That's the invitation you'll get when you visit www.winemag.com/nycraftbeverages on either your PC or smartphone.

                  It's the newest tourist tool that we developed in conjunction with Wine Enthusiast magazine, and with funding from Empire State Development thanks to Governor Andrew Cuomo's commitment announced at the Governor's Wine, Beer, Spirits & Cider Summit.  And it's a spinoff of a previous interactive infographic devoted solely to New York wineries (www.winemag.com/nywineries) which remains live today.

                  It's modern magic: On the home page you're invited to "Start the Adventure", then select a region of the State you want to explore.  That brings you to an alphabetical listing of the businesses, or you can specify a particular beverage type by clicking on the appropriate beverage icon.  When you find the beverage producer you want, you can click on their web site or get directions from wherever you are.  In each region we've also included a small sampling of lodging, restaurants, and non-beverage tourist attractions for added convenience.  It all takes just seconds!

                  The wine industry is by far the oldest and largest beverage sector, but cideries and distilleries have been growing strongly in recent years, and have become tourist attractions as well. Having all three in the same infographic can create synergy and draw more tourists.  (The craft beer segment is developing their own system, and chose not to participate in this project.) 

                   So we created this new resource as a partnership among Wine Enthusiast, I Love NY, and the New York Wine & Grape Foundation.  Greg Remillard from Wine Enthusiast and Dana Alexander from our office did a great job putting both interactive infographics together, and we thank them.

                   Visit the site today, and every day, and come see us.  The days are getting longer, the temperatures warmer, and the beverages better.

                  As I have said several times, the world's largest wine trade show--Prowein, in Dusseldorf, Germany every March--is always a great source of perspective, and once again last week it didn't disappoint.

                  The first perspective is always how massive this show is, which in turn reflects how massive the worldwide wine industry is.  This year there were 6,200 exhibitors from 59 countries and 55,000 trade visitors from 123 countries.  In other words, even though it takes place in Germany, this is not just a German, or even European, show.  It is truly international.

                  Still, European exhibitors dominate, including 1,500 from Italy, 1,300 from France, and 1,000 from Germany, along with hundreds from other EU countries; only 600 came from "Overseas", meaning non-European countries.  Our "New York Wines" booth was adjacent to those of our colleagues from California, Oregon, and Washington.

                  New York State produces 0.2% of the world's wine--that's two-tenths of one percent.  How's that for perspective?

                  But size isn't everything.  Quality and reputation loom large, as does persistence. The first step to success is showing up, which we've done for years, so many people now come looking for us, either from having visited our booth before or having heard of us from others.  But when welcoming the newbies, it's still always fun to watch the surprise as they learn that (1) New York is more than a city, (2) we make wine, and (3) it's so good!

                 Finally, having a European importer (New York Wines Sarl) is a tremendous benefit for New York wines.  Rarely do actual sales take place at trade shows, so it's the follow-up that is important, and that takes "feet on the street".  So Scott Osborn of Fox Run Vineyards and I were delighted to use Prowein as the venue for presenting the Ron Reals Distributor Award to Christian Claessens, who created and runs this important company.

                 Susan Spence runs our export program from A to Z, and does a fabulous job.  We also appreciate the winery representatives who helped staffed the booth this year: Philip Dunsmore of Brotherhood Winery, Jonathan Oakes of Leonard Oakes Winery, Scott and Ruth Osborn of Fox Run, and Ali Tuthill of the Long Island Wine Council.  And of course none of it would be possible without funding from the Market Access Program of USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service.  Next up is the London Wine Trade Fair in May.

                   Maple Weekends are always a great rite of winter-turning-to-spring in 45 upstate counties where the lusciously sweet syrup is produced, so this weekend and April 2-3 are the opportunities this year.  New York State is America's #2 maple syrup producer, behind neighboring Vermont, making over 600,000 gallons annually and growing strongly.  For more information, visit www.MapleWeekend.com.

                    Whoops!  Theoretically, Tennessee consumers will be able to buy wine in grocery and convenience stores starting on July 1--if the stores can get the wine first.  Seems like the law authorizing grocery store sales forgot to allow the stores to stock up ahead of time--which could be a problem!--but fortunately a companion bill has been introduced to fix it.

                   Meanwhile, a group called Oklahomans for Modern Laws has launched a petition drive for a November ballot initiative to allow wine sales in grocery and convenience stores in that state.  Seems like a trend.

                   Grand Tasting in New York City on March 8 drew 317 members of the trade and media during the afternoon, and 250 consumers in the event, a new record for our NY Drinks NY program.  It wasn't long ago that New York wines were simply not a "draw", but all that has changed, and we're going to build on the momentum in the future.