October 13, 2012

             Harvest is history (mostly), more New York Gold and great ratings, and much more happening in wine country. 

             Cheers!          

             Jim Trezise

           The 2012 New York grape harvest, now largely history in most regions, has winemakers smiling and hoisting beers to celebrate one of the best quality years in history.   ("It takes a lot of beer to make good wine." -- Chris Stamp, Winemaker, Lakewood Vineyards)

            Unfortunately, due to the late spring frost, the Concord and Niagara crops in the Lake Erie district, which are used for grape juice, were reduced to just 57% of their five-year average quantity.

             Elsewhere, however, there has been much less crop reduction, if any, and ideal fall weather conditions so the growers and wine makers could pick the grapes exactly when they wanted based on quality rather than being driven by weather events.  In addition, the moderate drought conditions actually enhanced the flavor profile of most grapes (and presumably the resulting wines), which Cornell's now-famous Dr. Anna Katharine Mansfield explained in an interview on The Weather Channel.  There are still some red wine varieties hanging, particularly on Long Island, but other than that and the late harvest/ice wine grapes, 2012 is now essentially a wrap.

             Fortunately, the Finger Lakes harvest and crush lasted just long enough to accommodate our New York City participants in Harvest House, which ends today with some visits to Cayuga Lake wineries.  Last night we had a final, fabulous dinner prepared by Red Newt Bistro Executive Chef Brud Holland featuring all local foods as usual. 

             When I asked our visitors what impressions they will take back to New York City to share with friends and colleagues, several stood out:  "I knew the white wines were great, but I was really surprised at the quality of the reds"; "Some of the white hybrids are stunning, and really get a bad rap in New York City--people are missing out"; "The people here are so friendly and welcoming--by the end of the working day, we were like part of the family and all joked around together"; "I'm so glad I came because having done the different tasks I now have such a better appreciation of what it takes to make wine than I ever did before"; "I'm going to tell everyone to come up here--it's so gorgeous, the people are so nice, and the wines are so good." 

              This highly successful "exchange program" was orchestrated by our partners Michael Gitter and Kayt Mathers of First Press Public Relations in Manhattan, and was made possible by a grant from the Genesee Valley Regional Market Authority supported by the New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets. The event even spawned a great, front-page article in the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle by Diana Louise Carter:

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20121012/BUSINESS/310120023/Finger-Lakes-wine-New-York-City?nclick_check=1            

             Dr. Konstantin Frank's Vinifera Wine Cellars is clearly on a roll for its 50th anniversary, most recently winning "Best American Riesling--US Embassy Perpetual Trophy", 94 points and a Gold medal for its Bunch Select Late Harvest Riesling at the rigorous and prestigious Canberra (Australia) International Riesling Challenge 2012.  Dr. Frank also won Silver medals at 90 points for its Dry Riesling and 50th Anniversary Riesling Reserve.  This is a great competition which we encourage New York wineries to enter by helping with logistics and entry fees.

          Last weekend's Wine Press reported on big winnings from Dr. Konstantin Frank Vinifera Wine Cellars in the World Value Wine Challenge, but it turns out that other New York wines also scored very well, with all being rated Best Buys.  Not including the Dr. Frank wines, and listed by point scores, were:

93--Heron Hill Winery 2011 Semi-Dry Riesling, and Knapp Vineyards 2011 Vignoles

92--Glenora Wine Cellars 2011 Riesling

91--Glenora Wine Cellars 2011 Seyval Blanc, Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards 2011 Pinot Gris, and Heron Hill Winery 2011 Semi-Sweet Riesling

90--Casa Larga Vineyards 2009 Pinot Noir, Glenora Wine Cellars 2011 Gewurztraminer and 2011 Pinot Noir Rose, Heron Hill Winery 2011 Dry Riesling, and Knapp 2011 Barrel Reserve Chardonnay

          Congratulations to all, and thanks for boosting New York's quality reputation.

