September 15, 2012

             Hudson Valley launches Cassis website, harvest (and grape prices) are looking good, New York Farm Day rocks, Farm Bill is stalled, Canadian taxes hurt New York, Critz Farms is an agri-conglomerate, Lamoreaux Landing scores big, and lots more happening in New York wine country. 

             Cheers!          

             Jim Trezise

           Several years ago, Clinton Vineyards augmented its Seyval-based line of table and sparkling wines with some intense and luscious fruit wines, including Cassis made from black currants.  Ben and Phyllis Feder's pioneering vision has now been adopted by several other wineries in the Hudson Valley, making it the largest producer of artisanal Cassis in North America and the Western Hemisphere.

             Now there's even a web site (http://hudsonvalleycassis.com) to let the world know about it.  Currants may be red or black, but in either case are winter hardy and disease resistant, which means a reliable crop virtually every year.  At this point, Hudson Valley wineries produce about 20,000 bottles per year, with the great majority sold right at the wineries: Adair Vineyards, Brookview Station Winery, Clinton Vineyards, Glorie Farm Winery, Hudson-Chatham Winery, Tousey Winery, Tuthilltown Spirits, and Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery.

              Cassis is the key ingredient in famous Kir and Kir Royale cocktails popular in France and many other countries, including the United States.  The new web site includes more than 50 Cassis-based cocktails, as well as links to all the producing wineries.

               The Hudson Valley has a more diverse portfolio of adult beverages than any other region, including wines, handcrafted spirits and ciders, and now Cassis. America's oldest wine region is now enjoying a renaissance.  The region also got some great coverage this week in Serious Drinks as a result of the recent Vineyard Visits we sponsored as part of our New York City promotional program. http://drinks.seriouseats.com/2012/09/best-hudson-valley-wines-new-york-state.html?ref=site.         

            A new speed record may be set this year: Major grape processors (wineries and juice producers) plan on wrapping up their receipt of most grapes by September 24--which has historically been "opening day" for harvest! 

         Most small and mid-sized wineries will be processing white wine grapes and Pinot Noir next week, with Riesling and Bordeaux reds to follow.  Quality across the state is reported to be excellent, and with continuing warm and dry weather it could end up being a superb year for New York wines.

          In addition, the prices paid for various varieties of grapes this year either held steady or increased, a sure sign that demand is strong New York wines.  Not surprisingly, Riesling is in the strongest demand, and the average price increased 9% to $1,479 per ton; Chardonnay climbed 7% to $1,252; Gewurztraminer up 4% to 1,503; Viognier to $1,700; and Pinot Gris up 3% to $1,619.  Among red varieties, Lemberger increased 7% to $1,417, Pinot Noir 5% to $1,677, with smaller increases for Merlot ($1,819), Cabernet Franc ($1,269), and Cabernet Sauvignon ($1,653).

          More details on the harvest's progression are available through the Veraison to Harvest e-newsletter funded by us and published by Cornell Cooperative Extension.  http://grapesandwines.cals.cornell.edu/cals/grapesandwine/veraison-to-harvest/loader.cfm?csmodule=security/getfile&PageID=1076948.

              Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars got some nice recognition for its Rieslings in the current (October) edition of Wine & Spirits magazine, with a 93 and Best Buy designation for its 2011 Finger Lakes Dry Riesling, a 92 for its 2011 Finger Lakes Red Oak Vineyard Riesling, and 91 plus Best Buy for the 2011 Finger Lakes Semi-Dry Riesling.

                  Corkbuzz, a popular and influential wine mecca in Manhattan, will be the scene of a special tasting on September 24 that is part of our New York City promotion program.  Each of the 42 participating wineries will send one wine to the event, which is being orchestrated by First Press Public Relations in conjunction with Tasting Table.  There is room for only 100 consumers, who bid for the tickets through Tasting Table, and while we hoped for perhaps 2,000 inquiries, it turned out to be more like 3,500.  Obviously, New York wines are hot in New York City.

                 Critz Farms near Cazenovia is an agri-tourism conglomerate which most recently has added Harvest Moon Cidery to its portfolio of farming enterprises--Christmas trees, maple syrup, blueberries, and much else.  I had the pleasure of visiting with Matthew and Juanita Critz, who welcome over 40,000 visitors in the five weeks of harvest time, plus tens of thousands more at other times. Part of the magic is the diversity of activities, including a great play area for children, along with the attractiveness of the property and the quality of the products.  www.critzfarms.com.

                  Canadian Taxes on non-Canadian wines are the subject of a petition to the United States Trade Representative from Empire State Development Corporation, the New York Wine & Grape Foundation, New York Farm Bureau, and several wine trails (Thousand Islands, Niagara, Keuka Lake, Cayuga Lake, Seneca Lake, and Canandaigua).  This is a higly complex international trade issue, but what it boils down to is that the government monopoly systems of Ontario and Quebec impose very high provincial taxes and fees that strongly discourage Canadian citizens from buying and bringing home New York wines--while United States citizens may bring back lots of Canadian wines essentially duty free.  This obviously has particularly negative effects on the Thousand Islands and Niagara regions closest to the border, but affects other regions too.  I can tell you that this has been an issue for over 20 years, but we are taking another run at it as part of the Trans Pacific Partnership negotiations.  Senator Chuck Schumer and Congressman Bill Owens have been particularly active in trying to move the needle on this issue, and we thank them.