January 10, 2015

            Dr. Frank Riesling ties for Best White, plus lots of other New York Gold from San Francisco; State money for wine industry projects; Finger Lakes named #1 wine destination; and a sweet soul moves on.

             Cheers!          

             Jim Trezise

New York Gold Rush in San Francisco

                  The San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition is the first each year and the largest in the country, with over 6,400 entries 1n 2015.  And once again, New York wines panned a lot of Gold--starting with Dr. Frank 2013 Semi-Dry Riesling in a tie for Best White Wine (among more than 3,000!).  Dr. Frank 2013 Dry Riesling also won a Double Gold medal, and Chateau Frank Celebre Rose a Gold.

                   Other Double Gold medals went almost exclusively to Finger Lakes Rieslings: Goldfinch 2013 Dry Riesling, Lamoreaux Landing 2013 Dry Riesling (Yellow Dog Vineyard), Owera 2013 Dry Riesling, Swedish Hill 2013 Dry Riesling, and Wagner 2013 Dry Riesling along with Buttonwood Grove 2013 Semi-Dry Riesling, and Penguin Bay 2013 Semi-Dry Riesling.

                   The only non-Riesling that won Double Gold was the Coyote Moon 2011 Marquette Special Reserve from the Thousand Islands region.

                   Gold medals went to 21 Brix Semi-Dry Riesling; Coyote Moon Brianna and 2012 La Crescent; Goose Watch 2013 Viognier and 2013 Finale White Port; Keuka Spring Vineayards 2013 Dry Riesling (Humphreys Vineyard), 2013 Semi-Sweet Riesling and 2013 Vignoles; Kontokosta 2013 Sauvignon Blanc; Penguin Bay 2013 Pinot Grigio; and  Swedish Hill Naturel.

                    Held in Cloverdale a couple hours north of San Francisco, the competition always includes a special dinner for judges and staff at a great winery.  This year it was in the huge barrel room of the Francis Ford Coppola Winery, where the famous owner and his wife Eleanor joined us for a fabulous "Tavola" family-style dinner.  The winery also has lots of wonderful movie memorabilia, including the chair and desk from The Godfather and costumes from Apocalypse Now.  Pretty awesome stuff!

                      For the past several years, a Regional Economic Development Program created by Governor Andrew Cuomo has sought the recommendations of regional councils in terms of economic priorities for funding.  In the 2014 round, several winery and tourism associations received significant grants for a variety of wine-related purposes, including:

-- Cayuga Wine Trail: $75,000 for an international targeted social media advertising campaign

-- Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance: $210,000 for a "Wine Water and Wonders" marketing project targeted at international visitors already visiting New York City and showing them all that exists between there and Niagara Falls

-- Finger Lakes Wine Country Tourism Marketing Association: $95,000 to support the 2015 Wine Bloggers Conference headquartered in Corning

-- Long Island Wine Council: $285,000 for a Long Island Wine Country Global Trade and Tourism Initiative targeted at New York City and international markets.  LIWC is also part of a group awarded $59,300 to help fund Winterfest 2015

-- New York Wine Industry Association: $300,000 for a Green Wastewater Treatment System.

               There were other grants to other groups which have indirect benefits to the wine industry, but it's all good in the end.

                        Wine Enthusiast has named the Top 10 Wine Destinations of 2015, with New York's Finger Lakes region right at the top of the list.

                        Anna Lee Iijima, who has written about the region and tasted extensively (including as a judge at our New York Wine & Food Classic competition), has written a great piece about the wineries, wines, other attractions, and recommendations on where to stay and eat.

                       New York State has also been selected by the magazine as Wine Region of the Year based on the ever-increasing quality of its wines, close partnership with the State, and strong growth.  The Finger Lakes is by far the largest single region, currently with 128 wineries,  hundreds of top awards in 2014, and about 4 million tourist visits annually.

                      The region's growth in all respects has commanded widespread attention in the world of wine.  In 2004, there were 73 wineries, compared to 128 today, with the growth rate strong and increasing, especially in the past five years (38 new wineries).  Similarly, in the past few years the number of Gold medals and ratings of 90 or above has steadily increased (from 557 in 2011 to 886 in 2014), reflecting the ever-increasing quality (see results of the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, above, as the latest evidence).

                     The Finger Lakes led the top 10 list of wine country destinations, with the others being Piedmont, Italy; Hawks Bay, New Zealand; Rhone Valley, France; Orlando, Florida (for restaurants); Galicia, Spain; Okanagan, British Columbia; Loire Valley, France; Mendocino, California; and Isrtria, Croatia/Slovenia/Italy.

                    Similarly, the Wine Region of the Year included some good company: Champagne, France; Chianti, Italy; Sonoma Coast, California; and Red Mountain, Washington.

                    A lot of people in our industry have been working real hard to get a little better every day and, like compounded interest, that builds to a huge increase over time

                .  We're the 30-year overnight success.

                   Juanita Spence was the first person I ever met who was connected with the New York grape and wine industry.  She was also my sole office mate for three years at the New York State Wine Grape Growers and the New York Wine Council, as well as a few more at the New York Wine & Grape Foundation in its early years.

                  She passed away peacefully earlier this week at age 89, with family at her side, including her daughter Susan Spence, my close NYWGF colleague and dear friend.

                  Juanita was a special spirit, full of life and energy, sweet as honey but tough as nails, passionate about the grape and wine industry, and protective of its people.  The daughter of grape growers on Bluff Point, she was a "local" with farming in her blood and her roots in the soil.

                  She and I shared some roller-coaster times in the office, including when our budget got zeroed out (a sign of things to come), but at the end of every week, good or bad, on Friday afternoon we had "wine time" and shared a glass to toast life, regardless of what it brought. Hers had not always been easy by any means, but her glass was always at least half full and often overflowing.

                  Juanita was a founding member of  "Women for New York Wines" and a tireless promoter of the products and the people responsible for them, from the grapes to the glass. The "Unity Award" is the highest honor that the New York Wine & Grape Foundation gives, and for all her great work over many years Juanita was a well-deserving recipient.

                  While she loved her work, Juanita loved her family even more and spoke proudly and fondly of them all.  As she quietly moved on last week to join her late husband Ted and late son Dan, there is no doubt she felt the rest of the family holding her hand and embracing her transition.

                    We all miss Juanita's presence, but will always savor her special spirit.