          Separately, California wine writer Linda Murphy raved about "Firecrackers from the Finger Lakes" in winereviewonline.com, calling it "one of the most dynamic and diverse wine regions in America.  The extensive article describes many of the grape varieties, the geography and its effects, and recent vintages.  Not surprisingly, she focuses on Riesling and interviews Morten Hallgren (Ravines), Fred Frank (Dr. Frank), and Bob Madill (Sheldrake Point), also praising the International Riesling Foundation's Riesling Taste Profile as a way to help consumers predict the taste of a particular bottle of Riesling. http://www.winereviewonline.com/Linda_Murphy_on_Finger_Lakes_Riesling.cfm.

            New York Gold is the theme throughout October at the New York Wine & Culinary Center, which is featuring Gold and Double Gold medal winners from our New York Wine & Food Classic competition in August.  The Upstairs Bistor has 15 award-winners available by the glass to go with its new fall menu which also includes symbols by each dish indicating Vegan, Vegetarian or Gluten-free.  www.upstairsbistro.com

              Hallowine Murder Mystery will be the obsession of some 2,500 tourists in the Niagara USA wine region from October 19-21.  Participants (encouraged to show up in proper Halloween attire--i.e., costumes) gather clues at each of the 12 participating wineries to solve a mystery and win a prize.  "She Fell from Grace" is this year's mystery, combining a festive wedding spoiled by a ghoulish murder, and characters in the mystery will be at the wineries to help visitors solve the case.  Advance tickets are $25 on line, $30 in person during the event, with more information available at www.niagarawinetrail.org.

                  Cooperstown, NY, site of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, is cited by the November edition of Food & Wine as one of the five "America's Best Little Food Towns".  This tiny hamlet (pop. 1,852) gets thousands of visitors each year, and the F&W piece highlights four local restaurants including one connected to the revered Ommegang Brewery. That's great, but they should have also mentioned the awesome and historic Fly Creek Cider Mill, Bear Pond Winery, and the Cooperstown Beverage Trail.

                  Hudson Valley Cider Kir Royale has been unveiled in the historic region which makes the most artisanal cassis in the country and is also one of our largest hard cider producers.  The new drink (four parts Hudson Valley cider with one part Hudson Valley cassis) has been launched in time to toast Cider Week (October 12-21).  Brookview Station Winery, Hudson-Chatham Winery, and Warwick Valley Winery all produce both cider and cassis, and are debuting the new mix this weekend at their wineries.  http://www.hudsonvalleywinecountry.org.

                  Shinn Estate Vineyards on the North Fork of Long Island was named one of America's Top 10 Wine Country Inns in an article in FoxNews. Barbara Shinn and husband David Page are former New York City restaurateurs (Home) who were very supportive of Long Island wines at a time when it wasn't fashionable, and who later created their own vineyard, winery, and inn, which has received rave reviews from many sources.  http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2012/10/08/top-10-wine-country-inns-in-us/

                  Tourism Restructuring is now part of Governor Andrew Cuomo's agenda, with the apparent goal of directing more visitors to the upstate regions (which essentially means wine country, since wineries are everywhere). While by no means abandoning the Big Apple which attracts visitors from around the world, country, and state, the idea is to let people know that New York is also a STATE which extends from Long Island to Lake Erie and has lots of great attractions in every region.  This is welcome news which we hope will be implemented soon.

                  Viticulture 2013 conference agenda includes a diversity of seminars in marketing, viticulture and enology presented by some of the world's top experts.  The enology sessions include one focused on producing wines from cold climate ("Minnesota") varieties; a special section on Riesling: The State of the Grape; Dry Rose Production; Wine Flavor & Perception; Bulk Variety Production; and The World Beyond Riesling, exploring various other varieties that do well in New York State.  We purposely combine enology research with working wine makers to get a diversity of views and experience that benefits everyone. 

                 National Grape and Wine Initiative (NGWI) has announced a $1.8 million grant for research into alleviating trunk disease which costs American vineyards about $200 million annually.  The multi-crop research project funded by the Specialty Crop Research Initiative will involve grape vines, pistachios, and almonds which suffer similar damage.  NGWI is a vitally important private sector organization created to identify and advocate for overarching research priorities of the table grape, raisin, grape juice, and wine industries in the U.S.  We are proud to support it, and John Martini (former chairman) and I are happy to serve on the Board.