The Press Deck
News from the New York Wine & Grape Foundation
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Field Notes...
From Paul Brady, New York Wines Brand Ambassador
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Greetings from Brooklyn. Taking some time to reflect on the past month as we enter May. April was a busy and exciting time for all of us at the Foundation. Mid-month, my NYWGF colleague Julie Purpura Hosbach and I were invited to judge in the
Finger Lakes International Wine Competition
in Rochester. The competition is a fundraiser for
Camp Good Days
, a summer camp on Keuka Lake that provides the classic American camp experience for children diagnosed with cancer and other similar illnesses, as well as their families. There were many friends and familiar faces judging for the good cause from all over the world and we were able to meet one of the families who has benefited from the camp’s summer offerings. It was a moving weekend indeed.
That weekend also included a master class for the judges on wines from Quebec. This is a region receiving more and more attention, and there were some stand-out wines in the line-up made from both hybrid and vinifera grapes. It will be worth following the future of these wines from our northern French Canadian neighbors, and I’m starting to see them show up on restaurant lists in New York City, so if any Field Notes readers find themselves here and would like to try a Quebec wine,
email me
for a recommendation. Thanks need go to Head-Judge Bob Madill for arranging the master class and to the whole staff of the competition.
And following the competition came even more master classes. I was able to participate as a taster for a further three opportunities organized by the
Finger Lakes Wine Alliance
: the first, a comprehensive look at the 2017 vintage of dry Rieslings, followed by a Grüner Veltliner tasting that also included international Grüners from other benchmark regions. These tastings were in part overseen by two guest presenters, Michigan Winemaker
Sean O’Keefe
, of
Mari Vineyards
; and wine writer and critic,
David Schildknecht
. Sean is a regular presence at Riesling conferences across the world and has long been respected as a winemaker by the New York Riesling community. His fluency with the entire universe of Riesling is impressive, and he was an excellent counterpoint to David, well known for having covered Austria, Germany, Alsace, Burgundy, Champagne, and the Loire for
Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
. The third master class featured Sean and David together speaking on over a dozen Rieslings from Oregon, California, Michigan, Ontario, British Columbia, Australia, and of course Germany.
It was 2003 when David had last visited the Finger Lakes, and 1996 for Sean. David did cover both the Finger Lakes and Long Island for the Wine Advocate for a time and if you’ve ever read his writing, it may not surprise you that he has an encyclopedic memory for details from those early reviews. And Sean’s family -- who established the famous Chateau Grand Traverse in Michigan -- goes back decades with the Franks, Taylors and other legacy wine families in New York. Both promise never to stay away for that long again, because it’s collaborations and opportunities arranged by and with sister organizations that will keep the conversation going with important peers from other parts of the country and trade. Thanks to those at the Finger Lakes Wine Alliance who did the work to bring these two experts out to share their knowledge with us.
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Paul Brady, New York Wines Brand Ambassador
New York Wine & Grape Foundation
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Join our New
WineVine Online Wine Club
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Want to Learn More About NY Wines?
Beginning in June, every month we'll host an online webinar focusing on a different varietal/topic and taste through three examples and discuss. A wine appreciation class from the comfort of your home!
Check out
latest edition of
WineVine
for more details or
email Julie Purpura Hosbach
.
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Organic Wine's Deadly Carbon Footprint
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A decade ago, the very idea of journalists denigrating organic methods would have been almost sacrilegious.
It has become the easiest sales pitch in the world: pay a little more for food that doesn't require the application of synthetic chemicals. Consumers far and wide now "understand" that naturally derived chemicals are so much better for your health and the environment.
Read more...
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Tactics for Handling Dysfunctional Workplaces
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The second annual
Bâtonnage
forum, held on May 4 at a private estate in Napa, California, opened with an honest and timely panel discussion—Departing Dysfunction—in which three wine and hospitality industry professionals discussed how to identify inappropriate workplace behavior and how the community can enact positive change.
Read more...
