Jim Trezise,“Concord Day” to be featured at Viticulture 2007

“Concord Day” to be featured at Viticulture 2007



Concord grapes account for about two-thirds of New York State’s total vineyard acreage and production, with the vast majority used to produce non-fermented grape juice, so the New York Wine & Grape Foundation’s “Viticulture 2007” conference will devote an entire day of seminars to the subject.

Viticulture 2007 is an international conference and trade show sponsored by the Foundation in conjunction with Cornell Cooperative Extension, including the annual Wine Industry Workshop. The major event, expected to attract over 1,000 members of the industry and trade from around the world, takes place on February 7-9 at the Rochester Riverside Convention Center and Clarion Hotel, the host hotel. A full agenda and registration information are available at http://www.viticulture2007.org.

“Concord grapes are the backbone of New York’s grape industry,” said Jim Bedient, a grower of juice grapes and wine grapes who is also President of the New York State Wine Grape Growers, President of Winegrape Growers of America, Vice Chairman of the New York Wine & Grape Foundation, and Chairman of the Viticulture 2007 Committee. “The Concord sector of the industry is facing challenging times for a variety of reasons, and we want to start turning the challenges into opportunities.”

Friday, February 9 will be “Concord Day”, starting with a plenary session on “Challenges and Opportunities in the Juice Grape Market” for Concord grape growers and others. While the wine industries in New York and other eastern states are experiencing strong growth, the Concord and Niagara juice grape industry is struggling to maintain its place in the market as grape juice becomes an increasingly global commodity. Moderating the kickoff session will be Randy Graham, President of National Grape Cooperative Association (which owns Welch’s), with timely topics and expert speakers including:

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Foreign Juice Imports: Fact vs Fiction—What’s really up with juice coming here from China, Brazil and Argentina (Gred MaGill, Briker, joseph W. Ciatti Company, California
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How the apple industry is dealing with globalization pressures (Jim Cranney, Vice President, US Apple Association, Washington, DC)
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Change is a terrible thing to waste (Jeff Bercuvitz, Community Solutions, Ithaca, NY)

That general session will be followed by several breakout sessions including:

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“Five Factors for Success in Growing Bulk Juice Varieties” led by Cornell University researcher Terry Bates along with five grape growers and a discussion by Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Barry Shaffer on “Cost comparisons of ‘traditional’ and ‘modern’ farm practices”
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“Farm Business Management: How to prosper in today’s agricultural market”, featuring new and creative ideas for agricultural sustainability by Jeff Berkuwicz, Barry Shaffer, and grape grower Jim Joy, a Director of National Grape Cooperative
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“Marketing the Health Effects of Fruit and Juice Products”, featuring Dr. Jim Joseph, Lead Scientist, Neuroscience Laboratory HNRC on Aging at Boston’s Tufts University; Pam Gardner, Senior Product Manager for Health & Nutrition at Welch’s; Jim Cranney, Vice President of the US Apple Association; and Jim Trezise, President of the New York Wine & Grape Foundation who will unveil a major new promotion on the health benefits of Concord grape juice
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“Alternative Uses and Products for Concord and Niagara Grapes”, with John Brahm of Arbor Hill Grapery, Jeff Murphy of Johnson Estate Winery, and Dr. Oldg Padilla-Zakour, Director of Food Entrepreneurship at Cornell University.

The day’s agenda will also include viticultural (grape growing) seminars of interest to growers of Concord and other grape varieties. Full registration for the three-day conference is $220 prior to January 12, and $260 after that date, and includes all seminars, a major trade show, 3 lunches, 2 receptions, and the Unity Banquet. Single day rates are also available. Rooms at the Clarion Hotel are $79. Complete information and on-line registration are available at http://www.viticulture2007.org.



MEDIA CONTACT: Jim Trezise, , jimtrezise@nywgf.org

While the wine industries in New York and other eastern states are experiencing strong growth, the Concord and Niagara juice grape industry is struggling to maintain its place in the market as grape juice becomes an increasingly global commodity.

Ed, as always - a big thank you for the update from Jim Tresize. His articles are always well within my sphere of interest, and I appreciate being able to read them while WLDGing.

Now, I have to make a comment on the above snippet. This is one of those times when I tend to loathe the new rootlessness and detachment that is fast becoming the fruit of this "global economy". Someone once said, cynically, that globalization seeks to remove barriers for the movement of money across the world, but not people. It seems that in more and more sectors, the cheapest buck is being chased, wherever it can be found - damn local stability, damn security, damn loyalty. There are positive aspects to the globalized economy, but I think that they are not evenly distributed, and wherever people invest in a long-term activity (like viticulture), it is terrible to suddenly have their investment undercut because what they're making is suddenly a "global commodity".

None of this hot air will change any of this, of course ... but it does feel a bit better to vent, and I trust that there are like-minded folks reading this.

In any case, I think that one drop in the bucket that might help the labrusca growers is for them to try and leverage the current upsurge in wine interest and seek to have more of their grapes vinified ... that is always a value-adding proposition. And here I tie this back in to my constant pleas that vintners re-think how they treat labrusca in the cellar: treat it as you would any other grape in making quality table wine, and the quality will miraculously follow. Perhaps we could borrow from Field of Dreams and say, "Make it, and they will buy."

A part II from Jim,Thursday, December 21, 2006

Good harvest, gold medals, new Center…



2006—A Very Good Year in New York Wine Country



As 2006 draws to a close, New York grape growers and wine makers have much to celebrate, and just as much to anticipate. In virtually every respect, 2006 was a landmark year for the industry which continues to grow in quantity, quality and reputation.



