The May edition of Wine Enthusiast includes a baker's dozen of great scores for New York wines, starting with 92 for Sheldrake Point 2014 Wild Ferment Riesling Ice Wine, and 91 for Damiani 2012 Reserve Pinot Noir.

                  Scores of 90 were awarded to Damiani 2012 Barrel Select Cabernet Franc, 2012 Meritage, and 2012 Reserve Pinot Noir, Lower Block; Heron Hill 2012 The Chosen Spot, Ingle Vineyard, 2011 Eclipse Red, and 2012 Pinot Noir, Ingle Vineyard; Rooster Hill 2013 Semi-Sweet Riesling Reserve; Red Newt 2013 Circle Riesling; Hosmer 2013 Riesling; and Fox Run 2013 Gewurztraminer.

                   It wasn't long a go that ratings of 90 and above for New York wines were rare, but now they're increasingly common due to their consistently high quality and the respect the industry has earned.

                   This week there will undoubtedly be a slew of Gold medals from the Pacific Rim International Wine Competition, followed soon after by Riverside and LA.  The Gold medals and high scores have given the New York wine industry an international reputation for quality, and the wineries which enter their wines deserve a great deal of credit for helping everyone.

                Washington, DC was overflowing with tourists last week, thanks to the beautiful cherry blossoms, which are wonderful unless you're allergic to them, as I quickly discovered.

                Anyway, we had a good series of meetings with staff of our Senators and Representatives as well as colleagues around the country.  It's always fascinating to hear what's going on in other states, both good and bad, and also a great opportunity to help one another in various ways.

                 Following the WineAmerica/Winegrape Growers of America joint meetings we also had a two-day session of the National Grape and Wine Initiative, the strategic planning organization for research nationwide.  It's a great forum for getting all our heads together to map out the best strategy for advancing the industry's research needs.

                  Our friends in the New York craft beer industry shared some exciting news this week in the form of a $3.5 billion total economic impact on the State economy (based on 2013 data). While the craft beer industry started to grow slowly about a decade ago, it has boomed since 2011 when Governor Andrew Cuomo took office and hosted two "Wine, Beer, Spirits & Cider" summits resulting in many positive changes for all the beverage categories.  Example: From 95 craft breweries in 2012 the industry has now grown to 207.

                    We were sad to learn that Long Island winery owner Bob Pellegrini recently passed away.  A very creative and talented graphic designer, Bob's striking winery and labels reflected those characteristics, and the wines were always top notch.  In fact, Pellegrini Vineyards was named Winery of the Year at our 2002 New York Wine & Food Classic, recognizing consistently high quality across the board.

                    We extend our condolences to his wife Joyce, and Bob's family and friends.