The Press Deck
News from the New York Wine & Grape Foundation
December 19th, 2018
Field Notes...
From Sam Filler, Executive Director
Dear Friends,
This will be the last edition of Field Notes for 2018 and it feels good to bring this year to closure. The Foundation undertook a strategic planning process at the beginning of the year, which set into motion many changes and growth. We added Paul Brady and Julie Hosbach to our team, while we said goodbye to Susan Spence, who dedicated 28 years to building the Foundation and the recognition of New York Wines across the world. We invested in rebranding the New York Wine Classic and created more events to recognize the top winners. We partnered with the Governor’s Office to host the Concord Grape Summit. And, we collaborated with Cornell CALS, Welch’s, and Constellation Brands to dedicate more funding for product development research to identify new ways to work with concord grapes as a neutral base wine. We continue to invest in our membership offerings to present greater value to those growers, wineries, business associates, and consumers that support the Foundation’s work. 

I am excited to jump into 2019 as we look to start an organizational rebranding, launch an update to the 2011 NASS vineyard survey, and host the New York Drinks New York Grand Tasting at the Rainbow Room. I hope to see many of our Press Deck readers in 2019; my door is always open, and I welcome your feedback on how we can best serve you in 2019.

I wish you and your family safe and happy holidays. Remember to find as many ways as you can to enjoy New York grape and wine products with your holiday meals ;)
Sam Filler, Executive Director
New York Wine & Grape Foundation
Industry News...
Being a Woman in Wine in the Time of Reckoning
Last year, Merriam-Webster’s “Word of the Year” was feminism. As we near the end of 2018, this year’s choice is anyone’s guess, but misogyny seems like a good candidate. In this one short year when women have seemingly achieved so much, we have simultaneously accomplished so very little. Indeed, now that the early waves of outrage and the initial high of the #MeToo movement have passed; now that Weinstein, Cosby, Lauer, Moonves, Ailes, Battali, Lasseter, and a cascade of others are—at least temporarily—toppled, we’re faced with a starker reality: We live among men, and some of them subconsciously hate us. Read more...
Sommelier Roundtable: Your Wine Predictions for 2019
When 2018 kicked off, we asked in-the-know wine pros what to expect for the year : more bubbles, more New Zealand, more Napa and, they hoped, better "natural" wine . The past 12 months have borne out many of their prognostications—but thrown some curveballs as well. What's in store for 2019? Or rather, what should wine drinkers be paying attention to? We asked these nine sommeliers from Wine Spectator Restaurant Award winners to peer into their crystal ball–ware and tell us what they foresee—but they also wanted to tell us what they'd like to expel into the spit bucket of wine-fad history.  Read more...
Spotted Lanternfly Monthly Update to Stakeholders
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), NYS Department of Agriculture & Markets (DAM), the US Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS) and the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) have coordinated a multi-agency effort to prevent, detect, and respond to the threat of spotted lanternfly (SLF). First discovered in Pennsylvania in 2014, SLF is now confirmed in Virginia, New Jersey, Delaware, and New York . Read more...
America’s 14 Favorite Christmas Cookies Paired With Wine
We all remember the days leading up to Christmas, baking cookies with our parents to leave for Santa, while stealing a few for ourselves, all in the hopes that those cookies would “sweeten the pot” and that gift we truly wanted would be left under the tree. When we’d wake up in the morning, the cookies would be gone, and usually the gift we had wished for would be waiting. Read more...
Call for Proposals Related to Public Relations
Proposals due January 18th, 2019
The New York Wine & Grape Foundation is seeking a Public Relations partner who can help us to meet our communications objectives through the successful implementation of an existing public relations plan and further develop a comprehensive, cohesive public relations strategy across all programs through 2019. Read more...
New York in the News...
On L.I., Quality and Price Go Hand in Hand: Uncork the Forks
Even if you’ve only been drinking Long Island wine for five to 10 years, it’s obvious that — on the whole, region-wide — the wines have never been better. Not that long ago, there were local wineries whose wine I wouldn’t drink even if they were the last wines on earth. That’s not true anymore. Even wineries outside of the top tier have at least one wine worth drinking today. Most have more than one. And yet, there is one outdated complaint about Long Island wine that still remains: that they are overpriced and not good values. Read more...
Grace Notes
Every September and October, Kelby James Russell ’09 spends seven days a week walking through sloping vineyards above New York’s Seneca Lake. Vine canopies arch above his head, seven or eight feet tall. Bands of golden grapes cascade down. Russell, head winemaker at Red Newt Cellars Winery, picks a grape and tastes it. It’s incredibly sweet, much more so than a table grape, not at all like the wine it’ll become. “A Riesling grape tends to taste like beautiful floral notes and tangerine and peach,” Russell says, “almost a honey-like sweetness.” Read more...
These Finger Lakes Wines Made Industry 'Best of 2018' Lists
Need some wines for a holiday party or gift?
Three Finger Lakes wines are a good bet, as all have been included in recent "Best Of" lists in the national wine press. Accolades for Keuka Spring Vineyards, Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard and Ravines Wine Cellars will not come as a surprise to people familiar with Finger Lakes wines, as are all considered to be among the top tier of the wineries in the region.  Read more...
NY Drinks NY Program
“NY Drinks NY” is a multi-pronged program that aims to promote the quality and diversity of New York wines (and other agricultural products) in the vital New York City market. The program focuses on bringing New York City media and trade to the various wine regions and familiarizing consumers in the NYC market with New York wines. Since its inception in 2011, “NY Drinks NY” has had a major impact on New York wine sales in New York City. In addition, the program has created long-term relationships which ensure further growth in the future. Current initiatives can be found below. Learn more... Interested in tasting over 200 wines from almost 50 wineries from around the state? Register for our NY Drinks NY Grand Tasting at the Rainbow Room in NYC, March 26, 2019.

