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Riesling is the most popular vinifera winegrape in New York State, accounting for 1,034 acres (23%) of the total vinifera plantings (4,430), with 849 acres (82%) of all Riesling in the Finger Lakes, and 341 of those (33%) in Yates County alone. The average yield is about 3.9 tons, with prices ranging from $1,300 to $1,750 per ton, and averaging $1,479.
Washington State is the largest U.S. Riesling producer, with about 5,370 acres producing 36,700 tons and about 1,500,000 cases. California ranks #2 with 4,452 acres producing 36,925 tons; and Oregon is #4, after New York, with about 700 acres, yields of 2.88 tons per acre, and price per ton at $1,090.
The continuous stream of awards and accolades for Finger Lakes Rieslings has encouraged new plantings and attracted the attention of high-profile winemakers from other regions.
"Taste NY" holiday season recommendations for New York wines, other farm-based craft beverages, and foods was released this week from Governor Andrew Cuomo, urging New Yorkers to enjoy the great, local products produced right in their own backyard. The recommendations came from various food and beverage writers, as well as industry sources like yours truly.
This is when it's so valuable for me to have the results of our annual New York Wine & Food Classic, which was the basis for my recommendations within certain varietal categories. For those results and other competitions, visit the Awards and Accolades section of our web site (www.newyorkwines.org), and for a the "Taste NY" food and beverage recommendations, visit www.taste.ny.gov.
Four New York wines will be served tonight at the Charity Ball of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan, thanks to Mr. Yoshiki Goto, who came to our Viticulture 2013 conference in February and connected with wineries interested in exporting to Japan. The four wines featured at the event are Anthony Road 2011 Dry Riesling, Brooklyn Winery 2012 Chardonnay, Paumanok 2010 Merlot, and Wolffer Estate 2008 Blanc de Blanc. The all-American menu looks great as well: http://accjcharityball.org/charityball/wines.
Postmodern Winemaking is a popular and fascinating book by Clark Smith, a west coast enology expert whom I have known for decades through various competitions. Clark is also an entertaining and engaging speaker, who is bringing his book and knowledge east for a couple symposia.
The New York City event on December 15 at The Ace Hotel is intended for the wine trade and dedicated consumers, and will also feature Darrin Seigfried, Lisa Granik, and some Long Island winemakers (http://p0.vresp.com/62YlkN). The next day at Jamesport Vineyards, the Long Island Postmodern Winemaking Symposium will include a gathering of winmakers discussing a variety of hot topics in a round table setting (http://p0.vresp.cm/3s9rxs)
Mr. Pinot from Atwater Vineyards was on the front page of yesterday's Wall St. Journal in an entertaining but serious article about how large "dancing" tube men--like the ones you often see at a used car dealership--are now being tried out for keeping birds out of vineyards. It's a serious experiment for a serious problem: at neighboring winery Standing Stone, birds gobbled up grapes that would have translated into $88,000 worth of wine.
Long Island has the most serious problem with birds because the east end is in the migratory flight path for Canada geese and other species, so there are constant experiments with "netting" the vineyards and other possible solutions. While Mr. Pinot is an interesting approach, so far showing success, he doesn't exactly fit with the romantic vision of wine country....
Mrs. Ann Colaruotolo of Casa Larga Vineyards--affectionately known as "Mr. C"--has been awarded the "John Walsh Award" by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children for her outstanding and longstanding commitment to the mission of the New York regional office and to the protection of children. The Colaruotolo family have been industry and community leaders for decades, as reflected by this well-deserved recognition.
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