February 25, 2012

             New York Drinks New York (continued), Wine Industry Workshop coming up, Leonard Oakes strikes again, nice ink in different places, and people buy things for interesting reasons. 

             Cheers!          

             Jim Trezise

 New York Drinks New York--Continued

                   Natural beauty, industry collaboration, wine quality, and food quality were the things that most impressed a group of New York City sommeliers, wine store buyers, and media on their trip to the Finger Lakes last weekend.

               The group included representatives of Armani Ristorante, Bar Americain, Blue Ribbon, and Megu restaurants; Astor Wines, Bottle Rocket, and Frankly Wines retailers; and a wine writer who contributes to Fox News, Edible, and Imbibe.  They were accompanied by yours truly along with Michael Gitter and Kayt Mathers of First Press Public Relations in Manhattan, and had the opportunity to meet owners and wine makers from 21 Finger Lakes wineries during the three-day visit.

                The weather cooperated beautifully, with clear skies, warm temperatures (for Finger Lakes residents, that is), and no snow.  Winter in the Finger Lakes showed its own special beauty of browns and blues, and silhouetted vineyards; and our guests had the opportunity to prune some vines, learn how pruning fits into the natural cycle of a vine, and why it is so important.  They also got to taste some great spirits at Finger Lakes Distilling, which warmed everyone up for a fabulous wine dinner at Red Newt Cellars that also showecased wines from Dr. Frank, Heron Hill, and Lakewood.

                 The collegiality and collaboration among winery owners and winemakers also greatly impressed this group and a previous one.  In my view, this has been a key factor in the greatly improved quality of Finger Lakes wines, along with world-class research at Cornell, communication of the results by Cooperative Extension to growers and wineries, and the commitment and knowledge of grape growers and winemakers.

                  All of the New York City guests expected to taste many fine wines, especially Riesling, but several commented on their surprise that so many red wines were also exceptional.  The food-friendliness of the wines was another high point, which is great since several of the guests are from top restaurants.  Several said they intend to increase their Finger Lakes wine selections.

                   Finally, the quality of the food greatly impressed everyone, starting with a welcome luncheon at the New York Wine & Culinary Center, dinner at Veraisons (Glenora), another luncheon at Knapp, dinner at Red Newt, and a final luncheon at Sheldrake Point catered by Chef Sam (Samantha) of Simply Red Events.  As one of the participants said at the final luncheon, "The food on this trip has been as good as what we have in Manhattan."  Indeed.

                   Today I'm off to Long Island to escort a different group around that region, the last of the "Cellar Visits" in this program.  Next up in our "New York Drinks New York" program, on March 12, is the Grand Tasting at Astor Center in lower Manhattan (www.nydrinks.ny.com)

            Leonard Oakes 2008 Vidal Ice Wine, which won "Best Dessert Wine" honors at our New York Wine & Food Classic last August, just added another accolade as the Best of Show at this week's New York Ice Wine Competition held at the Rochester Institute of Technology.

            The Niagara region winery, not far from our ice wine-producing neighbors in the Niagara region of Ontario, Canada, has shown that stunning examples of the golden nectar can be produced on this side of the river as well.  Leonard Oakes is participating in our New York City program, so guests were able to sample the ice wine (and loved it), but also really enjoyed their very special Steampunk Cider as a tasteful bridge between wine and beer.  I really wouldn't be surprised to see both in some Big Apple restaurants soon.

             It's also the season for ice wine events, including two this weekend at Casa Larga Vineyards (www.casalarga.com), a leading ice wine producer, and at the New York Wine & Culinary Center (www.nywcc.com).