March 3, 2012

             New York Wine in the White House, New York City promotions, Albany and Washington visits, and much else going on in New York wine country. 

             Cheers!          

             Jim Trezise

 New York Drinks New York--Continued (Again)

                   Last weekend's "Cellar Visits" by New York City wine writers, sommeliers, and wine store buyers were focused on Long Island, where on Sunday we learned that the Paumanok 2008 Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc would be served that very night at the White House during the Governors' Dinner--a great way to get exposure nationwide for the superb quality of New York wines.

               The tasting of that wine in Paumanok's cellar wowed the visitors, especially when wine maker Kareem Massoud explained that the wine's origin began with a rainy harvest and apparently rotten grapes; but his mother Ursula, from Germany's Pfalz region, identified the grapes' flavors as those of the great late harvest and ice wines from that country.  Kareem took it from there, and the bottles bear a special (real) gold-etched label befitting the wine's golden color and luscious taste.

               There were many other high points of the two-day Long Island visit as well, including a great dinner at the Frisky Oyster restaurant (with "Oysters Friskafella") in Greenport, at the end of Long Island's North Fork where ferries whisk tourists to Shelter Island to get a second ferry that connects them to the Hamptons, where Channing Daughters and Wolffer Estate are located.

                One of the highlights of my trip was the Hilton Garden Inn in Riverhead, literally right at the end of the Long Island Expressway, where I bunked down the night before the group arrived.  When I got there at 7 pm, there was a large, young, noisy crowd with live music, a $5 wine-tasting option presented by Pindar Vineyards and Duck Walk Vineyards, and I asked if this was a private party.  No, just business as usual.  When I checked in, I was given a half bottle of Duck Walk Cabernet Sauvignon and a corkscrew to take to my room, and noticed a large display advertising Long Island Wine Country tours for guests.  I also took a look at the restaurant's wine list, which had lots of local selections, some of which I enjoyed with my dinner.

                  What's going on here?

                   In Watkins Glen, in the Finger Lakes, the Harbor Hotel does a fabulous job promoting local wines, which is part of the reason we hold our annual New York Wine & Food Classic there.  But Hilton is a national chain, and national chains often  require all wines to be centrally purchased--in other words, major brands with large quantities, mostly from California or Europe--so rarely do you see local wines.

                    Fortunately, this hotel has a smart, loyal, business-savvy General Manager who understands that working together is good--and profitable--for everyone, and convinced "Corporate" to go along.  It's good for busine$$.

                    I highly recommend this hotel to anyone visiting Long Island wine country.

                    I would also recommend Greenport as one of "The Coolest Small Towns in America".  A month ago, as reported in a recent Wine Press, Hammondsport, at the south end of Keuka Lake in the Finger Lakes, tied for that honor, and with good reason.  But Greenport is truly amazing as well, a tiny town with superb seafood restaurants, wonderful waterfront walks, and great places to stay.

                    The final event in this phase of our "New York Drinks New York" program is a Grand Tasting on Monday, March 12 at Astor Center for the trade (1-5) and then consumers. All 38 participating New York wineries will be in attendance, sampling about 200 great New York wines.  For more information, visit www.nydrinksny.com.

            In the grape and wine industry, we're always talking about climate: Is this year's warm (or essentially nonexistent) winter going to cause premature bud break in the vineyards so that a late frost could reduce or eliminate the crop?  The warm weather feels great to us (and is great for our heating bills), but what about the future of the vines?

            But too many people forget about the other climate--the business climate that is shaped by public policy, which means our legislators in Albany and Washington.  We can't do anything about the natural climate other than wonder and react, but we can influence the business climate because that is shaped by other humans.  And we can be proactive instead of reactive:  Let them know what we want and need.

            So the next two weeks will be focused on the other climate, with the usual core of dedicated grape growers and winery owners leaving their businesses to attend New York Farm Bureau's Lobby Days in Albany, followed by the annual conference of WineAmerica and Winegrape Growers of America in Washington, DC. 

             There's no shortage of issues, and fortunately we have many public officials on both the state and national levels who understand them and advocate on our behalf.  But we still need to be there to remind them that we're here.

              As actor Tom Hanks once said, "The key to success is just showing up."

              That's what we'll be doing.