September 22, 2012

             Harvest moves on, Millbrook wins Hudson Valley competition, Finger Lakes gets nice play, and more happenings in New York wine country 

             Cheers!          

             Jim Trezise

           It's still pretty amazing and (knock on wood) looking really good for the 2012 wine grape vintage in all regions except Lake Erie, which got frosted earlier this year so has a very small crop.

            In many past years, harvest would just be beginning now, but this year it's almost over.  This past week there was a day of steady rain which had some growers and winemakers saying "Deja vu all over again" (a famous Yogi Berra quote) referring to last year when the rains came and overstayed their welcome (by about a week or more).  But the sun has returned, the one-day rain cause little problem, and the flavorful grapes keep coming in.

             The "numbers", especially Brix (sugar levels), are phenomenal, as are the flavors if what I tasted (grapes) this week are any indication.  And it seems that the harvest is less "compressed" in terms of all grape varieties ripening simultaneously, which is a nice break for growers and winemakers.

              Still, now is a good time to stay away from winemakers if you want to be around people in a good mood.  At one winery, there's a big sign at the entrance of the cellar which says: "Caution!  Grumpy Winemakers.  May Bite!"  Another says: "Please Do Not Feed the Winemakers.  Stay Behind the Fence".  And a winemaker I know popped a grape in his mouth not knowing that a yellowjacket was sampling the other side, resulting in a sting that doubled the size of his tongue--the winemaker's, not the yellowjacket's.

               In my experience, most winemakers are really nice people...when it's over.

            Millbrook Vineyards & Winery garnered several top awards at this year's 2012 Hudson Valley Wine & Spirits Competition sponsored by the Hudson Valley Grape Growers Association.

          Located on the east side of the Hudson River in Dutchess County, Millbrook was named Winery of the Year and also took Best in Show for its 2010 Proprietor's Special Reserve Chardonnay (which also won Best White Wine), joined by a Gold medal for its 2011 Tocai Friuliano.  Neighboring Clinton Vineyards also had an impressive showing, winning both the Best Sparkling Wine with its Jubilee and Best Dessert Wine with its Cassis.

           Other Best of Category winners included Whitecliff Vineyard & Winery 2010 Petit Verdot tied with Glorie Farm Winery 2010 Cabernet Franc for Best Red; Hudson-Chatham 2010 Chelois for Best Red Hybrid; Robibero 87 North as Best White Hybrid; Tousey Winery 2011 Rebellion Rose; and Brookview Station Winery Whistle Stop White for Best Fruit Wine.

            Best Spirit honors went to Tuthilltown Spirits Hudson Four Grain Boubon (which I had the pleasure of tasting at New York Farm Day--and it's awesome!).  Tuthilltown also got Golds for its Hudson Baby Bourbon and Hudson Single Malt Bourbon.

            Warwocl Valley Winery & Distiller won Gold for its American Fruits Black Currant Cordial.

              Does Wine Grow on Trees?  Well, no, actually on vines, in the form of grapes whose juice is magically tranformed into liquid poetry. 

                 But what I'm talking about here is people--especially those connected with charities--who think that wine doesn't cost anything to make and that wineries just want to give away every bottle they produce.  (What a great way for a winery to make money!)  Our office gets tons of requests from all kinds of great (and ridiculous) "causes", which we sometimes pass on to wineries to let them decide whether there might be any promotional or marketing benefit.

                 But I was stunned to learn this week that a midsized (i.e, about 15,000 case) winery gets 1,500 formal requests per year (4 per day if you count weekends) just by themselves!  The pitch is almost always the same: "We love New York wine and want to help promote it", to which I respond, "Great, then buy it and tout it", at which point the enthusiasm wanes.  Anyway, besides the annoyance of 1,500 organizations wanting free wine, there's the staff time required to deal with these requests (and most New York wineries have very small staffs).  So...if you have any reactions, ideas, or proposals on how New York wineries should deal with this, send them to jimtrezise@nywgf.org. We may share the best and/or funniest ones in future editions of the Wine Press.                            

                  Owera Winery near Cazenovia is still under construction (Opening Soon!), but already has many award-winning wines as well as the savvy to get the community involved in its operation by inviting people to help harvest grapes. I had the opportunity to see the construction zone recently and, with its view of beautiful Cazenovia Lake, it will be a stunning location surrounded by its vineyards.  Owera wines, currently produced at another facility, are available (and very popular) at a number of regional restaurants and stores.