Saturday, August 25,
“NEW YORK WINES & DINES” officially kicks off this week with a special tasting for trade and media on Wednesday afternoon at the “W” Hotel right on Union Square in New York City. New York wines with New York foods in New York restaurants—that’s what NYWD is all about, and it happens throughout the month of October. At this point, there are 26 New York wineries which have chosen to participate, and we expect over 70 top restaurants and 25 wine shops to help us “Uncork New York” during prime time for food and wine. For the past several months, we’ve been planning and organizing this very complex promotion in conjunction with Wine & Food Associates of New York City, and Wednesday’s tasting will let trade participants make their final wine selections for the month. Restaurants feature at least three New York wines by the glass (along with recipes using New York foods), and wine shops promote at least five different brands. Media representatives are also invited to this week’s event so they can taste the wines and get a glimpse of the promotion. After this tasting, we’ll update the special web site (http://www.newyorkwinesanddines.org) and put together the ads that will run in Time Out New York and the New York Times. The next major event is a special tasting for consumers, also at “W”, on September 27 in conjunction with the “Greens” of the James Beard House. Several of our key partners—Pride of New York, McCadam Cheese, Mercer’s Ice Cream, and others—will also be at both events.
NEW YORK FARM DAY on September 18 is also coming up fast, with the first RSVP’s already emailed to me. Hosted by Senator Hillary Clinton, Farm Day is a tasteful showcase of New York wines, foods, farms and restaurants right in the Senate Caucus Room, one of the most elegant and historic rooms on the Hill. We organize the event with support from several sponsors, and participation by exhibitors from throughout the State who bring their great products for people to sample. First held in 2002, Senator Clinton’s Farm Day has become the hottest ticket on the Hill, attracting many of her Senate colleagues along with members of the House, Administration officials, Washington restaurants, retailers, and wine writers. The message: New York is a major farm state, with all kinds of great products and producers. The only problem—a nice one to have—is that it has become so popular that we’ve run out of room for both exhibitors and attendees.
BILLSBORO WINERY on the west side of Seneca Lake is one of New York’s newest (2 weeks young), enjoying a second birth under the ownership of Vinny and Kim Aliperti. Billsboro was created in 2000 by the late Dr. Bob Pool, a world-renowned viticultural researcher at Geneva, and a partner. Vinny is head winemaker at the award-winning Atwater Estate Winery on the southeast end of Seneca Lake, and is now making his own wines as well. They include a Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon and, on the white side, Pinot Gris, Riesling and Chardonnay along with a “House White” made from Vidal and Cayuga. The winery is in a restored 19th Century barn just south of Geneva, and features local artisanal breads, cheeses and meats. For more information. http://www.billsborowinery.com
DR. FRANK’S VINIFERA WINE CELLARS celebrates its 45th anniversary tomorrow, while KNAPP WINERY & RESTAURANT celebrated its 25th today. In both cases, the founders and owners were true pioneers who have transformed the New York wine industry and laid the foundation for today’s success. High above Keuka Lake, Dr. Konstantin Frank sparked the Vinifera revolution in the eastern United States with his fierce determination, grape growing experience, and perseverance. Many people were skeptical, including some who today are producing superb Rieslings, Cabernet Francs and Pinot Noirs thanks to his work. On Cayuga Lake, Doug and Suzie Knapp began as grape growers before opening their winery in 1982, and leading the industry in many ways. Doug was president of the New York State Wine Grape Growers when they got a marketing order for promotion and research; they were founders of the Cayuga Wine Trail (the first one, and the model for others), created the Finger Lakes Wine Festival, opened the first gourmet restaurant at a winery, and created great brandies along with their wines. While they sold the winery to Gene Pierce and his partners at Glenora several years ago, Doug still consults for wineries and they came back for the celebration. They’re the special type of people who go beyond themselves to make the industry better for all.
CANOPY MANAGEMENT sounds like maintenance at an outdoor restaurant, but in the winegrowing business it’s about a different type of canopy—the leaves which capture the sunlight and feed it to the grapes so they ripen. The issue of canopy management—how to make sure the leaves are doing their job, but also making sure the grapes get the perfect amount of direct sunlight—is vitally important at this time of year, and has a major bearing on grape quality. There are only a handful of experts in the world, and one of them—Dr. Andy Reynolds—has been giving seminars in various regions as part of our “Total Quality Focus” program. Several other TQF projects are also underway—from a space-based site selection map to wine analysis and daily emails from Cooperative Extension—that all focus on improving quality from A to Z. There will even be a special “TQF Team” of researchers that will travel to the various regions to convey the results of all the research.
INTERNET MARKETING of New York wines recently got another boost from the New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets when 60 wineries received grants to increase the visibility of New York wines via the internet. Commissioner Patrick Hooker announced $59,000 to create or improve the websites of 60 New York wineries in the second wave of such grants. Ag & Markets is a great partner for our industry, and we thank them as always.
GRAPES are the only fruit crop in New York with increased acreage, according to a report soon to be released by the New York Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), which surveys orchards and vineyards every six years. Overall, the 81,662 acres of fruit trees and grapes is 3% less than the survey conducted five years ago, with grapes showing the only increase at 2%. However, while apple acreage declined 5%, the number of trees increased 25% due to denser plantings. The full report will be available at http://www.nass.usda.gov/ny.
“A meal without wine is like a day without sunshine.”
n Anthelme Brillat-Savarin
A Votre Santé To Your Health
Jim Trezise
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585-394-3649, fax
JimTrezise@nywgf.org, email
http://www.newyorkwines.org/, web
http://www.healthyconcordgrapes.com/, web