September 27, 2014

             The magic of fall, harvest rolls on, top 100 wineries, Hudson Valley happenings, and lots more happening in New York wine country.

             Cheers!          

             Jim Trezise

Fall: A Feast for the Senses

                   Every season is my favorite season, because each is unique and beautiful in its own way, but fall is always such a feast for the senses.

                   The days are warm and sunny, the nights cool and crisp, a perfect combination for ripening grapes and developing their flavors.  The vines are laden with large clusters of grapes that come in a rainbow of colors and tastes.  The exquisite aroma of ripe Concord grapes permeates the air, spreading Nature's exotic perfume.  The sights and sounds of the grape harvest--picking crews, huge mechanical harvesters, flatbed trucks laden with one-ton bins full of ripe grapes, presses extracting juice--make fall the perfect time to visit wine country and experience what it's all about.

                    There's also the visual magic of lake effect "clouds" formed by the cold fall air meeting the warm lake water, creating a lake-level thick fog which slowly rises and spreads over the hillside vineyards sloping to the lakes.  If you have the privilege of going into a plane several thousand feet up, what you see on a perfect blue sky day is a series of north-to-south "clouds" precisely mirroring the shapes of the lakes.  It's breathtaking, and inspiring.

                    The weather for the past week has been perfect for the evolving vintage, and the forecast indicates more of the same for a good stretch.  While weather patterns all year influence the vines and grapes, the fall is the most critical in terms of ultimately determining quality.  So far, so good...and fingers crossed. 

                    Beyond the grape, so many other gifts of nature's bounty--the year's last corn and tomatoes, ripe apples, fresh cider, root vegetables, massive pumpkins--fill the fields and farmers' markets.  Before we know it, Thanksgiving will be here, and we do indeed have so much to be thankful for.

                     It's great to be a New Yorker.

                    Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard and Ravines Wine Cellars, both from the Finger Lakes, are among the Top 100 Wineries of the Year selected by Wine & Spirits magazine, an honor that is based on tastings of thousands of wines from throughout the world during the year.

                   Both wineries specialize in Riesling, the region's signature wine, but produce several other wines as well.  Wine & Spirits magazine was the first major consumer wine publication to discover and publicize the excellent quality of many Finger Lakes wines, although Wine Enthusiast has largely caught up recently.  New York has had several "Top 100" winners over the years, and as always there will be a major celebration of all the wines in San Francisco on October 21.

                   Elsewhere, Dr. Frank 2012 Riesling Reserve won Best of Show wine at the International Wine TV Awards held last week in Sonoma.  On its way to the top, it also got a Double Gold, Best of Class, and Best White Wine.

                    In addition, New York wines took several Double Gold and Gold medals in the recent Tasters Guild Consumer Wine Judging held in Texas.

                    Double Golds went to Americana 2013 Apparition, Chateau Frank 2007 Brut, Lakewood 2013 Valvin Muscat, Torrey Ridge Molly's Moscato, and Wort Hog Big Jakes Spiced Hard Cider.

                    Gold medal winners included Americana 2013 Gewurztraminer; Brotherhood 2013 Riesling and 2011 1839 Cabernet Sauvignon; Cabernet Frank 2008 Blanc de Noir; Dr. Frank 2013 Gewurztraminer, 2013 Dry Riesling, and 2012 Cabernet Franc; and Lakewood 2013 Port.                      

                      The Hudson Valley is one of America's most historic wine regions which is also experiencing a renaissance, which Hudson Valley Wine Country invites everyone to discover this fall.

                      The group's special web site (http://fallinlovewithhudsonvalleywine.com/events)  is a gateway to more than 100 events occurring at the wineries, among wine trails or elsewhere.  There are wine release parties, grape stompings, Hallowine parties, tastings, tours, dinners, Hudson Valley Restaurant Week, and even Hudson Valley Cider Week to end it all.

                      In addition, Brotherhood Winery will celebrate its 175th anniversary on October 9 as America's oldest continuously operating winery.  Brotherhood has a long and fascinating history from its beginnings, and in recent years has both renovated the historic winery and significantly upgraded the quality of its wines, which now regularly win awards in major wine competitions.  We congratulate them on this major anniversary.

                       Dr. Terry Bates of Cornell recently received the first "Extension Distinction Award" from the American Society of Enology and Viticulture, and honor which is richly deserved.

                       Terry works out of the Cornell Lake Erie Research and Extension Laboratory, and is known worldwide for his research on mechanical crop estimating and thinning, which last year brought economic benefits to growers of between $9.6 and $15 million.  He, and his excellent work, are another reminder of how lucky we are to have Cornell researchers and Cooperative Extension professionals as partners in our industry.

                       New York City is becoming a significant producer (not just consumer) of farm-based craft beverages, with the number of companies (now 64) increasing by 237 percent since January 2011 when Andrew Cuomo became Governor.

                       There are 24 beer manufacturers in all five boroughs; 22 craft distilleries; 11 wineries; and one cidery.  The growth has been stimulated by a series of legislative and regulatory changes which reduce burdensome regulation and provide for more efficient production and enhanced marketing opportunities.  

                        Long Island will be the focus this week of our "NYDrinksNY" program to get New York wines into New York City.  Our colleagues at First Press Public Relations, Michael Gitter and Kayt Mathers, have rounded up a group of NYC sommerliers, wine store buyers, and media who will spend Monday and Tuesday visiting the Long Island wineries who signed up for our program.  It's always interesting to see how effective these trips are in getting the visitors to really understand the region and become ambassadors for it.        

  "Wine is the divine juice of September."

                                                           --Voltaire