Wagner Vineyards led a strong showing of New York wines in a couple recent competitions on the left coast.  At the San Diego Wine & Spirits Challenge, they were named Eastern U.S. Winery of the Year while winning Best of  Class for 2013 Riesling Select, and Gold medals for 2014 Riesling Ice Wine and 2013 Semi-Dry Riesling.  The 2013 Semi-Dry Riesling also won Best of Class at the Los Angeles International Wine Competition, joined by Gold medals for 2014 Dry Riesling and 2013 Riesling Select. And, to add an exclamation mark, their 2013 Riesling Select also received a Chairman's Award at the Ultimate Wine Challenge--PLUS "Finalist and/or Great Value" awards for their 2013 Semi-Dry Riesling, 2014 Dry Riesling, and 2014 Riesling Ice Wine.  This shows two things: (1) There is indeed consistency across competitions, and (2) Obviously Wagner is doing Riesling right!

                  At the LA competition, other Best of Class awards went to Belhurst 2015 Pinot Blanc; Coyote Moon 2014 Semi-Sparkling Moscato, 2014 Fire Boat Red, and 2014 River Run; Keuka Spring 2015 Semi-Sweet Riesling; Thirsty Owl 2014 Diamond, and 2015 Traminette.

                  Gold medals were awarded to Coyote Moon 2013 Brianna, and 2014 Razzle Dazzle; Keuka Spring 2015 Dry Riesling, 2015 Humphrey's Vineyard Riesling, 2015 Semi-Sweet Riesling, and 2015 Vignoles; Lamoreaux Landing 2012 Merlot, Block 137; Swedish Hill 2014 Blue Waters; and Thirsty Owl 2015 Riesling.

                   At the Ultimate Wine Challenge, Sheldrake Point also received top awards for its 2015 Dry Rose, and 2015 Pinot Gris. 

                   This weekend I'm judging at the San Francisco International Wine Competition, though the results won't be immediately available.  After that, in early August, comes Indy International followed by our own New York Wine & Food Classic.   Watch for a New York Gold rush.   

                   On Thursday morning, I had the pleasure of opening a "Mini-Conference" of the Society of Wine Educators (SWE) at the Woodcliff Resort and Convention Center near Rochester.  SWE is a very important organization for the wine industry, each year holds a major conference somewhere in the country, and this year decided to also try a "mini-conference" smaller in scale, agenda, and time commitment.  (The main conference is in August.) 

                   Thanks largely to Lorraine Hems of the Rochester Institute of Technology who serves on the SWE Board, the Finger Lakes region was the first mini-conference venue.  Better yet, the full SWE conference in 2018 will be there as well--a big deal.  Many thanks also to Shields Hood, who runs the SWE.

                    In describing the New New York Wine Industry and how we got to now, I discussed grapes, politics, research, promotion, quality, and, of course, Unity.  One way or another, they are all tied to the business climate, which is essentially shaped by people in Albany and Washington--explaining why WE have to get involved in educating them about our industry and issues.

                    For example, before the Farm Winery Act of 1976 was passed, there were only 14 wineries in 9 counties; today there are over 400 in 59 counties (out of 62), generating annual economic benefits for the State exceeding $5 billion.  In addition, without the Farm Winery Act to make it economically feasible to operate a small winery, I strongly doubt that the "vinifera revolution" would have happened despite the evidence that vinifera grapes and wine could be produced in New York.

                    Happily, this week brought some more good news about the business climate for our industry.  Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that a sales tax exemption on samples of beer will also be extended to the wine, cider, and spirits sectors, saving money which can be invested into the businesses.  Second, the State of Pennsylvania finally became the 44th state to allow direct-to-consumer shipment of wine, which will begin as of August 8.  This is especially important for New York wineries because a huge number of out-of-state visitors to the regions are from Pennsylvania, yet their State's bureaucratic, antiquated government monopoly system for wine sales essentially locks out New York wines.  Now, finally, consumers in the Quaker State can be free.

                           Silver Thread Winery is celebrating 25 years throughout June with special tastings, vineyard tours, and a Summer Solstice Party and 25th Anniversary on June 18.  Created by Richard Figiel in 1991, Silver Thread's owners since 2011, Paul and Shannon Brock, have continued the tradition of focusing on European varieties and dry wines produced sustainably.  More information about the winery and anniversary is available at www.silverthreadwine.com.

                           Finger Lakes Wine Festival at Watkins Glen International  in mid-July is celebrating its 20th anniversary, with plans to make it bigger and better than ever.  The FLWF began quite small, but has grown into one of the largest events of its kind on the East Coast, topping 20,000 visitors.  The Festival includes 4 large tasting tents, 3 music stages, 3 food courts, seminars, cooking demonstrations by the New York Wine & Culinary Center, and much more.

                           Farm Credit East, the largest lender to the Northeast wine and grape industry exceeding $212 million in loans, also has a great Winery Benchmarks Program that it is expanding.  The new program will offer participants two report options: the traditional Management Review report or a shorter Executive Summary report.  Many New York wineries have taken this program, with great results.  For more information, contact Gregg McConnell (Gregg.Mcconnell@farmcrediteast.com).