The New York Wine & Food Classic, celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, will take place on August 11 & 12 at the fabulous Watkins Glen Harbor Hotel, with a record number of entries (more than 900) and a great panel of international judges to determine the best of the best.
Known as "The Oscars" of New York wine, the Classic is highly respected for its integrity, efficiency, quality of judges, and promotion of the top scoring wines, which often sell out within days. As always, there will be one full day of judging by seven different panels, followed the second morning by the "Governor's Cup" tasteoffs to determine the best wines in each major category and, ultimately, of the entire competition. Last year it was Chateau Lafayette Reneau 2013 Semi-Dry Riesling. The other top award, "Winery of the Year" for best overall showing, went to Macari Vineyards on Long Island.
This year's 21 judges hail from New York (State and City), California, several other states, London, and Paris, and represent diversity in the professional areas of the wine world:
--Jessica Altieri, Certifed Sommelier and CEO, Wine Channel TV Network, Chicago
--Julie Arkell, Freelance Wine & Spirits Writer & Author, London
--Kathy Arnick, Lecturer, Viticulture & Enology, Cornell University
--Jill Blume, Enology Specialist, Purdue University, and Executive Director INDY International Wine Competition
--Bernard Burtschy, Wine Columnist, Le Figaro, Paris
--Rene Chazottes, Wine Director, Maitre Sommelier, The Pacific Club, Newport Beach, California
--Patrick Comiskey, Senior Editor, Wine & Spirits Magazine, Los Angeles
--Richard Dreher, Assistant General Manager and Beverage Director, Monument Lane, New York City
--Traci Dutton, Manager of Public Wine & Beverage Studies, Culinary Institute of America, St. Helena, CA
--Anna Lee Iijima, Contributing Editor, Wine Enthusiast Magazine, New York
--Aimee Lasseigne New, Assistant Manager, Bottlerocket Wine & Spirits, New York
--Ann Littlefield, International Wine & Spirits Marketing, Napa, CA
--Bill Mahoney, Wine Manager, Premium Wine & Spirits, Williamsville, NY
--Dr. Anna Katharine Mansfield, Associate Professor of Enology, Cornell
--Ann Miller, Marketing Manager, St. James Winery, Missouri
--Jerry Pellegrino, Chef/Owner, Waterfront Kitchen, Baltimore
--Mike Riley, Wine & Spirits Director of Operations & Educations, Wegmans
--Coke Roth, Wine Consultant, Writer & Attorney, Kennewick, Washington
--Stephanie Rudat, General Manager & Wine Buyer, Ryans Wine & Spirits, Canandaigua, NY
--Dr. Bob Small, Professor Emeritus & Wine Book Author, Pomona, CA
--Patrick Watson, Owner, Back Label Wine Merchants, Stinky Bklyn, The Jake Walk Wine Bar, Manhattan and Brooklyn.
This is the first major wine competition where a majority of the judges are women (other than women-themed competitions). And this year we've also invited five non-voting "guest judges" from the New York Wine & Culinary Center, which does such a great job promoting New York wines, other craft beverages and foods. The Classic gives them the best opportunity possible to taste a wide range of New York wines--and figure out which ones they want to feature.
Judges are great, but wouldn't ever get to taste any wines without the backroom staff, and under the supervision of Teresa Knapp (a.k.a. New York Wine Boss) we have the best and most efficient one on the planet Earth.
Best of all, the Classic starts out with an incredible Welcome Dinner on Monday night for the judges and staff at nearby Lakewood Vineyards. Chef Jerry Pellegrino and Sous-Chef Coke Roth, with help from a bunch of us kitchen elves, put together an incredible feast of Northwest Salmon (thanks, Coke!), fresh local vegetables and fruits, local meats, and more--all topped off with Dr. Bob's ice cream. It's a great way to start a great event!
Watch for the results on Wednesday, August 12. Then go buy the wines!
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