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Mechanized Variable Rate Shoot Thinning for Grapevines
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Dr. Terry Bates of Cornell University based at the Cornell Lake Erie Research and Extension Laboratory in New York, is director of the national Efficient Vineyard Project, a multi-year project funded by the USDA National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and supported by the National Grape Research Alliance. Bates visited California in April to test and demonstrate Efficient Vineyard technologies at cooperator vineyard sites. The goal is to develop technology, tools and systems to more efficiently mechanize and manage U.S. vineyards, given the uncertain availability of labor, and the increasing costs of labor and vineyard management.
Read more...
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American Society for Enology and Viticulture
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A special vineyard tour and symposium entitled
“Digital Viticulture: New Tools for Precision Management”
will be featured as part of the annual
American Society for Viticulture and Enology
- Eastern Section (ASEV-ES) conference at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, NY on July 16 through July 18. The two-day program and vineyard tour will bring together suppliers, researchers, and growers to explore the tools and concepts of precision viticulture. New technologies, such as inexpensive sensors, digital imaging, geographical information systems, and precision machinery are converging to make precision viticulture possible. This field tour and symposium will focus on tools, concepts, and platforms for putting it all together to manage vineyards.
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Grape-to-School Pilot Program Announced
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Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced the Grape-to-School pilot program, a brand new Farm-to-School effort that introduces students to New York-grown Concord grape juice in participating school districts and BOCES programs. Through the end of the school year, 10 districts will serve NYS Grown & Certified Concord grape juice on their menus. In addition, the participating districts will provide educational activities and taste tests to promote New York agriculture and expand locally sourced products on school menus.
Read more...
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The Hudson Valley's Wine Industry Reaches Critical Mass
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While the Hudson Valley’s robust craft beverage scene may seem like a new phenomenon, this fertile region is actually home to America’s oldest winery and its oldest vineyard. In the past few years, local beer and spirits may have overshadowed wine, but the Hudson Valley vintners paved the way for so many others and their work is finally gaining recognition.
Read more...
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NYFVI Project Funding: Using ECa to Predict Soil Cation Exchange
Capacity in Vineyards
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Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) is an important soil characteristic that relates to soil fertility. While knowledge of spatial variations in CEC is crucial to site-specific management of vineyards, the conventional approach to estimating CEC is time-consuming and expensive with low spatial resolution. Soil apparent electrical conductivity (ECa) and chargeability depends on bulk soil properties and are used as proxies to estimate CEC. With this project, Erasmus Oware of SUNY Buffalo, will develop a framework to rapidly estimate high-resolution CEC of a vineyard from ECa and chargeability measurements. The resulting CEC maps will support site-specific vineyard management decisions that reduce off-site impacts, such as the placement of drainage tile to reduce runoff as well as targeted fertilization practices to reduce nutrient leaching.
Read more...
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Welcome New Business Associate Member!
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EscapeMaker.com
promotes local weekend getaways, day trips, farm escapes and wine trails within a day’s drive or train ride of New York City. This spring they launch EscapeMaker’s Virtual Agritourism Conference - a collection of 14 women experts speaking on all topics relating to agritourism: 6+ hours of education on marketing, legal issues, insurance, lodging, social media, greening a property, group and corporate business and hosting and planning events and tours.
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Welcome Back Members April 1st-April 30th!
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Arrowhead Spring Vineyards
Fulkerson Wine Cellars
Sparkling Pointe Vineyards & Winery
Valkyrie Crafted Libations
Wagner Vineyards
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Member Corner: News, Benefits, Events & More
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Last Chance to Register by May 13th:
TIPS Training
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TIPS On Premise Training May 20th 12:00-5:00pm
Join our certified trainer, Julie Purpura Hosbach, for the TIPS On Premise program, which is an approximately 5-hour program designed for servers at restaurants, bars, hotels, in-store tastings, or other establishments where alcohol is consumed on the premises. Employees learn strategies that ensure responsible alcohol service, promote professionalism, and enhance customer service skills. After successfully passing the exam, participants are nationally certified for three years. Members save $20 each participant.
Register here...
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The Future of Wine in the Finger Lakes [Event]
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Great wine depends on nature. Clean air and water, healthy soil, and a stable climate are critical ingredients for a great winemaking in the Finger Lakes. But how will our changing climate and other environmental challenges shape the future of wine here? Join us for a lively discussion with expert panelists to learn more about efforts to protect our region's wine, water, and distinct terroir.
