The recent Grand Harvest Awards held in Sonoma, CA once again yielded some more New York Gold, including four Best of Class, three Double Gold, and eight Gold medals.

                 Best of Class awards went to Dr. Frank 2014 Dry Riesling (also a Double Gold and Best of Finger Lakes AVA); Heron Hill 2013 Semi-Dry Riesling (also Gold and Best of New York State AVA); Liberty Vineyards 2014 Traminette (also Gold and Best of Lake Erie AVA); and Thirsty Owl 2014 Diamond (also Gold).

                 Additional Double Gold medals went to Swedish Hill 2014 Late Harvest Vignoles and Thirsty Owl 2014 Gewurztraminer.  And other Golds went to Dr. Frank 2014 Gruner Veltliner; Heron Hill 2012 Cabernet Franc, and 2013 Semi-Sweet Riesling; Liberty Vineyards 2014 Reds, Whites & Blues Rose; and Swedish Hill 2013 Blue Waters Pinot Noir.

                 That pretty much does it for wine competitions in 2015, but in just a few weeks the 2016 season begins with the huge San Francisco Chronicle Competition, the nation's largest where New York wines often win Best White Wine (with about 6,000 wines entered).  As always, I'll be there to judge.

                 Meanwhile, Shinn Estate Vineyard 2014 Mojo Cabernet Franc was named by New York Times wine writer Eric Asimov as one of the Top 10 wines of 2015.

                  For your perfect holiday shopping list, visit www.newyorkwines.org and go to the Awards & Accolades section for Gold medal wines and above.

                  Cheers!

                    Today and tomorrow, three of the world's most influential wine writers, all from the United Kingdom, stopped by to sample New York wines in Manchester, England.  Tim Atkins, Oz Clarke, and Olly Smith are known as the "Three Wine Men", at least at this time of year (Christmas season).  The "Three Wine Men" consumer wine events have been also held in Cardiff and London, with New York wines also available at the London show.

                    The three also have a lively sense of humor and propensity for making wine fun and approachable.  They encourage exhibitors to put symbols on their different bottles so that consumers will know if they are Fresh & Exuberant (like Olly), Classic & Complex (like Tim), or Bold & Fruity (like Oz).  Consumers are also offered the circular stickers to put on their clothes so we know what types of wines they prefer.  Brilliant!  It's also great that show attendees can actually purchase the wines they like, right on the spot!

                     These events are just one part of the Uncork New York export program orchestrated by our Vice President, Susan Spence, and made possible by funding under the Market Access Program of the Foreign Agricultural Service.  With the involvement of European importing company New York Wines Sarl run by Christian Claessens, which now also includes a UK sales representative, we're making significant inroads into the markets on the other side of the pond.

                     The other clear message that resonated from this show, and others, is the magic of two words: "New York".  That brand is known throughout the world, but most people automatically think of the Statue of Liberty, Broadway, and Wall St.--not knowing that the great city is just a small part of a great State the size of France, and which also makes great wines.  So for wineries wishing to make a dent in the export markets, the first thing to do is put "New York" prominently on your label, with the regional appellation (Finger Lakes, Hudson River, Long Island) as a subset.  People overseas all know New York, but few know those regions until we can explain them while showing them a map of the State.

                    Johnson Estate Winery in the Lake Erie region just keeps getting great press in different places. 

                    Wines & Vines, based in California, had a nice piece by Linda Jones McKee on the drone that co-owner Fred Johnson used for a beautiful flyover of their vineyards in late October.  And then there's a feature article in the Cornell magazine about their three-generation family business.

                    Frederick Johnson graduated from Cornell in 1901, and in 1908 bought a 300-acre farm in Westfield (near the Pennsylvania border at the far western area of the state).  In 1961 his son, aptly named Fred Johnson, created Johnson Estate Winery, the oldest estate winery in New York State (meaning they use only the grapes they grow themselves).  Then his son, named Fred Johnson, and his wife (Jennifer) took over the operation and run it now--well over 100 years after the first Fred bought the farm.  And they're doing a great job.

                    What do they all (including Jennifer) have in common besides family bonds?  They're all Cornellians.  It's a great story: http://www.cornell.edu/features/economicimpact/begn-with-a-cornellian 

                     Keuka Spring Vineyards has come out with a limited selection of wines which in my view is brilliant in concept and especially packaging.  KSV has twice won our Governor's Cup, plus Best White Wine in America at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition (the 2016 version is just three weeks away), and winemaker August Deimel obviously does great job.

                    He decided to experiment with some new techniques, part of a "Research & Development" series, and the wines came out so well that the winery decided to release them in limited quantities: Umlaut (a Gewuztraminer), Omega (an ice wine), and Wild Mountain Man (a dry red blend).

                    I haven't tried the wines, though I'm sure they're excellent, but as a consumer their packaging--eye-catching, compelling, and brilliant--would entice me to buy them and try them.  The front "label" is truly minimalist (Umlaut, Omega, Wild Mountain Man--that's all) on something that looks like the electrical tape they use to keep track of wines as they develop.  Then all the other information is on the back label.  And each bottle is individually numbered.

                    It's a great example of: Less is more.

                    Oh, and Wild Mountain Man?  It's basically the translation of Wiltberger, as in Len and Judy, who own the winery.

                    On the other side of Keuka Lake, Dr. Frank Wines has released a truly unique wine with a strikingly beautiful label: Eugenia 2014 Dry Riesling.  This is the first of three planned wines to celebrate the contributions of the women of the Frank family over the years.  Eugenia was Dr. Konstantin Frank's wife, who fortunately urged him to study viticulture, which ultimately led to the "vinifera revolution" in the Finger Lakes and beyond.

                    This dry Riesling is made with grapes from one of the oldest and steepest sections of vineyards, and like the others to follow is a single vineyard wine.  The label is stunningly elegant and beautiful.  I can't wait to taste the wine.

                    New York State is a tiny part of the vast world of wine: About 3% of all U.S. production (and most of that is by Constellation Brands), 0.2% (2/10ths of 1 percent) of total world wine production.

                    But New York State is well known in the world of wine, in part because we are involved with many national and international organizations that are important to the entire industry.  Right now, for instance, Finger Lakes grape grower Linda Purdy is President of Winegrape Growers of America, a national organization of grape growing associations.  And Trent Preszler from Long Island's Bedell Cellars is currently Vice Chair, and in May will become Chair, of WineAmerica, the national association of American wineries.

                    Over the years, there have been many members of our industry who have stepped up to the plate: Monty Stamp, John Martini, Jim Bedient, Tom Davenport, and certainly Jim Finkle.  Their many contributions have ensured that New York State is taken seriously as a major player in the world of wine, despite our tiny size.