Member Corner...
Member News, Benefits, Events & More...
Inspiring and Developing Leaders: Lead NY
With over 500 alumni and in continuous operation for over 30 years, few can dispute the fact that the LEAD New York Program has had a dramatic influence on the food, agriculture and natural resource sectors in the northeast. We are pleased to share that we are soliciting applications for our 18 th class. For more information please contact Larry Van De Valk, Executive Director, LEAD NY Program, 275B Warren Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 (607) 255 – 7907, ljv4@cornell.edu .  Applications will be available on our website at www.leadny.org beginning January 1, 2019, and will be due March 1. Interviews will be conducted during the week of March 18, and our new class will be selected by early April.  
Strategy Update: Exporting NY Wines Webinar
You are invited to join us for an Export Program strategy update on January 7th from 2pm to 3pm . For several years, the New York Wine & Grape Foundation has conducted a small export program with funding support from the United States Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS). In the summer of 2018, the Foundation engaged Capalino + Company to conduct an analysis of our activities thus far as well as our Export strategy for New York wines moving forward. We will also be hearing directly from our consulting experts in each of our three target markets on activities we will be undertaking through the rest of year! Register here...
Bottling Up E-Commerce & Web Accessibility Webinar
As you may know, more than a dozen New York state wineries on Long Island and in the Hudson Valley are now facing federal lawsuits, with plaintiffs claiming that the wineries' websites violate the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by not being accessible for users with disabilities. Accessibility of a website means ensuring that individuals of all abilities and disabilities are still able to meaningfully engage with the content on your website. This can be done in many ways. Join us on January 24th at 12PM for this 45 minutes webinar to learn more about:
 
·      What web accessibility really means
·      Why this issue is a priority right now
·      Why wineries are being affected
·      Options to achieve and maintain compliance
 
We are pleased to be joined by Eversley Sifontes, web accessibility expert from User1st (New York Wine & Grape Foundation Business Associate Member.) Eversley will also share a recent example of how one winery is addressing website compliance issue. We will also have time for Q&A.
Please note, this webinar is for current New York State winery or grower members only. If you would like to renew or join, please click here or contact Valerie Ross . Register here...
Now in its 8th year, EWE is the largest winery/vineyard event held east of the Pacific states. Your members will have the opportunity to meet with nearly 240 exhibiting companies; attend workshop & conference sessions covering all aspects of the winery and vineyard business, presented by leaders in their fields; network with 1,000+ other industry professionals; and attend the numerous social & networking events. The benefits of attendance are plentiful! And for the 3rd year, the License to Steal wine marketing conference will be held in conjunction with EWE. NYWGF Members SAVE 10%. The discount code for members is 19NYWG. Register here...
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