-growing region benefited from the information they received from the Foundation.  We're glad to hear that, and happy to help.
                   
 
 
Free Run... 
            Hammondsport, the tiny town at the south end of beautiful Keuka Lake, recently tied for Budget Travel's "Coolest Small Town in America", receiving 36.0% of the 360,000 votes cast to 36.2% for Beaufort, NC.  This annual award is largely driven by social media, and Finger Lakes Wine Country's Morgen McLaughlin spearheaded the Hammondsport drive.  For those who have never been there, it truly is a cool town, as well as the birthplace of the Finger Lakes wine industry. 
 
               Rkatsiteli, the aromatic white wine from the Republic of Georgia and neighboring countries, recently united the Old and New World at Dr. Frank's Vinifera Wine Cellars, which for years has produced award-winning Rkatsiteli wines.  The special tasting included vintners and Rkatsiteli wines from Georgia, Ukraine, Moldova and Azerbaijan, along with a vertical tasting of Dr. Frank wines going as far back as 1988--a great example of the variations reflecting different vintages as well as aging.
 
               Federal grants were recently awarded to several New York wineries as well as Growers Cooperative Grape Juice Company in the Lake Erie region.  The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Value Added Producer Grant program's awards included $49,990 to Hosmer Winery in the Finger Lakes, $49,500 to Spring Lake Winery in the Niagara region, and $299,999 to Olde Chautauqua Vineyards in the Lake Erie region.
 
               Lake Erie Wine Country is hosting its popular Wine & Chocolate Weekend, which began yesterday but continues today and tomorrow.  (Some other wine trails held their Valentine's-focused events last weekend.)  Information and tickets are available at www.lakeeriewinecountry.org.
 
 
 
      "Water divides the people of the world.  Wine unites them." 
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