June 14, 2014

             Riesling winners, NY Drinks NY, great grub, hotel boom, sales tax exemption, supportive NYC wine stores, and more from New York wine country.

             Cheers!          

             Jim Trezise

                  Wine Symposium of the Finger Lakes, which wraps up today with a fabulous five-course wine-and-food pairing luncheon, unveiled the top Finger Lakes Rieslings at a Grand Tasting last evening.  The awards were based on blind tastings by Finger Lakes winemakers of 121 wines submitted by 47 wineries, and are categorized according to the Riesling Taste Profile of the International Riesling Foundation (www.drinkriesling.com), with the categories based on the interplay of residual sugar, acid, and pH.  The winners:

Dry: Wagner Vineyards Caywood East Vineyard Dry Riesling 2012

Medium Dry: Red Newt Cellars Dry Riesling 2012

Medium Sweet: McGregor Vineyard Semi-Dry Riesling 2012

Sweet: Dr. Konstantin Frank Vinifera Wine Cellars Riesling Reserve 2012

Dessert: Sheldrake Point Winery Late Harvest Riesling 2013

                   Interestingly, all three major lakes were represented, with two awards each for wineries on Keuka and Seneca, and one on Cayuga.  Congratulations to the winners, and to Symposium sponsors Geneva Growth and the Finger Lakes Wine Alliance for another great event.              

                    New York City sommeliers, wine writers, and wine store managers spent part of this week becoming acquainted with Finger Lakes wine country -- the region, the wineries, the wines, and especially the people.

                   At the opening luncheon on Sunday at the New York Wine & Culinary Center, they sampled the wines and met the people from 21 Brix winery (Lake Erie region), Arrowhead Spring (Niagara Escarpment), Marjim Manor and Leonard Oakes, both in the greater Niagara region.

                   These visits are a key part of our NY Drinks NY "exchange program", and by the end of the three days it was clear that they work.  We had a great group of people from superb restaurants (Gramercy Tavern, Tia Pol, Mayville, Le Barricou, The Cleaver Co., The Green Table, Terroir High Line, Aureole, Contra, and BLT Fish).  Two superb wine stores were also represented -- Bottlerocket Wine & Spirit, and Bibber & Bell Wine & Spirits--along with writers representing Wine Enthusiast magazine and The Daily Meal blog.

                   Only three of our visitors had been to the region before, so it was truly an eye-opening experience as well as a unique opportunity to taste the wines where they're made, meet the owners, and actually work with the winemakers in the cellars.  Several commented to me that the practical hands-on experience was great because it's one thing to read about how wine is made in a book and another to actually do it--now it makes sense.  By the end of the three days, our visitors had become ambassadors for New York wines.

                   This concludes Phase III of the program, and happily we will soon begin Phase IV, thanks to another grant from the Genesee Valley Regional Market Authority with support from the Department of Agriculture & Markets.  Our colleagues at First Press Public Relations, Michael Gitter and Kayt Mathers, do an awesome job orchestrating the program in conjunction with or own Jenn Cooper.

                   Excelsior!                                          

                     FLX Wienery is a great new restaurant on the west side of Seneca Lake that specializes in burgers, dogs, and house-made sausages, along with fabulous array of creative sides and beverages.  In a building that was formerly "Red's Hots", the new establishment is the creation of Master Sommelier Christopher Bates (who also owns Element Winery) and his wife Isabel Bogadtke, who are now fulfilling a long-time dream of living in the Finger Lakes.

                     I had the pleasure of eating there this week for the first time with Wine Enthusiast contributing editor Anna Lee Iijima, and will be going back often to work my way through the menu.  Some examples: Peanut Burger (with peanut butter, bacon, fried onions, and American cheese); Whole Hog (wiener or sausage with fried onions, bacon, cheese curd, corn reslish, fried egg, chipotle, mayo and herbs); and, on the healthier side, Quinoa & Flax Salad.  Great stuff: www.flxwieney.com.

                     Hampton Inn and Microtel hotels are now both being built in beautiful downtown Penn Yan at the north end of Keuka Lake, yet another sign of the impact of wine country tourism in the region.

                    What's the big deal? Years ago we tried to lure hotels to the Finger Lakes region to fill the gap in accommodations, but none were convinced that the strong growth in tourism would continue.  Fortunately, Glenora Wine Cellars opened its fabulous Inn at Glenora (busy year around), Bed & Breakfasts popped up, then a Ramada in Geneva, a Best Western in Penn Yan, and the awesome Watkins Glen Harbor Hotel where we hold our New York Wine & Food Classic.  Others have followed.

                    The fact that tiny Penn Yan (pop. 5,024) will soon have three hotels is a clear vote of confidence in the future of wine country tourism.  In our latest economic impact study (2012 data, so conservative by this time), there were 5.29 million tourists visits to wineries statewide, with wine-related touism expenditures exceeding $400 million.  Wine country is a gold mine! 

                      Sales tax exemption on wine tastings is the latest benefit to flow from Governor Andrew Cuomo's Wine, Beer, Spirits & Cider Summit in April.  The Governor announced this week that wine tastings will be exempt from sales tax, saving consumers money as they sample and saving wineries the hassles of filing tax reports.

                     A number of other measures we proposed at the Summit are now folded into an omnibus legislative proposal crafted by the New York State Liquor Authority which we hope the legislature will pass before it adjourns for the year at the end of this week. The "end of session" is always a crazy, frenetic time in Albany, and this year is certainly no exception.

                     New York City and its suburbs does have some wine retailers who have good and growing selections of New York wines, and we're hoping the list will grow as our NY Drinks NY program continues.

                     The first example that comes to mind is Suburban Wines in Yorktown Heights (Westchester County).  Now-retired wine manager Jay Roelof received our Retailer Award for "excellence in promoting New York wines to consumers" based on the program he created and which continues today.  Suburban welcomes New York winery representatives, seeks out new wines, trains the store's staff, creates displays, and hosts tastings of New York wines in the store for customers. It's a great example of superb customer service with a focus on local wines--which can be done anywhere.

                     For now, here are some more recommendations: 

-- Manhattan: Astor Wines, Bottlerocket Wine, 67 Wine, and Chelsea Wine Vault

-- Brooklyn: Smith & Vine, Brooklyn Wine Exchange, Fermented Grapes, Waterfront Wines

-- Queens: Square Wines.

                      More to come in the future. In addition, there are lots of fine retailers in the upstate markets who have long featured New York wines, and we've recognized many with our annual Retailer Award as shown in our Court of Honor at www.newyorkwines.org..  We thank all who feature New York wines for their support, and encourage consumers to patronize them.