Wine Press FINAL 10-14-10

October 18, 2014

 

            Taste NY explodes, more Gold rave reviews, harvest goes on, beer and wine, cider growth, white deer, and more from wine country.

  

             Cheers!          

             Jim Trezise

Taste NY is Everywhere!

 

                   This week Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a major expansion of his Taste NY initiative designed to triple gross sales of participating vendors in 2015, further boosting New York's agricultural economy.  Among the many enhancements:

 

--The Taste NY website will be enhanced to enable online purchasing, as will the I LOVE NY mobile website

--Taste NY displays, stores and vending machines will be added to all SUNY and CUNY campuses

--All 27 Thruway Travel Plazas will have Taste NY offerings, and the Department of Transportation will add Taste NY stores at strategic locations on other highways

--Liquor stores throughout the state will be offered Taste NY point of sale materials to support the sale of New York wines, spirits and ciders

--A new mobile phone app will be released through I LOVE NY that will have designated Taste NY attractions from across the state

--New York foods and beverages will receive export support from the Department of Agriculture & Markets, Empire State Development, and Food Export USA

--A Taste NY office in Brooklyn will strengthen the connections between upstate producers and downstate consumers 

--A new Taste NY store has just opened at Grand Central Terminal in the heart of Manhattan

 

                    The new store, operated by One Woman Wines and Vineyards on Long Island, carries about 50 different brands of New York foods and beverages, including wine.  Roughly 750,000 people pass through Grand Central daily, and the store is in a prime location adjacent to the Biltmore Room across from track 37.

                     This is the first Taste NY store at a rail station, but there are three at various New York airports--JFK, LaGuardia, and MacArthur--as well as others at the Jacob Javits Convention Center and on several highways.

 

                      I think it is safe to say that there has never been so much government support of New York agriculture in our state's history.  This is awesome!  www.taste.ny.gov.

Rave Reviews All Over the Place
 

                    Just in time for the holiday sales season, New York wines have been getting scores of 90 or above in all three of the major consumer magazines and elsewhere.

                    The Beverage Testing Institute awarded three Dr. Konstantin Frank wines: 2013 Semi-Dry Riesling (92), 2013 Dry Riesling (91) and 2012 Barrel Fermented Chardonnay (90), with all of them named "Best Buy" as well.  BTI also praised Glenora 2013 Dry Riesling (92), plus sister winery Knapp 2013 Dry Gewurztraminer (92) and 2013 Vignoles (91), once again with all getting Best Buy designations, confirming what great values New York wines are. Also rated Best Buy with a 90 rating was Black Willow Winery Trilogy Red from the Niagara region.

                    Wine Enthusiast, which has rated more New York wines than any other major publication, found lots to like in its November issue, with 90's for Anthony Nappa 2013 Sciardone Chardonnay; Benmarl 2012 Ridge Road Estate Cabernet Franc; Red Tail Ridge 2013 Red Tail Ridge Estate Vineyard Riesling; Wagner Vineyards 2012 Semi-Dry Riesling; and Wolffer 2010 Cool As Well Blanc de Blanc.  In addition, there were three New York wines among the year's 100 Best Values: Dr. Frank 2013 Dry Rose of Pinot Noir, Fox Run 2013 Chardonnay (Doyle Family Vineyards), and Wagner Vineyards 2012 Semi-Dry Riesling.

                      Wine & Spirits named Hermann J. Wiemer and Ravines among the 100 wineries of the year, with the Hermann J. Wiemer 2012 Finger Lakes Semi-Dry Riesling as one of the Best Wines of the Year accompanied by several Best Buys: Damiani 2012 Finger Lakes Riesling (92), Lamoreaux Landing 2012 Finger Lakes Dry Riesling (91), and Chateau Frank Celebre (90).  Finally, Red Tail Ridge was cited among the "Wineries to Watch".

 And the Harvest Rolls On...

                      You can tell it's the middle of harvest when a winemaker like Anthony Road's Peter Becraft uses Facebook to bemoan the annoying omnipresence of fruit flies, Asian lady beetles, and yellowjackets--and then gets "Likes" from a bunch of other winemakers who are in the same boat, or vat.

                       In most regions, the harvest is about half way through or even more, with the early ripening varieties now in the tanks and the rest still hanging on the vine.  Long Island and the Hudson River Region have both had excellent vintages, and even the upstate regions affected by last winter's severe weather are having a larger crop than expected, with quality very good as well.

                        In the Finger Lakes, there were a couple specific locations where the nighttime temperature dipped slightly below freezing, and the cooler daytime temperatures will slow the ripening process but enhance flavor development.

                        One of my personal predictors for the quality of a vintage is the "smile index"--that is, if the winemakers are smiling or frowning during harvest.  Based on what I've seen this year, it should be a good one.

Free Run...

                       Yogurt is now the official New York State snack, thanks to legislation signed this week by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo in conjunction with a "Yogurt Summit" at Cornell University.

                        The summit also resulted in programs to increase the use of New York dairy products in state-run institutions, provide financial and technical assistance, and provide means for increased energy efficiency to farmers and processors.  New York is America's #1 yogurt producer, as well as #1 in sour cream, cream cheese, and cottage cheese, and #3 in milk.  Who knew?!

                        Anyway, it's GREAT that the official snack is something local AND healthy!

 

                         Is the boom in craft beers hurting the wine industry by stealing their customers?  The jury is still out: Some say yes, others (including me) say no, and recent research seems to say no.

                         Meanwhile, Casa Larga Vineyards near Rochester is embracing beer as a regular part of its tasting selections--along with popular wine "slushies" and its fine line of traditional wines.  A keggerator at the winery dispenses six local craft beers, which will rotate on a regular basis.

                         The attractive tasting room also includes a nice selection of local cheeses, specialty sauces, and hard cider--something for everyone. www.casalarga.com

 

                          Cider industry is also growing strong in New York, thanks in part of the "Farm Cidery" law a year ago.  Eight farm cideries have opened in the last year, and hard cider is also now being produced by various wineries and breweries.  The number of hard cider producers has grown from just 5 in January 2011 to 29 today.

                          Taste NY is celebrating the anniversary by sponsoring Cider Week events in New York City from October 24-November 2, and in the Hudson Valley from November 14-23.

                          The Farm Winery Law of 1976 has been the model for all the other farm-based craft beverages (beer, spirit, and cider) for the simple reason that it works.  If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, we are indeed flattered.

 

                          White Deer is something unique about the portion of the Finger Lakes between Cayuga and Seneca Lakes known as the Seneca Army Depot, formerly a major military base.  Within its fences are about 200 rare white deer (literally white) which, with luck, one sees while driving alongside.

                           With the base no longer in use, the Department of Environmental Conversation is considering what to with it.  Some winery owners in the area are hoping it will become a parks and recreation area to draw tourists and protect the deer, rather than leaving them vulnerable to "trophy hunters".  For more information, contact Carol Doolittle of Frontenac Point Vineyard ([email protected])

Words on Wine 

 

  "It takes a lot of beer to make good wine."

                                                          

  
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