Wine Press FINAL 10-14-10

May 25, 2013

 

             Long Island leads the way, Christopher Bates gets Master Somm, winery opens spirits bar, Finger Lakes named value wines, summer season starts, and much more happening in New York wine country.  

             Cheers!          

             Jim Trezise

Sustainable Long Island

 

             Long Island Sustainable Winegrowing, Inc. (LISW) is both the name of an organization and a good description of its mission.

             LISW is at the leading edge of vineyard and winery sustainability in the eastern United States, and has announced the first vineyards in the east to earn certified sustainable status.  The ten vineyards--Bedell Cellars, Channing Daughters Winery, Harbes Family Vineyard, Martha Clara Vineyards, One Woman Wines & Vineyards, Palmer Vineyards, Roanoke Vineyards, Sannino Bella Vita vineyard, Shinn EstateVineyards, and Wolffer Estate Vineyard--represent over 400 acres and have all been "certified sustainable" for the 2012 vintage.

              There are seven other vineyards which are "in transition" toward achieving sustainable certfication, including Mudd Vineyards, Sparkling Pointe, Kontokosta Winery, Water Mill Vineyard, Surrey Lane Vineyard, Mattebella Vineyards, and Lieb Cellars.

               Achieving certification requires a strong commitment and a lot of work, starting with implementing a comprehensive checklist of nearly 200 sustainable grape growing practices from vineyard planning to ecological management.  In addition, certified sustainable vineyards must sign a commitment to follow 15 key sustainability guidelines to preserve the farmland for future generations.  Finally, the vineyards must pass a rigorous evaluation by an independent, third-party inspector who uses the New York VineBalance Grower Workbook as the guide.

               LISW began with a core group of wineries--Bedell, Channing Daughters, Martha Clara, and Shinn Estate--working with Alice Wise of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County.  The interest and participation of other vineyards has grown, and the program provides a model for other regions of the state.  As a result, the New York Wine & Grape Foundation has committed $30,000 to help with LISW's laudable efforts.

                This year is the 40th anniversary of the Long Island wine industry, so this is a fitting accomplishment.  In fact, there will be an official celebration for the certified sustainable vineyards on June 6 at Bedell Cellars.

                Cheers to our friends on Long Island.            

 TopSomm now Master Sommelier

           

             Christopher Bates is on a roll. Last week I reported that he was named TopSomm among over 200 contestants at a grueling competition held in San Francisco.  This week he was officially named a Master Sommelier by the Court of Master Sommeliers at a ceremoney held in Aspen.

              Both are big deals, especially back to back.  Christopher was one of only four to receive his MS, out of 63 aspirants who took the exam.  There are three levels of achievement required before one may take the final exam, which includes a theory section, blind tasting and practical service component.  There are only 201 Master Sommeliers in the world, including 133 in the Americas.

             Christopher is a partner in Element Winery on the east side of Seneca Lake, which makes a limited amount of wines that are on wine lists of some pretty impressive New York City restaurants.  And he is the Executive Chef of Hotel Fauchere in Milford, PA, where I think I'll have to visit.

             Congratulations to Christopher!  

"Spirits of New York" Tasting Bar at Lake Erie Winery

 

           Johnson Estate Winery, New York's oldest estate winery, is now offering its visitors a selection of over 20 New York spirits at its new "Spirits of New York" tasting bar.

           Located on Route 20 just west of Westfield in the Chautauqua/Lake Erie region, Johnson Estate recently remodeled its tasting room, and decided to devote a section of it to premium whiskies, bourgons, vodkas and gins produced by the best distillers in the Hudson Valley, Finger Lakes and Brooklyn.  They are also having Finger Lakes Distillery custom-distill a special "Concord" vodka made entirely from Johnson's estate-grown Concord wine.

            New York is experiencing a renaissance in the spirits industry. The State once had over 1,000 small distillers which disappeared due to Prohibition, but there has been a strong resurgence--from 5 in 2007 to over 30 today--due to the Farm Distilleries Law.  In addition, at last fall's Wine, Beer & Spirits Summit, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that producers of the different farm-based craft beverages (wine, beer, spirits, cider) are allowed to sample and sell one another's products, creating new marketing opportunities like that at Johnson Estate.

            Wine will remain Johnson Estate's focus--after all, it is a winery--but owners Fred and Jennifer Johnson want to offer their visitors a broader selection of beverages to choose from, along with various local food products.        

 Finger Lakes Wineries Among Top Value Brands

 

             Wine & Spirits magazine's June edition features the Top 100 Values, and Finger Lakes wines are well represented.

              The "Value Brands of the Year" include wineries which can be counted on to always deliver good value (quality for price), and is based on the magazine's review of over 12,000 wines tasted during the past year.  Finger Lakes brands and their representative wines cited include Anthony Road 2010 Pinot Gris (90, $13) and 2011 Cabernet Franc Rose (89, $13); Glenora 2010 Riesling (91, $16) and 2011 Pinot Noir Rose (89, $14); Lamoreaux Landing 2011 Dry Riesling (93, $14) and 2011 Semi-Dry Riesling (91, $14); and Sheldrake Point 2010 Riesling (93, $16) and 2011 Dry Riesling (90, $16).

               A separate listing of the Top 100 Values (individual wines) included Anthony Road 2010 Pinot Gris (90, $13) and 2011 Cabernet Franc Rose (89, $13); Lamoreaux Landing 2010 Unoaked Chardonnay (89, $13) and 2011 Dry Riesling (93, $14); and Glenora 2011 Chardonnay (88, $13).

    

Summer Season Starts

 

               Summer doesn't officially begin until June 21, but Memorial Day weekend is always the unofficial start, at least in wine country.  In Penn Yan (pop. 5024), the streets get crowded, the boat launches get busy, and the grocery store checkout lines get long.

               That's OK: These people are leaving their money behind, in our little rural area, helping to boost our local economy.  Last year, direct traveler spending throughout New York State totalled nearly $54 billion, of which $34.5 billion was in New York City.  Among the major wine regions, Long Island received $4.8 billion, Hudson Valley $3 billion, Finger Lakes $2.5 billion, Greater Niagara $2.1 billion, Chautauqua-Allegheny $492 million, and Thousand Islands $455 million.

               At the recent Tourism Summit, Governor Andrew Cuomo said that a major goal is get more people out of New York City (after their stay) to the upstate regions, which means wine country.  We welcome that initiative, and the many tourists well see.  

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