Read more...
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Global NY and JDA Agriculture Loan Funds [Webinar]
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May 15th 2:00-3:00pm
Join Huey-Min Chaung and Matthew Kennedy, from Empire State Development, as they discuss NY Loan opportunities. Through the Distilled and Fermented Beverage Initiative, ESD will provide zero percent interest loans in principal amounts between $10,000 to $50,000, with terms of up to seven years, directly to New York State’s small and medium-sized companies in either the distilled or fermented alcoholic beverage industry in order for such companies to tap into global markets, develop export capacity, grow their exports and create jobs in the State. These companies find it difficult to obtain regular or sufficient export related bank financing. The initiative seeks to assist these companies.
Register here...
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May 30th 11:00am-12:00pm
Join us for a webinar with Anthony G. Sandaonato, CPA/ABV, CVA, Esq.
This webinar is for wineries and vineyards that are looking to expand their production facilities or acquire new vineyard land. We will be discussing the alternative financing structures and arrangements that are available, and which alternatives make sense under a given set of circumstances.
Register here...
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EscapeMaker To Host All Women-Led Virtual Agritourism Conference
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EscapeMaker’s Virtual Agritourism Conference - a collection of 14 women experts speaking on all topics relating to agritourism: 6+ hours of education on marketing, legal issues, insurance, lodging, social media, greening a property, group and corporate business and hosting and planning events and tours. Every attendee will leave with new skills and actionable tips that will help grow and protect a business whether they are a farmer, winemaker, craft beverage or food producer, innkeeper or restaurateur, plus get access to info on micro loan financing through Kiva. The presentations are not live streamed but rather evergreen and downloadable 24/7 for convenience.
NYWGF Members receive $50 OFF
a full access conference pass with the code: NYWGF2019 at checkout.
Register here...
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Member Benefit: Job Posting
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Members are encouraged to send us their job listings. As the listings are added, we will update our website page and include in the Press Deck. Please send any job opportunities to
Julie Purpura Hosbach
,
our Communications Manager.
Damiani Wine Cellars:
Seasonal workers needed for winery tasting room. Candidates must be available weekends, of legal drinking age and are professional, personable, responsible, energetic, and can be flexible.
Read more...
McGregor Vineyard:
McGregor Vineyard, overlooking Keuka Lake in Dundee NY, is currently seeking motivated, passionate, and outgoing team members to join our Tasting Room staff. McGregor Vineyard is a winery focused on quality wine and an outstanding visitor experience, with a dedicated wine club. Our tasting room servers create a relaxed and informative experience for our visiting guests.
Read more...
Suhru Wines:
Suhru Wines is looking for friendly, energetic wine-lovers to help us spread the love of wine! At Suhru everyone is treated like family, we strive to provide the highest level of customer service to our guests while presenting a warm and welcoming environment!
Read more...
Forge Cellars:
We are a very small, international team, and each of us shares all of the responsibilities that come with working in the cellar during harvest. A strong work ethic and flexible schedule are definite requirements for harvest work at Forge.
Read more...
Casa Larga Vineyards:
The Assistant Vineyard Manager assists in coordinating all farming activities for the vineyard.
Read more...
Hunt Country Vineyards:
Hunt Country Vineyards is looking for energetic people with a passion for Finger Lakes wines to join our team at our tasting room in Branchport, NY near Keuka Lake.
Read more...
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A Note About the Press Deck Newsletter Content...
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The Foundation has long shared that diversity is a strength of New York State, and we try to share many featured articles and, more recently, ‘Field Notes’ written by Guest Member authors. Please note that the opinions expressed in these articles do not reflect an endorsement or statement by the New York Wine & Grape Foundation. Our purpose is to act as an information conduit, a community connector, to give voice to unique perspectives, and to highlight varying regions, accolades, and general news from around our great state. If you have topics of interest to share within our Field Notes, or articles that you feel would be beneficial for our readers to view, we welcome you to
email them to us
for review and consideration.
Read more...
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Upcoming Wine Trail Events
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The New York Wine & Grape Foundation
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