February 9, 2013

             New York Gold, Court of Honor, Viticulture 2016, and more about New York wine country. 

             Cheers!          

             Jim Trezise

          Penguin Bay Winery 2011 Riesling and Goose Watch Winery Classic Cream Sherry won two of the six major categories at this week's Florida State Fair International  Wine and Grape Juice Competition in Tampa, leading a strong showing by New York wineries which included 150 medals--7 Double Gold, 17 Gold, 73 Silver, and 53 Bronze.

          The Penguin Bay Riesling won Best White Wine and the Classic Cream Sherry from sister winery Goose Watch (also related to Swedish Hill Winery) took Best Dessert Wine.  Goose Watch also won a Gold for its Golden Spumante, and Swedish Hill won Double Golds for its Blanc de Blanc and 2011 Riesling (also in the Sweepstakes round) as well as a Gold for its Spumante Blush.

            Other Double Gold medals went to Dr. Frank 2010 Rkatsiteli, Earle Estate Meadery Blueberry Wine (also in the Sweepstakes round), and Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards White Cat.

            Other Gold medals were awarded to Adirondack Winery Red Carriage; Anthony Road 2011 Dry Riesling; Chateau Frank Celebre Cremant; Coyote Moon Twisted Sister, Fire Boat Red, and LaCrescent; Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards 2011 Pinot Gris; Keuka Spring Vineyards Celebrate; Lakewood Vineyards 2011 Abby Rose and 2010 Cabernet Franc; Liberty Vineyards and Winery 2011 Traminette, Chocolette, Diamond, and Reds, Whites & Blues; and Montezuma Winery Diamond.

             Beautifully organized by Bonnie Jean Paulish, Jeanne Burgess and Mary Studt, the Florida competition included entries from 31 states and 6 foreign countries.  One of the great outcomes is how many places are making great wines.  While California and New York each won two of the sweepstakes categories, wines from Indiana and Iowa took the other two.  In addition, the four Rieslings in the sweepstakes round included two from New York, one from Wisconsin (Wollersheim, a very large producer) and one from California (Turning Leaf, a brand of E. J. Gallo), once again proving that great wines can come from small and large producers alike.

              Next up, next week is the International Eastern Wine Competition in Sonoma, sponsored by Vineyard & Winery Management Magazine.  It's competition season, so watch for tons more New York Gold in the coming months.

             A highlight of our Viticulture 2013 conference this week in Rochester was the Unity Banquet where we honored several individuals for extraordinary contributions to the success of the New York grape, grape juice and wine industry.  They now join the "Court of Honor" consisting of all past recipients as well.  New inductees include:

-- Richard Olsen-Harbich of Bedell Cellars (Unity Award)

-- Cornell Cooperative Extension (Industry Award)

-- Dr. Frank Wines (Winery Award)

-- Richard Jerome (Grower Award)

-- Dr. Martin Goffinett (Research Award)

-- Jay Roelof (Retailer Award)

-- Watkins Glen Harbor Hotel/Blue Pointe Grille (Restaurant Award)

-- Phil Adams (Distributor Award)

-- Cheryl Gnade McGrattan (Consumer Award)

We are grateful to all these people and organizations for helping to make the New York industry what it is today.

                 It doesn't seem possible that Viticulture 2013 is now just a memory.

                 About a year ago, representatives from the Viticulture 2013 committee, including the New York Wine & Grape Foundation and Cornell Cooperative Extension, had our first meetings to set the agenda, divvy up responsibilities, and plan the trade show.  It is a huge undertaking for a very small staff, which is why we do it only once every three years.  But it's well worth the effort, based on the feedback we received.

                 The comprehensive series of seminars--on viticulture, enology, marketing, legal/regulatory, finance and much else--is second to none, anywhere. The trade show, organized by Charlene Ryder in conjunction with Jennifer Cooper, was awesome.  The networking opportunities, including the reception and Unity Banquet, are numerous.

                 We are very grateful to the hundreds of people who joined us--speakers, exhibitors, attendees and public officials--and hope you not only enjoyed it but will profit from your experience.  And I especially want to thank Jennifer Cooper of our staff who coordinated the conference, as well as Susan Spence, Dana Alexander, Bonnie Hampton and Teresa Knapp for their support.  It also would not have been possible without the active support of Women for New York State Wines, who helped with registration and much else.

                  It's truly a team effort.  As I have said hundreds of times: Diversity is our Strength.  Unity is our Power.

                   We don't have the specific dates for Viticulture 2016, so just save February!