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April 21, 2012
Long Island takes sustainability initiative, Viticulture 2013 will focus on cold climate grapes, and Riesling season is fast approaching.
Cheers!
Jim Trezise |
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Long Island Sustainable Winegrowing Debuts on Earth Day | | |
Just in time for Earth Day (tomorrow), the recently formed not-for-profit organization, Long Island Sustainable Winegrowing, Inc (LISW), will formally announce its creation as the first sustainable vineyard certification program in the eastern United States.
LISW provides education and certification for Long Island vineyards in terms of sustainable practices, the first such program in the eastern United States. This initiative places New York City's local wine region at the forefront of eco-friendly farming practices as well as the blending of viticultural science, world-class winemaking, and social responsibility.
Starting this spring, LISW will begin a multi-year certification process for Long Island wineries using international standards of sustainable practices for winegrape production that have been refined for Long Island's unique conditions. The sustainability guidelines include a checklist of recommended and prohibited practices, and verification by independent third-party certifiers. All Long Island vineyard owners have been invited and encouraged to join the organization and take advantage of its forward-looking program.
A core working group on this project has included the founding partners Bedell Cellars, Channing Daughters, Martha Clara Vineyards and Shinn Estate Vineyards working in conjunction with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County. The foundation of the program is the "New York VineBalance Grower Self-Assessment Workbook" which acts as a roadmap for evaluating sustainable viticultural practices. That major project began in 2004, led by the statewide office of Cornell Cooperative Extension with funding from the New York Wine & Grape Foundation and the New York Farm Viability Institute.
This is an important development not only on Long Island but for the rest of New York and the east coast. For years, sustainability--combining economic viability, environmental sensititive, and social responsibility--has been a focus of our colleagues on the west coast. But conditions are very different here in the east, so it has taken more time to adapt the standards to the local industry.
For more information, visit www.liswsustainablewine.org. |
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Northern Grapes Symposium at Viticulture 2013 | | |
Viticulture 2013, the huge conference and trade show we produce with Cornell Cooperative Extension, will feature a special "Northern Grapes Symposium" for anyone interested in growing, vinifying, and marketing cold climate grape varieties, often referred to as "Minnesota varieties" reflecting their origin and cold-hardiness.
The conference (February 6-8 in Rochester) will have the usual wide range of marketing, legal/regulatory, financial, viticulture and enology topics and speakers, but Dr. Tim Martinson of CCE is organizing the three-part Northern Grapes Symposium which will include two-hour sessions each on cold climate viticulture, enology and marketing. Tim secured a major grant on this topics from the United States Department of Agriculture, with collaborating scientists from several other states who will be taking part in the seminars as well.
Not long ago, this would seem to be irrelevant to New York's industry, but with the strong growth in the Thousand Islands and Champlain districts, along with other parts of state once thought unlikely wine regions, it's right on target.
We're also delighted that John Gillespie, President of the Wine Market Council with great insights on what is happening in the U.S. wine market, will be joining us for "The Big Picture" opening session, along with Julie Suarez of New York Farm Bureau to bring us up to date on Albany issues. Officials from the New York State Liquor Authority will repeat the excellent presentation given recently at the New York Wine & Culinary Center. And there will be much, much more, not to mention the trade show and great networking opportunities.
Save the dates: February 6-8. |
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Riesling Season Approaches | | |
As the days grow longer and the temperature gets warmer, several groups are gearing up to promote Riesling, starting with Finger Lakes Wine Country's "May is Riesling Month" promotion. FLWC has been recruiting businesses throughout the region (not just wineries) to offer special incentives or packages for Riesling month.
On a national scale, the International Riesling Foundation is again supporting a major "Summer of Riesling" promotion created and orchestrated by Manhattan restaurateur Paul Grieco. Last year's IRF-supported campaign included 222 of the country's top restaurants (tripling the original goal) in 19 states, and this year's goal is 500 who will agree to serve at least three Rieslings by the glass for the 94 days of summer beginning on June 20 and ending September 21. Last year's list of participating wineries was a who's who of America's greatest restaurants, creating incredible buzz for Riesling. For the listing and more information, visit www.drinkriesling.com.
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"Beer is made by men, wine by God."
--Martin Luther
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