Wine Press FINAL 10-14-10

August 3, 2013

 

             New York Gold from Indy, Finger Lakes vs. German Rieslings, Wine Country Scavenger Hunt, Wine Policy Day, and Wendy wins.

  

             Cheers!          

             Jim Trezise

New York Gold from Indy

 

              Last week, Virginia; this week, Indiana.  New York wines are bringing home the Gold from all over the country.

              At this week's Indy International Wine Competition at Purdue University, New York wines won 140 medals, including 8 "Concordance" Gold, 24 Gold,  87 Silver, and 21 Bronze.

              The Concordance Golds (requiring unanimity of a panel) went to Dr. Konstantin Frank 2012 Muscat Ottonel and 2012 Semi-Dry Riesling; Lakewood Vineyards 2012 Riesling; Seneca Shore Blueberry;  Swedish Hill Spumante Blush, 2012 Riesling and 2012 Cayuga White; and Thirsty Owl 2012 Snow Owl.

              The Gold medals went to 21 Brix Winery Ellatawba, 2012 Pinot Grigio, 2011 Vidal Ice Wine, and 2012 Dry Riesling; A Gust of Sun 2012 Cabernet Franc; Belhurst Carrie Rose, 2012 Semi-Dry Riesling, 2012 Dry Riesling, and 2010 Manitou (red blend); Chateau Frank Celebre and 2007 Blanc de Noirs; Lakewood Vineyards 2012 Valvin Muscat; Liberty Vineyards "Reds, Whites & Blues",  and 2011 Traminette; Niagara Landing Misty Niagara; Penguin Bay Maroon Four; Swedish Hill 2012 Blue Waters Chardonnay, 2012 Dry Riesling, and Cynthia Marie Port; Ten Thousand Vines "That's Amore" and 2012 Traminer Gold; Thirsty Owl  2012 Chardonnay and 2012 Dry Riesling; Torrey Ridge Blue Sapphire; and Wagner 2012 Estate Bottled Riesling Ice Wine.

              This competition included 2,300 wines from 14 countries and 39 states, along with 44 judges to evaluate them.  At the end of the day, what was very cool was that an Indiana wine (Huber Vignoles) took Best of Show, another Indiana wine took Best White (a Traminette), an Iowa wine took Best Rose, with wines from California and Italy rounding out the top awards.  This was truly a blind-tasting, and the fact that great wines of many different types are now being made in many places is great for our industry--and for consumers.

              Next week it's our own New York Wine & Food Classic, the "Oscars" of the New York wine industry with a record 876 entries this year.  As always, we have a stellar panel of judges, which this year includes three newcomers: Christopher Bates, MS, recently named the World's Top Sommelier; Elizabeth Patrick from Astor Wine & Spirits in Manhattan; and Stephanie Rudat from Ryan's Wine & Spirits in Canandaigua (one of the very top stores in terms of New York wine selection and display).

               We expect to make the results available the evening the judging concludes, Tuesday August 13.  Stay tuned.

 Finger Lakes Rieslings Shine in Tasteoff

           

              "This tasting was a very interesting show off between Finger Lakes and German Rieslings with the result that the Finger Lakes wines were on par with the German wines."

               That was the conclusion on Schiller-Wine, a daily international wine blog, following a recent blind-tasting hosted by Christian and Annette Schiller in the Washington, DC area.  There were six Rieslings each from the Finger Lakes and Germany, with the top two (tied for first place) being Lakewood Vineyards  2012 Dry Riesling and Standing Stone 2012 Riesling.  Other Finger Lakes which attracted attention were the Glenora 2012 Dry Riesling (#4), and Swedish Hill 2011 Dry Riesling (#8, just behind the world-famous Dr. Loosen 2011 Dry Red Slate from the Mosel).

                The article also provided good basic information about the Finger Lakes and various German wine regions, and concluded: "All wines showed the Riesling's flinty and fruity aromas, with the Finger Lakes Rieslings much heavier on the floral/fruity side whereas the German Rieslings exhibited more minerality."

                 In other words, something for everyone...which is Riesling.

 

 Hudson Valley Wine Country Scavenger Hunt Starts Friday

 

              Wine lovers and puzzle lovers will certainly have a great time between Friday, August 9 and Sunday the 18th at the Hudson Valley Wine Country Scavenger Hunt.

               Over 15 wineries will participate in the hunt, which was put together by professional puzzlemaster Patrick Blindauer who creates crosswords, Sudoku, and logic puzzles for major newspapers as well as books.  Contestants pay a modest fee to participate, which includes a sampling of three wines at each winery, where they're also required to complete a puzzle.  The wineries, meanwhile, are each given  two "Golden Bottles" (treasure) to hide.

               There's lots more to the 10-day event, which sounds like a lot of fun and a great way to get people to explore the Hudson Valley as wine country.  More information is available at www.hudsonvalleywinecountry.org.

 

              

Free Run... 

 

                   Wendy Oakes Wilson of Leonard Oakes Winery in Orleans County, and an active participant in the Niagara Wine Trail, has been named a Woman of Influence by Business First of Buffalo.  The 2013 Entrepreneur Award honors women who are the chief executive, president or founder of a company or business venture that they helped start, build or significantly grow.  I have had the pleasure of working with Wendy on several occasions, and think it appropriate that her initials are WOW!  She is a very persistent, effective (and nice) person.

 

                    WineAmerica, the national organization of American wineries, is organizing a "Wine Advocacy Day" which will start on a limited basis in October of this year, with the full launch in October 2014.  The basic idea is to have a nationally coordinated effort to connect with Washington legislators when they are in their home districts at a time when they can see what the wine industry is all about and the many ways it contributes to the American economy.  It will also give wine industry members the opportunity to let the Representative know of their priorities  and express their concerns, such as the House of Representatives' shameful and destructive action (or inaction) on the Farm Bill.  As a member of the WineAmerica Executive Committee, I can attest to how important the organization is to our industry's future, and how important industry involvement is to making WineAmerica successful. 

 
  
  "Wine is the most delightful of drinks, whether we owe it to Noah, who planted the vine, or to Bacchus, who pressed juice from the grape, goes back to the childhood of the world.."
                            --Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin in The Physiology of Taste  
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