September 8, 2012

             Hudson Valley launches major promotion, harvest gets seriously underway, New York Farm Day happens this week, big winery anniversaries celebrated, more New York Gold, and lots more happening in New York wine country. 

             Cheers!          

             Jim Trezise

           This weekend, the annual Hudson Valley Wine & Food Festival at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds kicks off more than two months of promotional events that run nearly to Thanksgiving.  Consumers will have more than 60 separate events at wineries, wine stores, wine and food festivals and other venues.

            The "Fall in Love with Hudson Valley Wine" promotion is orchestrated by the Hudson Valley Wine Country and its president, Carlo DeVito, who with his wife Dominique owns Hudson-Chatham Winery in the northeastern end of the valley, which essentially stretches from Manhattan to Albany. The two-month program of events is the largest in the region's long history.

              The Hudson River Region (the official name of the American Viticultural Area) is one of America's oldest and most historic grape and wine regions, boasting both the oldest continuously operating vineyard (Benmarl) and winery (Brotherhood).  The region has experienced a renaissance during the past decade, with the opening of many new wineries that have essentially doubled the region's total to more than 40.  It is also home to a growing micro-distillery industry as well as several cider producers.

               This weekend's festival is highly regarded by wineries throughout the state in terms of attendance and sales, with several Finger Lakes wineries telling me this week that they are looking forward to another successful event.

                The overall promotion is sponsored by Hudson Valley Wine Country, Hudson Valley Wine magazine, The Valley Table, Hudson Valley Bounty, Hudson Valley AgriBusiness, and the New York Wine & Grape Foundation.  Full information is available at http://fallinlovewithhudsonvalleywine.com.

            Here we go! The 2012 grape harvest is well underway, 2-3 weeks early, and looking good so far (knock on wood).

          The Lake Erie region southwest of Buffalo, which accounts for about 2/3rds of New York's total vineyard acreage and annual tonnage, is the only region which suffered significantly from the combination of warm winter weather and late spring frost.  The region's vineyards are about 95% Concord for grape juice, and less than half a normal crop is expected this year; one grower said he got 1.5 tons per acre of Niagara grapes, compared with 14 tons last year, though the Concords look better.

            The state's other regions, where primarily wine grapes are grown, escaped significant damage from the frost and then near-drought conditions, which happily were alleviated by timely rains which soaked into the ground.  Normally, in the Finger Lakes harvest doesn't start until after Labor Day, but this year it was August 20--the earliest on record.  One benefit of an early harvest is reducing the risk of a killing fall frost which halts ripening, but early harvests also are typically "compressed"--with lots of different grape varieties coming ripe at the same time--which provides a logistical challenge for growers and winemakers alike.

             Still, I've heard no real complaints, and everyone seems bullish on the quality of the fruit to date (we could, as in 2011, still get untimely rains, but hopefully not).  If good weather continues, 2012 may be comparable to 2010, which was one of New York's best vintages ever.  Fingers crossed.

              If it's harvest season, that means the reappearance of the Veraison to Harvest e-newsletter which we fund and Cornell Cooperative Extension publishes, with reports on grape quality and developments from all regions of the state.  It's a great way to track the progress of the harvest.

              Heron Hill Winery on Keuka Lake and Frontenac Point Winery on Cayuga Lake are celebrating their 35th and 30th anniversaries, respectively, with each having played a pioneering role in the development of the Finger Lakes and New York wine industries.

                  John and Jo Ingle, owners of Heron Hill, have long been growers at their own vineyard above Canandaigua Lake as well as Heron Hill's guiding lights. Known from the start (1977) for its superb Rieslings in different styles, Heron Hill was essentially rebuilt about a decade ago into a stunning building with a stunning view of Keuka Lake.  In fact, Travel & Leisure magazine named Heron Hill one of the top 10 tasting rooms in the world...world!  And Budget Travel magazine named Hammondsport (5 minutes from Heron Hill) as "America's Coolest Small Town".  A big chalk board at the entrance of the tasting room lets visitors know about both.  John was also the moving force behind creation of the Finger Lakes Riesling Festival each August in Canandaigua.  The Ingles and many Heron Hill fans (me included) celebrated their success and many contributions last night at a great dinner with live music.  (www.heronhill.com)

                   Jim and Carol Doolittle have an closer tie to the 1976 Farm Winery Act, since Jim was directly involved in developing the legislation which made it possible to own and operate a small "farm" winery in New York State.  That, in turn, catalyzed the first growth spurt in the modern wine industry.  They have chosen to keep Frontenac Point relatively small (2000-3000 cases annually), but are very involved in many industry organizations and public policy initiatives.  In addition, their son Lawrence has joined the family business.  The Doolittles and some close friends will toast the 30th with four different Brut Methode Champenoise cuvees, with two made from Pinot Noir and one each from Chambourcin and Riesling. (www.frontenacpoint.com).