Wine & Spirits, which years ago was the first major consumer wine magazine to discover and applaud the increasing number of high-quality New York wines, recently found some more that its editors like.

                  Anthony Road Winery got particularly high marks with its 2014 Dry Riesling and 2013 Cabernet Franc-Lemberger, both of which received scores of 93.  Dr. Konstantin Frank received 92 for its 2014 Semi-Dry Riesling, and 91 for its 2014 Gewurztraminer.

                  Other 90+ scores, all for 2013 Cabernet Franc, went to Damiani (92), Hector Wine Company (91), and Fox Run (90).  

                  Several of these wines were also rated Best Buys. 

                  NYDrinksNY, our highly successful program to increase the presence of New York wines in New York City, concluded Phase V this week with a spectacular Grand Tasting.  Nearly 40 New York wineries from throughout the State offered their finest to scores of influential trade and media representatives in the afternoon, followed by hundreds of enthusiastic consumers in the evening.

                  The event was elegantly catered by our own New York Wine & Culinary Center in Canandaigua, which did a great job artfully presenting a delicious array of all-New York foods to a delighted New York audience.

                  The Grand Tasting is always the culmination of a year of activity, including vineyard and cellar visits to the major regions by influential members of the New York City media and trade.  Almost invariably, after they have seen the regions, met the people, an tasted the wines where they are produced, they return to the Big Apple as ambassadors for New York wines.

                   NYDNY was first created by Michael Gitter and Kayt Mathers of First Press Public Relations, both of whom have now moved on (though Kayt will remain involved at times).  At their enthusiast suggestion, we are now working with Marissa Ain of Plate + Decanter, a renowned event planner whose expertise an efficiency were evident at this great event.

                   We are very grateful to the Genesee Valley Regional Market Authority, with support from the New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets, for the grants that have make this superb program possible; and we hope to continue it in the future.

                  Every winter, we host a meeting of New York State's wine trails (now numbering 20, from all over the State), and it always turns out to be a highly instructive and productive meeting for everyone involved.  The purpose is basically to share information: How is your trail organized and funded... How was last year...What events are most (or least) successful...What are the key issues your trail is facing?

                 For the new trails in particular, the information is invaluable as they try to build a new organization and promotional mechanism.  But even the "old-timers" say they always learn more than they teach.  The discussions are also a great reflection of the challenges facing the whole industry.  This year's top ones:

-- Industry Growth: While it's great in some ways that new wineries are popping up all across the state, the basic problem is that the number of tourists is not increasing proportionately--which means smaller pieces of the tourist pie, particularly for the long-time wineries that inspired this growth. Several of our (NYWGF) programs are designed to increase tourism, but still can't be expected to stimulate the growth rate needed to solve this problem.  So it will remain on the table, and we will continue working together toward solutions.  (While the example here is tourism, the same principle applies to New York wines in regional liquor stores and restaurants, which is one reason we have an export program to help expand the off-premise market.)

-- Other Craft Beverages: This is a complex issue as well, about which there is very divided opinion among wineries.  Just as the wine industry has grown strongly over the past couple decades, and explosively since 2011, the craft beer, spirits, and cider sectors have also increased dramatically.  And, like it or not, they are here to stay.  Some winery owners see the other beverages as direct, destructive competitors which have benefited from the wine industry's example; others see the new beverages and their producers as opportunities for cooperation, with several wineries now also producing the other beverages along with wine.  This too is an issue that will remain with us and require lots of conversation (and wine).

-- Bus/Limo Tours: This is not as big or urgent a problem as it used to be, primarily because many trails and/or wineries have taken specific measures or even created formal programs to eliminate rowdy, inebriated consumers from disrupting everyone else.  But it still requires vigilance, discipline, and firmness.  There is also unanimity on who are the absolute worst offenders: Bachelorette limo tours.  The stories I have heard about their behavior are simply unbelievable, and not suitable for this publication.

-- Cooperation: This is by no means a universal issue among trails.  Roughly half feel that the level of cooperation among trail members is just fine, and the other half cite it as a challenge, at least at times.  To some degree, this reflects the age of the trail, with the longer-established ones more used to the idea that they really must work together to succeed, but some of the members of the younger trails still low on that learning curve.

-- Geographical Disparity: This too varies greatly depending on, well, geography.  Some trails -- Like Seneca, Lake Erie, Long Island -- are simple for consumers to navigate, and easy for trail members to get together.  But there are some where the distances between wineries, complex routes, or both make it all much harder.

                    In any case, as I explained to the group of wine trail representatives, even in years when our funding was severely cut, our continuing financial support of the trails was always a top priority.  That's because they bring tourists to the wine regions throughout the state, stimulate direct-to-consumer sales by the wineries, and help build the local economies.

                   They're a major reason why there are now more than 5.3 million tourist visits annually, with wine-related tourism expenditures, and State and local taxes, each exceeding $400 million.  What a gold mine!

                   Prowein is the largest wine trade show in the world, and once again we will have our Uncork New York exhibit to show the flag starting tomorrow.

                  In terms of marketing New York wines here and elsewhere around the world, we have two advantages: familiarity, and surprise.  When people see "New York", they get all excited and say "I know New York, I've been to New York, I love New York".  Everybody "knows" New York!  That's the familiarity.

                   Then comes the surprise: When we tell them that New York makes wine, they ask if we grow the grapes in Central Park.  So we show them a map of New York State, and the many regions where the grapes are grown.

                    And then comes the really tasteful surprise: When they try the wines, they are stunned by how good they are--especially since they're cool climate wines and very European in style.

                   This year we have a great crew staffing the booth: Christian Claessens (New York Wines Sarl, a European importer), Philip Dunsmore (Brotherhood Winery), Jonathan Oakes (Leonard Oakes Estate Winery), Scott and Ruth Osborn (Fox Run Vineyards), Ali Tuthill (Long Island Wine Council), and our own Susan Spence, who organizes the whole thing.  We appreciate all their time and effort.

                    Christian Claessens (New York Wines Sarl) will be formally presented the Ron Reals Distributor Award tomorrow, since he couldn't attend the recent Unity Banquet.  It's fitting that the presentation will be made at a European trade show, which is where he works his magic.  We thank him for all his efforts.

                    WineAmerica is a vital organization for New York and other American wineries, and every winery should be a dues-paid member.

                    It's the only national organization of American wineries, and our only advocate and protector in Washington, DC.  (Wine Institute is an excellent organization and a great partner, but it represents only wineries in California.)  There were several good examples in the "PATH Act" of 2015 (omnibus budget bill), formally known as the "Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act".

                   Among the provisions is the elimination of required bonds for the vast majority of American wineries, starting in January 2017.  While the details are still being worked out, basically any winery that has a tax bill below $50,000 won't have to maintain a wine bond.  Depending on the size of the winery, that could mean anywhere from $100 to $1,000 in annual savings.

                   The smartest want to invest those savings?  Join WineAmerica.