July 5, 2014

             WOW! San Francisco Gold, lots of 90's and above, top 101 wineries, Bounty of the Hudson, and more from New York wine country.  Happy 4th weekend!

             Cheers!          

             Jim Trezise

                  A couple weeks ago I had the pleasure of judging at the awesome San Francisco International Wine Competition, and now have the equal pleasure of announcing the New York results: 8 Double Gold, 14 Gold, 39 Silver, and 23 Bronze medals in a competition that included 4,569 entries from 26 states and 31 countries.

                 Not surprisingly, Finger Lakes Rieslings made the strongest showing, with Dry Rieslings earning 4 of the 8 Double Golds, and various styles garnering 6 of the 14 Golds.

                 Double Gold medals were awarded to Belhurst 2013 Dry Riesling, Goose Watch Classic Cream Sherry, Heron Hill 2012 Dry Riesling, Keuka Spring 2013 Vignoles, Penguin Bay 2012 Dry Riesling, Sparkling Pointe 2005 Brut Seduction and 2008 Blanc de Noirs, and Wagner 2012 Dry Riesling.

                 Gold medals went to Belhurst 2012 Chardonnay; Chateau Frank 2007 Brut; Dr. Frank 2013 Dry Riesling and 2012 Rkatsiteli; Eagle Crest 2013 On-no-lee; Goose Watch 2013 Diamon;, Keuka Spring 2013 Riesling (Humphrey's Vineyard) and 2013 Gewurztraminer; Mazza 2013 Pinot Grigio; Swedish Hill 2013 Riesling, 2013 Blue Waters Riesling, and 2013 Vidal Blanc; Wagner 2012 Riesling Ice Wine and 2012 Riesling Select.

                 One of the many nice things about judging the SFI--besides the excellent organization by Anthony Dias Blue, Tim McDonald, and Chandler Moore, plus a great mix of international judges--is the chance to try different wines from around the world that I've never heard of, like Irsai Oliver (huh?), which was fabulous and nearly beat a Riesling for the Best of Show White.  Our panel had one flight of about a dozen wines like that, and it was fascinating.  Thank goodness for Google and Wikipedia to help us get information.

                   Next up, in a couple weeks, is the Long Beach Grand Cru, followed by the Indy International, and then our own New York Wine & Food Classic.

                    Wine & Spirits was the first major consumer magazine to discover and publicize the high quality of many New York wines, particularly Finger Lakes Rieslings, and the new (August) edition reflects that tradition.  Based on panel blind-tastings of 208 Finger Lakes wines over the past 12 months, Patrick Comiskey rated 23 as exceptional (90+) and 9 as Best Buys. 

                     The non-Riesling ratings went to Ravines 2012 Cabernet Franc (93), Domaine Le Seurre 2012 Unoaked Cuvee Classique Chardonnay (90), Sheldrake Point 2012 Gewurztraminer (90) and 2012 Pinot Gris (93), and Heron Hill 2011 Late Harvest Vidal Blanc (90).

                      Top Riesling ratings went to Hermann J. Wiemer 2012 Finger Lakes Semi-Dry (94), 2012 Dry Magdalena Vineyard (93), 2012 Late Harvest Josef Vineyard (93), 2012 Dry HJW Vineyard (92), 2012 Dry (91), and 2012 Dry Reserve (91); Damiani 2012 Riesling (92); Dr. Frank 2012 Reserve (92); Red Newt 2012 Dry (92), 2012 Lahoma Vineyards  (91), and 2012 Fred Block Sawmill Creek Vineyards (90); Billsboro 2012 Sawmill Creek Vineyards  (91); Chateau Lafayette Reneau 2012 Late Harvest (91); Lamoreaux Landing 2012 Round Rock Vineyard (91) and 2012 Dry (91); Fox Run 2011 12 Hanging Delta Vineyard (90); Glenora 2012 Select Harvest Dairy Maple Vineyard (90); and Ravines 2011 Dry Argetsinger Vineyard (90).

                         These ratings also reflect the strong trend among Finger Lakes Riesling producers toward vineyard-designated wines, given how much Riesling tastes are a reflection of "terroir".

                      Top 101 wineries in America cited by the Daily Meal blog includes nine from New York, starting with Dr. Frank's and followed by Boundary Breaks, Red Newt, Keuka Lake Vineyards, Channing Daughters, Ravines, Hermann J. Wiemer, Red Hook, and Warwick Valley.

                       Bounty of the Hudson on July 26-27, noon to 5 each day, is a great time to discover the fine wines and local foods of this historical wine region.  Sponsored by the Shawangunk Wine Trail, the event includes all of the trail's member wineries, plus several others from through the region.  Tickets are only $28 in advance, $38 at the event, which will be held this year at Brotherhood Winery in Washingtonville, American's oldest continuously operating winery now celebrating its 175th year.   www.shawangunkwinetrail.com.