Saturday, February 9, 2008
NEW YORK GOLD was found in the Sunshine State this week, with New York wineries capturing a total of 190 medals including 19 Gold, 88 Silver, and 83 Bronze. Along with Chris Stamp and Jon Damian of Lakewood Vineyards, I once again had the pleasure of judging at the Florida State Fair International Wine & Grape Juice Competition in Tampa, one of the country’s best with over 1,600 entries this year from 36 states and 10 foreign countries. Gold medals were awarded to Anthony Road 2006 Cabernet Franc/Lemberger; Casa Larga Vineyards Estate Bottled Pallido; Chateau Frank Celebre Cremant and Dr. Konstantin Frank 2006 Dry Riesling; Duck Walk Boysenberry; Earl Estates Meadery Raspberry Reflections; Goose Watch Winery Classic Cream Sherry, Diamond, Golden Spumante, and 2006 Melody; Hunt Country Vineyards 2006 Cayuga White; Knapp Winery Superstition and 2006 Cayuga White; Lakewood Vineyards 2006 Chardonnay; Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars 2006 Estate Bottled Chardonnay; Penguin Bay Percussion; Pindar Vineyards 2005 Cabernet Franc; Torrey Ridge Winery Catawba and Diamond. Florida is a natural market for New York wines, with many permanent transplants along with annually migrating “snowbirds” who split the year between their northern and southern abodes. Our six-week presence last fall at the Epcot Food & Wine Festival reaffirmed the popularity of New York wines of all types from Niagara to Riesling and Merlot. Budget permitting, we’ll be back next fall as well, perhaps with an even larger marketing program.
RIESLINGS DU MONDE is a major international Riesling-only competition held in Strasbourg, France near the fabulous Alsace winegrowing region, and five Finger Lakes Rieslings definitely made their mark this week with Gold medals. They included Chateau LaFayette Reneau 2006 Dry Riesling, Dr. Frank 2006 Riesling, Fox Run 2006 Reserve Riesling, Glenora 2006 Dry Riesling, and Hazlitt 2006 Homestead Reserve Riesling. New York finished third after France and Germany in terms of the number of Gold medals. It’s also interesting to note that New York’s Gold medal winners were all from the 2006 vintage which, although very good, was clearly surpassed in quality by the 2007 harvest; so the wines to be “released” over the next few months are likely to be even better!
NEW YORK FARM BUREAU is a great organization and passionate advocate for farmers and farming in New York, including the grape and wine industry, with the separate but allied Long Island Farm Bureau representing that important agricultural area of the state as well. This week’s “Lobby Days” in Albany drew hundreds of farmers of all commodities from all regions of the state, who visited legislators—including “adopted legislators” from New York City where farms don’t exist—to discuss current issues. In terms of the grape and wine industry, besides our annual budget request for promotion and research programs, there are numerous initiatives to clarify existing laws, remove burdensome regulations, and provide new marketing opportunities. Julie Suarez, New York Farm Bureau’s Director of Government Relations who was instrumental in winning the direct interstate shipment battle in 2005, is once again taking charge of our agenda—so we’re obviously in good hands. Long Island Farm Bureau’s Joe Gergela is another seasoned veteran of the Albany scene, and an important advocate for grape and wine issues.
DR. KONSTANTIN FRANK, the immigrant grape grower who with French-born winemaker Charles Fournier spawned the “Vinifera revolution” in New York some 50 years ago, had an extensive collection of books which his family has donated to Cornell University, the alma mater of his grandson Fred Frank who is now the winery’s President. Dr. Frank was so devoted to his books that he sacrificed all other luggage when emigrating from Europe to the United States. The collection includes a total of 132 19th and 20th Century titles in English, French, German and Russian—reflecting Dr. Frank’s multilingual talent—on a variety of topics, with the vast majority related to grapes and wine.
FULKERSON WINERY on the west side of Seneca Lake is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a new logo and label that will first appear on the 2007 version of its popular “Matinee” wine, a unique blend of Himrod and Lakemont grapes which are most often consumed as fresh table grapes but comprise this sweet white wine with only 7% alcohol, a multiple Gold medal winner. The Fulkerson Farm was originally established in 1805 by Caleb Fulkerson, a Revolutionary War veteran, with the winery’s first vintage of 1988 released in 1989 when the winery was opened by Sayre and Nancy Fulkerson. There are now 26 different wines among the 15,000 cases, with distribution throughout New York State and several other eastern and midwestern states.
GRAPE SEED EXTRACT is a natural antioxidant for chicken meat and could reduce the harmful, pro-oxidative effects of salt, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Food Science. Rich in polyphenols, grape seed extract added to ground chicken reduce the lipid oxidation in processed meat which can otherwise lead to the formation of off odors. This means that grape seed extract could be a natural alternative to artificial additives, producing healthier and better tasting chicken burgers to go with heart-healthy wine.
MODERATE ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION combined with a healthy diet and regular exercise increases your chances of living longer, according to recently published studies of Americans and Danes. The first study involving a large group of Americans showed that following a Mediterranean-style diet—with lots of fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, fish, monounsaturated fat, less red meet, and moderate alcohol—reduced total mortality (death from all causes) by about 20%. The Danish study once again showed that moderate alcohol consumption reduces the risk of heart disease even without exercise, but that being physically active further reduces the risk.
“A glass a day keeps the doctor away.”
A Votre Santé To Your Health
Jim Trezise
585-394-3649, fax
JimTrezise@nywgf.org, email
http://www.newyorkwines.org/, web
http://www.healthyconcordgrapes.com/, web