June 28, 2014

             New York Gold from Ultimate Wine Challenge, Houston and Denver, State Fair winning wines, Taste NY at Saratoga, nice ink, "egg" wine, and more from New York wine country.

             Cheers!          

             Jim Trezise

                 Chateau Frank and Dr. Frank continue to win all kinds of awards in competitions around the country, along with Wagner Vineyards and a few other winning wineries from New York.

                 In the Ultimate Wine Challenge, Chateau Frank won Gold medals for its 2008 Blanc de Blancs, 2007 Blanc de Noirs, and 2007 Brut, with Chairman's Trophies going to Dr. Frank 2012 Riesling Reserve and 2013 Gewurztraminer, and Gold medals for the 2013 Dry Risling and 2012 Pinot Gris.  At the Denver International, Chateau Frank Celebre took Double Gold/Best of Class and the 2007 Brut won a Gold, with Gold medals also awarded to Dr. Frank 2012 Dry Riesling, 2012 Gruner Veltliner, and 2012 Dry Rose.

                Wagner Vineyards also scored high in the Ultimate Wine Challenge, with five Gold medals for its 2012 Semi-Dry Riesling, 2012 Riesling Caywood East Vineyard, 2012 Riesling Select, 2012 Semi-Dry Gewurztraminer, and 2012 Riesling Ice Wine.

                 Other New York Gold medals in that competition included Black Willow Odin's Nectar, plus Sheldrake Point 2013 Riesling and 2013 Pinot Gris.  In the Denver competition, Gold medals went to Casa Larga 2010 Fiori Delle Stelle Vidal Blanc Ice Wine, and 2013 Vidal Blanc.

                 And Sheldrake Point Winery took both Top White (2011 Riesling) and Top Sweet Wine (2010 Riesling Ice Wine) at the Houston Livestock & Rodeo International Wine Competition.

                 We should soon have the results from San Francisco, Long Beach is in mid-July, and the New York Wine & Food Classic is only six weeks away, so lots more Gold will soon be flowing.

                    Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards 2012 Solera Sherry took top honors (Best of Show) at the recent New York State Fair wine competition held in Syracuse, with Swedish Hill Winery named Best Winery based on its overall showing, and Glenora Wine Cellars winning three of the major awards.

                   Top awards for Best of Category included Glenora 2013 Riesling (White Wine),   2012 Meritage (Red Wine), and Vidal Blanc Ice Wine (Dessert Wine); Woodbury Seaport Blush (Blush Wine); Chateau Frank 2008 Blanc de Blancs (Sparkling Wine); The Winery at Marjim Manor Katapalooza (Fruit Wine); Earle Estates Wort Hog Porky's Pleasure Hard Cherry Cider; and Sherwood House XO Brandy-Chardonnay (Spirits).

                   The results of the wine competition, combined with those of a separate cheese competition, are the basis for a Taste NY Wine and Cheese Pairing Competition at the State Fair in August, which is a lot of fun and very educational.  Last year we chose as the winning combination Baldwin Vineyards Strawberry Wine and Old Chatham Camembert, which was a marriage made in heaven.

                   Full State Fair wine competition results are available at www.nysfair.org/competitions/results.  Top awards through Gold medals are listed in the "Awards and Accolades" section of our web site (www.newyorkwines.org).

                      Nice ink is appearing in lots of places for the Finger Lakes region, some of it directly attributable to our NY Drinks NY program.  edible Finger Lakes has a great article by Sally Kral and photos by Kayt Mathers describing the activities at last fall's "Harvest House" when a dozen City folk spent a week working the harvest.

                      The New York Daily News featured an article by Gina Pace inspired by the three-day "Cellar Visits" tour in late January, with another highlighting wineries in New York City (City Winery in Manhattan, Staten Island Winery, Queens Farm Winery, plus Brooklyn Oenology, Brooklyn Winery, and Red Hook Winery).

                      The BBC.com newsmagazine featured the Finger Lakes as one of "Five hidden US travel destinations" of any kind, with this being the only wine region mentioned.  Describing it as "a must-visit for any oenophile", the editor of BBC travel says, "It's an area of gorgeous waterfall-filled hikes, a burgeoning local culinary scene, and more than 100 wineries set among two-lane roads, rolling hills and seasonal roadside stands."

                       Our friend and colleague Michael Warren Thomas (www.SavorLife.com) recently sent us a listing of nearly 20 recent articles or blogposts in all kinds of media touting the wines, the wineries, the beauty and affordability of the region, and much more that has truly put the Finger Lakes on the world's wine map.

                       Taste NY is off to the races--at the Saratoga Race Course, that is--fulfilling a promise Governor Andrew Cuomo made at the Wine, Beer, Spirits & Cider Summit in April that New York craft beveages will be featured at the famous racetrack every weekend of 2014.

                       Each Thursday will focus on wine and spirits, and Fridays on beer and ciders.  Visitors may sample a wide selection of wines for $30 from noon to 4 pm, and may also purchase bottles of wine from the participating wineries.  In addition, Saratoga will be featuring a wide array of artisanal food producers each Sunday, reminding racing patrons that New York is a major agricultural state with high-quality products.

                        Glenora Pinot Blanc has long been a popular wine, and this week the pioneering winery put a new twist on the crisp, elegant white by unveiling four different versions, including one fermented in an egg-shaped concrete tank from France.

                        The other three versions were fermented in stainless steel tanks, oak barrels, and a blend of those two which represents the largest production and will be available at wine stores and restaurants, while the other three will be sold only at the winery.  A comparative tasting led by winemaker Steve DiFrancisco revealed subtle but very noticeable differences, with the "egg" wine clearly more creamy in taste and texture.

                        The four wines are distinguished by labels with a strip at the bottom reflecting the color of the fermentation vessel, and happily all are bottled with convenient, consumer-friendly, high-quality Stelvin twist-off caps.

                         Glenora, established in 1977 as the first farm winery in the Finger Lakes, has dozens of other "firsts" in its history, and this one began when owners Gene Pierce and Scott Welliver toured France and saw some of these unique fermenters at several wineries.  The next step is to get one made in California to compare the qualities of French eggs vs. California eggs.

                         Try any of the Pinot Blancs; they're really good.  www.glenora.com