The Press Deck
News from the New York Wine & Grape Foundation
Sponsor
May 30th, 2018
Field Notes...
From Sam Filler, Executive Director
Sam Filler, Executive Director, New York Wine & Grape Foundation
Dear Friends,
Welcome back from a beautiful Memorial Day Weekend! When I was not jumping into the frigid St. Lawrence river to fix the placement of a water pump, I started reading a new wine book called Wine All the Time by Marissa Ross. She focuses her writing on small producers making natural and low intervention wines. My wife Maura appreciated how Marissa’s sardonic and comedic writing makes understanding wine more approachable, especially for those younger wine drinkers whose introduction to wine drinking started with Two-Buck Chuck. We also enjoyed some fine New York Wines watching the sun set over Lake Ontario while eating the first barbeque of the summer season. I hope that you also had a fulfilling weekend with friends, family, and tasting room visitors.

Meanwhile in Asia, our intrepid Director of Member Relations and Development, Valerie Ross, spent the weekend traveling to Hong Kong to represent our industry at VinExpo. She is joined by Philip Dunsmore ( Brotherhood Winery), Miguel Martin ( Palmer Vineyards), Jenny Menges ( Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard), and Kelby Russell ( Red Newt Cellars). The show started on Tuesday and continues through Thursday.  Matthew McFetridge, a Penn Yan native and NY Wine Ambassador in China, is also supporting our pavilion at VinExpo through his FLX International wine export company. They reported that Day One was a success as attendees flooded the New York pavilion, and I anticipate that the group will have many stories to share about interest (and new accounts) in New York wines growing in Asia.
Left to right: Matthew McFetridge, Jenny Menges, Kelby Russell
Also, as a reminder, we have posted a New York Wine Brand Ambassador position to manage our New York Drinks New York program. We are accepting cover letters, resumes, and references through Friday, June 1 st . We have also posted a RFP for marketing and research services for a wine tourism project. Proposals are due by June 11 th at 5pm. Please share these two opportunities with friends and colleagues that you believe will help us grow the Foundation and contribute to the industry’s growth.
Cheers!
Sam Filler, Executive Director
Industry News...
Finger Lakes Wines and Grapes: May weather promising for vineyards
Here in the Finger Lakes, it looks like we went from winter directly into summer, skipping spring completely. April was one of the coldest on record: According to the Cornell Finger Lakes Grape Program, we had a degree day measurement of just 8 for April- the long-term average for April is about 65. Read more...
Milestone vintage: Leonard Oakes Estate Winery marks 10th anniversary
Standing around the wooden bar on one side of the room, local residents nursed a new white wine released at Leonard Oakes Estate Winery. A blend of carbonated Chardonnay and ice wine, Paragon is different from anything that people have tasted before, said President and General Manager Wendy Oakes Wilson. Read more...
Welch's Is Making Nonalcoholic Rosé Wine
Tasting Table: Here's to a rosé you can actually enjoy all day. Welch's is dipping its toe into the pink-colored pool by creating a rose-hued sparkling grape juice. Read more...
The New York Wine Classic Announces Call for Entries, Winner of Logo Competition 
The 33rd Annual New York Wine Classic has unveiled a new logo and announced a call for entries for this year’s competition to be held from August 6th-8th, 2018 in Watkins Glen, NY. The New York Wine Classic will be hosted by the New York Wine & Grape Foundation and is being sponsored by Gray Locey, CPA, P.C. and The Arrigo Agency, Farm Family Insurance. 
New York in the News...
Hudson Valley wines revel in variety of grapes
Hudson Valley wineries do right by whites. The state's climate suits certain types of older grape varieties as well as newer hybrids that have been developed specifically for it, and New York now has a deserved reputation for quality whites. Read more...
'Wine Experience' is key to a family's 205-acre plan in Riverhead
On the wall of her new Riverhead office, Maria Rivero Gonzalez has been rejiggering plans for the 205 acres her family acquired recently from the Entenmann family in a $15 million sale billed as Long Island wine country's largest to date. Read more...
Finger Lakes scores highest wine rating ever from Wine Spectator
A feature in the June 30 issue of Wine Spectator magazine praises the Finger Lakes region for its 2016 vintage, and specifically its Riesling. Read more...
New restaurant opens up along the Wine Trail
Earlier this month, the Niagara Wine Trail welcomed a new restaurant. The restaurant, Ava's Table at the Vineyard, is owned by Michelle Thomasula and Jennifer Krasuski. The restaurant has been open for two weeks and is located at 5138 Lower Mountain Road. Read more...
Meet Your Winemaker: Roman Roth
The Independent: Wӧlffer Estate is a family owned and operated, sustainably farmed vineyard in Sagaponack led by the curious mind of winemaker and partner Roman Roth. As the vineyard's first winemaker, this career was more than a desire for the German native, it was a calling. Read more...
New wine cans for convenient summer fun
New York's Bridge Lane Wine released a full line of cans in January, including a red blend, rose, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and white merlot. These trendy, colorful cans have wine snobs forgetting all about class - or at least glass. The convenient concept makes packing and traveling easier, cuts back on corks and counts on you forgetting the wine opener. Read more...
Sparkling wines are great with summer foods
"My favorite food-pairing wines are often sparkling wines," says Craig Hosbach, winemaker at Hunt Country Vineyards on Keuka Lake. "Sparkling wines are extremely food-friendly because the bubbles cleanse your palate, preparing you for your next bite of food." Read more...
Member Corner...
Member News, Benefits, Events & More...
[New Webinar Announced]
Is Your Local Government Whining About Your Winery?
Friday, June 8, 2018
10 AM to 11 AM RSVP
Join us on Friday, June 8 at 10 a.m. for a free informational webinar for winery and vineyard operators in New York State. In this program the presenters will discuss limits on the power of municipalities to regulate wineries through local zoning and land use laws. Topics shall include the relationship between local laws regulating wineries and: The New York Alcohol Beverage Control Law; The Right to Farm Law; Other limitations to a town’s zoning powers and more.
Free for NYWGF Members. RSVP.
Marketing Your Wines in NYC and Beyond...
Through a grant from the USDA, the New York Wine & Grape Foundation can assist New York wineries seeking to explore opportunities in markets abroad. This is accomplished by subsidizing costs of marketing and promotional activities to help increase awareness of New York's wine, regions, and grape varieties in a "generic" program. NYWGF can also administer "branded" programs through which individual wineries can work to build export markets for their own products. All New York State Wineries are invited to participate . Learn more and sign up today.. .
Welcome (and Welcome Back) to Our Members...
Brooklyn Oenology Winery (pron. 'EN-ology' or simply 'BOE'), is a locally-focused winery based in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, founded in 2006 by winemaker Alie Shaper. BOE extends the fundamental idea of terroir, which is essentially a combination of factors that create a wine's sense of "place," by incorporating the local agricultural, creative culinary, and art worlds. BOE's entire portfolio of wines are available in their online store, and at many NYC wine shops, restaurants, and hotels.
Awards & Accolades
In the June 30th edition of Wine Spectator , James Molesworth writes about the 2016 vintage in the Finger Lakes. Molesworth says, "The 2016 Rieslings are fresh, pure and focused, while the region's other white and red varieties also performed very well. This is the Finger Lakes' best vintage since 2012, and consumers should pounce now while the wines dominate most producers' current releases. Overall, I rate the 2016 vintage 93 points." A free alphabetical list of scores and prices for all wines tasted is available here.
Upcoming Wine Trail Events