March 21, 2015

Spring! Great scores and more Gold, Prowein, 399 wineries, Long Island's wine-chef, and sad goodbyes.

Cheers!

Jim Trezise

Great New Scores and more Gold for New York Wines

Happy Spring! We decided to celebrate it with a new look to the Wine Press created by our awesome graphic designer Book Marshall of Rochester. Book is a tremendously creative and very reliable partner whom I can recommend enthusiastically to anyone looking for a great look.

One of the many reasons I love living in the Finger Lakes is the four distinct seasons, each with its own special moods and unique beauty. But I'll also admit that at this time of year my feeling about winter is: Enough already!

Sheldrake Point Vineyards topped a list of New York wines scoring 90 and above in the current edition of Wine & Spirits magazine, with a 95 for its 2014 Wild Ferment Riesling Ice Wine, joined by a 94 for 2014 Riesling Ice Wine (not Wild Ferment).

Other top scorers included Hermann J.Wiemer 2013 Semi-Dry Riesling (94), with ratings of 92 going to Dr. Frank 2012 Riesling Reserve and Red Newt 2013 Dry Riesling, and scores of 91 for Billsboro 2012 Riesling (Sawmill Creek Vineyards), Hermann J. Wiemer 2012 Dry Riesling Reserve, and Red Tail Ridge 2012 Teroldego (RTR Vineyard).

The ratings were done by Senior Correspondent Patrick Comiskey, with whom I have the pleasure of judging at the great LA International Wine & Spirits Competition in May.

Elsewhere, on WineReviewOnline.com, scores of 94 were given to Dr. Frank 2013 Dry Riesling and Penguin Bay 2013 Vidal Blanc Ice Wine. And Wine Enthusiast's Anna Lee Iijima awarded 90 points each to Heron Hill 2011 Cabernet Franc; Billsboro 2012 Pinot Noir; and Whitecliff 2012 Reserve Gamay Noir.

Finally for now, at the Monterey (CA) Wine Competition, Dr. Frank 2013 Dry Riesling took Best Riesling, with its 2014 Gruner Veltliner earning a Gold. Penguin Bay 2013 Vidal Blanc Ice Wine won a Platinum, with Gold medals going to Penguin Bay Percussion, Swedish Hill Naturel, Spumante Blush, 2013 Vidal Blanc, and Riesling Cuvee.

Results from the awesome Finger Lakes International Wine Competition will be available for next week's Wine Press, so expect to see a ton of Gold!

Prowein: The Big Wide World of Wine

Prowein is the world's largest wine trade show, providing a vivid reminder of how big the world of wine is--and how much competition we have.

Thanks to funding from the USDA's Foreign Agriculture Service under the Market Access Program (MAP), last week there was a "New York Wines" exhibit--right next to our friends from California, Oregon, and Washington--where we offered a couple dozen New York wines from around the State. Susan Spence organized everything and was joined by industry representatives Jon Cupp (Thirsty Owl Winery), Philip Dunsmore (Brotherhood), Bob Madill (Finger Lakes Wine Alliance) Juan Micieli-Martinez (Martha Clara), Chris Missick (Bellangelo), and European importer Christian Classens (New York Wines SARL). A great team indeed!

As always, we had three marketing advantages: (1) familiarity--everybody on earth "knows New York", (2) surprise--that it's more than a city, and in fact a very big state that has 400 wineries, and (3) delight--at how great the wines are. And now with "feet on the street" with Mr. Classens representing some of the wineries, follow-up is possible to place wines in key accounts around Europe.

Prowein 2015 also provided a reality check: There were 5,970 exhibitors, all with spaces much larger than ours, and they came from 50 different countries (not regions; countries!). Over 52,000 trade visitors attended, with 40% placing orders during the show and another 44% intending to do so afterwards.

There were 17 separate but connected halls on the grounds, with each hall larger than two Walmarts put together--or the total space of over 34 Walmarts. Each one was packed with exhibitors, and in some cases by one country--Germany occupied two halls, Italy another, France yet another, and even China(!) had a significant presence.

While it's humbling, it's also a great learning experience--to discover where wine is being made, what it tastes like, and how producers are trying to market it. And the nicest thing about the wine industry worldwide is the warm collegiality of its people.

Perhaps it's the wine.

Free Run...

397...398...399...The day is almost here when there will be 400 licensed wineries in New York State. We're just one more away, and with several licenses pending, plus the State Liquor Authority's expedited processing, it could be any day now.

It doesn't seem that long ago that a New York Times reporter asked if I thought we'd ever exceed 100! I was confident we would, but frankly never envisioned the strong and explosive growth, especially over the past four years. And whereas 30 years ago, wine was a largely regional industry, today it is statewide, with wineries in 59 of New York's 62 counties--including Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens!

Bonnie Hampton keeps winery statistics by working closely with the SLA, and was recently asked about the Finger Lakes figures over the past 40 years. In 1975, before the Farm Winery Act, there were 5; in 1985, when the New York Wine & Grape Foundation was created, still only 25; in 2010, 98; and today 129. And counting...

The wine industry is a major economic engine for New York State, generating more than $4.8 billion annually in economic benefits across many sectors.

"I'm going to come right out and say it: I love, love, love Long Island wine."

So begins the wine list at Jewel, one of several fine Long Island restaurants owned by Chef Tom Schaudel, the recipient of our Restaurant Award this year. But his rhapsodizing doesn't stop there, and in fact occupies a full page of wonderful prose, including a great call to action: "Throw off the prejudice, think local, drink local, and give these wines a try."

Tom also sees the bigger picture, and since the beginning has been a participant at New York Farm Day in Washington which we organize and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand hosts to remind Congress and the Administration that New York is a major farm state. In his spare time, he's also the singer and lead guitarist in a rock band and the author of one of the funniest books I've ever read: "Playing with Fire: Whining and Dining on the Gold Coast". Buy it, and roar! www.tomschaudel.com.

The New York wine industry lost two pioneers this week on Long Island and in the Hudson Valley.

Walter Channing, Jr. was a venture capitalist, talented sculptor, and the creator of Channing Daughters Winery, named for his four children. Located in The Hamptons on Long Island's south fork, the winery's unique approach to growing grapes and making wine reflects the founder's artistic creativity.

Bill Wetmore founded Cascade Mountain Winery and Restaurant on the east side of the Hudson River. Besides his love of making and consuming wine, Bill was a man of words, a novelist who often created fanciful names for his wines, which encouraged consumers to smile and just enjoy wine without taking it too seriously. Bill also served on our Board of Directors, and hosted one of our meetings at the winery restaurant, which combined good food with a laid-back ambiance.

Our condolences to the families and friends of both men.

Words on Wine...

"Water divides the people of the world. Wine brings them together."