January 17, 2015

            New York City visitors, more good press (and scores), bird damage costs, direct shipment increases, and Taste NY vending machines.

             Cheers!          

             Jim Trezise

New York Visits New York

                 Tomorrow we'll welcome a group of 10 new visitors from New York City, starting off at the New York Wine & Culinary Center with a tasting of wines from the Lake Erie and Niagara regions followed by a "locavore" luncheon featuring local farm products and wines.

                  Then it's on to tours and tastings at three Keuka Lake wineries, capped off with a winemakers' dinner at Veraisons restaurant with representatives from Bellangelo, Casa Larga, and Glenora wineries.  On Monday and Tuesday, they continue their exploration of the Finger Lakes with visits to 13 other wineries on Seneca and Cayuga Lakes, including a dinner at Red Newt Bistro, before heading back to their jobs in the City.

                   The group includes sommeliers, wine store managers, and wine writers, and the trip is part of our "exchange program" under the NY Drinks NY promotion designed to increase the presence of New York wines in New York City.  A similar trip to Long Island will take place later this year.

                    Now in its fourth phase, this program has clearly shown the importance of bringing people to the regions to savor the landscape, meet the people, and taste the wines where they are made.  Invariably, with this more intimate experience, they return home with a greater understanding and appreciation, and often become ambassadors for the newly discovered regions.

                     We are very grateful to the Genesee Valley Regional Market Authority for a grant which made this possible, with strong backing from the Department of Agriculture & Markets.  And our partners at First Press Public Relations do a fabulous job orchestrating the program.

                      Last week, Wine Enthusiast named the Finger Lakes one of the world's Top 10 Wine Destinations (Long Island was so named in 2013!), and the current edition of Wine Spectator also has a nice article by James Molesworth on the Finger Lakes, with a focus on Riesling.  The top wines cited in the article (at 90 points) were Heart & Hands 2013 Riesling (Patrician Verona Vineyard), and 2013 Paul's Legacy; and three single-vineyard Rieslings from Silver Thread: 2013 Cayuga Lake Randolph O'Neill Vineyard; 2013 Gridley Bluff Point Vineyard; and 2013 Seneca Lake Doyle East Seneca Vineyard.

                      In the "New Releases" section of the magazine, Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard had five Rieslings rated 90 or above: 2012 Seneca Lake Noble Select Magdalena Vineyard (93), 2012 Seneca Lake Dry HJW Vineyard (92), 2012 Seneca Lake Dry Magdalena Vineyard (91), 2012 Seneca Lake Dry Reserve (91), and 2012 Seneca Lake Late Harvest (90).

                       The word is spreading... 

                   One of my favorite growers is fond of saying that growing grapes is like going to Las Vegas: it's a roll of the dice.  Sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose.

                   Certainly the vagaries of weather--Polar Vortexes, hurricanes, hail--are a big part of that, but so are our fine feathered friends, the birds, with starlings, robins, and turkeys being the top culprits.

                    Dr. Juliet Carroll of Cornell University and several colleagues around the country recently reported the extent of bird damage to wine grapes and other fruits in five states (CA, MI, NY, OR,WA) in terms of crop damage and loss of jobs.  The numbers are startling: $126 million in crop damage and 1,648 jobs lost in the wine grape sector alone.

                    In New York, bird damage causes losses of $16 million annually and 500 jobs in the five crops studied (blueberries, wine grapes, honeycrisp apples, sweet cherries, and tart cherries).  Bird management by many farms prevents over $25 million in losses to grower revenue, or the statewide losses would be even worse. 

                   Netting is the most common technique for controlling bird damage, followed by auditory scare devices that sound like cannons or guns.  All methods cost money but provide a sound return on investment: Wine grape growers using bird management techniques lose an average of 6% to birds, while those using no bird management sustain at least 36% damage.

                    The New York Wine & Grape Foundation provided funding for this project, which once again shows the importance of Cornell University research in helping the members of our industry become more productive and profitable.    

                   Direct-to-consumer wine shipments in 2014 reached new heights, with the total value of shipments increasing by 15.5% and the volume by 13.5% to 3.95 million cases (47.4 million bottles), according to a report by ShipCompliant and Wines & Vines magazine.

                   A decade ago, major wine wholesalers were doing everything possible to prevent wineries from shipping directly to consumers, and prevent consumers from buying the wines they wanted.  Fortunately, in 2005 the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision that opened the doors to direct-to-consumer wine shipment, benefiting American wineries, consumers and the economy.

                   Napa Valley continues to lead in direct shipments, though the value of Oregon direct shipments grew by more than 50% last year.  Nationally, the average price of a bottle shipped directly was $38.40 (very expensive compared with New York wines), with Napa Cabs averaging $88.45!

                   ShipCompliant is a great company that helps wineries comply with the myriad of different state laws and regulations.  www.shipcompliant.com.  Wine & Vines is a leading wine industry trade magazine. www.winesandvines.com.

                   Taste NY vending machines have now been added to two popular rest stops on major highways near the Pennsylvania border and the Capitol region, the latest expansion in Governor Andrew Cuomo's program to get New York products in the hands of consumers.

                    The vending machines on Interstates 81 and 87 will carry a range of New York items including string cheese, potato chips, cookies, yogurt and water.  Taste NY vending machines were first tried at the 2014 Great New York State Fair, and later added to the State Capitol, Legislative Office Building, and Department of Agriculture & Markets in Albany.

                    The Taste NY program has also involved many special events including the Governor's Cup Wine Tour tied to our New York Wine & Food Classic competition.