Among the highlights of 2006 were:

A good and bountiful harvest after two years of small crops
The opening of the New York Wine & Culinary Center
Unprecedented recognition of New York wines by influential media
Scores of gold medals and top awards in international wine competitions
Continuing growth of the industry statewide
Leadership by New Yorkers on national and international levels


The 2006 wine grape harvest provided a bountiful crop for the first time in three years, after very small crops in 2004 and 2005 due to severe winter weather. The timing is perfect for many wineries whose inventories are low at a time when demand is high and increasing. The actual harvest season was a challenge, with growers dodging raindrops to get the crop in, but fruit quality was good to great depending on the particular grape variety and vineyard location. Since “great wines are made in the vineyard,” that bodes well for the 2006 vintage to be released starting in the spring.

The New York Wine & Culinary, a new world-class facility created as a physical and electronic gateway to promote New York wines and foods, opened in mid-June in Canandaigua, the northwest entrance to the Finger Lakes region. An ambitious partnership among Constellation Brands, the New York Wine & Grape Foundation, Rochester Institute of Technology, and Wegman’s, the Center showcases New York products with a large wine tasting bar, demonstration theater, Viking Range Hands-On Kitchen, elegant gift shop, Pride of New York exhibit area, Taste of New York restaurant, and demonstration garden. Support from the State of New York and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton was also vital to the creation of the Center, which has stimulated interest in similar facilities in other regions of the State and in other states.

New York wines have been receiving an ever-increasing amount of press coverage since the 2005 direct interstate shipment law allowed consumers from other states to purchase them. But 2006 was truly a breakthrough year in terms of long-awaited recognition by two of the most influential wine publications. In May, the Wine Spectator published a 40-page cover story on New York wine country featuring a blend of tourism tips, industry information, and wine reviews. A month later, The Wine Advocate published by Robert Parker, Jr. ran a first-ever comprehensive review of New York wines focused on Long Island and the Finger Lakes, with very favorable results. The significance extends well beyond these specific editions to a kind of papal blessing of New York wines, making other wine publications less afraid to write positive reviews.

Another vital form of recognition came from major wine competitions, where New York wines continued capturing Gold medals and several top awards. During 2006, New York wines garnered 45 Double Gold, 180 Gold, and 41 Best of Class awards in various competitions, with the Finger Lakes region’s “signature” wine variety shining ever brighter. In May, Treleaven 2005 Dry Riesling was named Best White Wine (of any type) in the International Eastern Wine Competition. Then Atwater Estate 2005 Riesling won honors as “Best North American Riesling” at the Hyatt International Riesling Challenge in Australia. And in the New York Wine & Food Classic, open to all New York wines, Hermann J. Wiemer 2005 Dry Riesling took the top “Governor’s Cup” award as the best wine among over 750 entered. A full listing of New York’s top award winners is available at http://www.newyorkwines.org, click on “New York Gold”.

Despite antiquated laws and regulations, the New York wine industry continues to grow and remains the fastest growing industry of the agricultural and tourism sectors of the State economy. In the 1990’s, 63 new wineries opened, the same number as in the first five years of this decade, essentially doubling the growth rate. In 2006, another 24 new wineries opened their doors, with many more in the planning stages. Today, New York has a total of 210 wine producers (not including winery satellite stores), with 88 in the Finger Lakes, 41 on Long Island, 33 in the Hudson River Valley, 12 along Lake Erie, 12 in the Niagara region, and 24 in other areas of the state.

New York continues playing a leadership role in several national and international organizations, bringing recognition and respect to the state’s winegrowing industry. Jim Bedient, a Finger Lakes grape grower and President of the New York State Wine Grape Growers Association, is also President of Winegrape Growers of America, a national association of organizations representing wine grape farmers. Tom Davenport, Director of Viticulture for National Grape Cooperative in Westfield, is Chairman of the National Grape and Wine Initiative, a broad-based strategic planning group for research, with Anthony Road Wine’s Company’s John Martini and the New York Wine & Grape Foundation’s Jim Trezise as additional Board members from New York. Jim Finkle, Senior Vice President for External Affairs at Constellation Brands in Fairport, is President of the Paris-based Federation Internatonale des Vins et Spiritueux with associations or companies representing over 25 countries; Jim Trezise serves as Director of Communication. The “two Jims” also serve on the Board and Executive Committee of WineAmerica, the national organization of American wineries in Washington, DC; and Jim Trezise recently received the prestigious Wine Integrity Award from the Lodi-Woodbridge Winegrape Commission in California.

The New York Wine & Grape Foundation also hosted meetings of several national groups during the year, including WineAmerica, the National Grape and Wine Initiative, and a regional meeting organized by New York Farm Bureau. These meetings gave industry leaders from throughout the country the opportunity to experience New York wine country first-hand, learn of Cornell University’s many research initiatives involving grapes and wine, and visit the New York Wine & Culinary Center. In February, the New York Wine & Grape Foundation and Cornell Cooperative Extension will host Viticulture 2007 and the Wine Industry Workshop, an international conference expected to draw over 1,000 attendees from around the country and world.

“The New York Wine & Grape Foundation’s strategic goal is ‘To have the New York grape and wine industry recognized as a world leader in quality, productivity, and social responsibility’, said Trezise. “2006 certainly took us in that direction.”