Breaking down the NY Wine & Food Classic field

The largest competition exclusively for New York State wines is the annual New York Wine & Food Classic, held every August.

While it is widely respected in most circles, some poo-pooh its results by saying it is a Finger Lakes-centric event and not truly representative of the state's many regions and styles.

An analysis of this year's event tends to support that dissenting viewpoint. According to the sponsor itself, the New York Wine & Grape Foundation, here's the breakdown of the 11 American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) in the state:

• Finger Lakes -- 476 (49.2%)

• Long Island -- 245 (25.3%)

• Hudson River Region -- 63 (6.5%)

• Lake Erie -- 57 (5.9%)

• Niagara Escarpment -- 1 (less than 1%)

• All Other Regions -- 126 (13.0%)

So, while it is true that virtually half the entries reviewed in the 30th annual event by the judges came from Finger Lakes wineries, "These numbers generally reflect the relative production levels of the various regions, but also the propensity to enter competitions," says Jim Trezise, president of the Foundation, who will be retiring from that position at the end of the year.

"Since not all New York wineries enter and there are a lot more New York wines, a direct extrapolation is not possible. But, the numbers do reflect some clear trends," he said. "In terms of labeling by AVAs which also have sub-appellations, wines labeled 'North Fork of Long Island' (229) dominated, with only 15 labeled 'Long Island' and one 'Hamptons-Long Island.' By contrast, wineries in the Finger Lakes are far more likely to use that designation (406) than 'Seneca Lake' (27) or 'Cayuga Lake' (13), reflecting the general belief that 'Finger Lakes' is the far more recognized 'brand' among consumers and the trade."

All that said, what did we see overall? White wines dominated with 442 entries (49.7%), then red wines (297, or 33.4%), followed by a huge drop-off to dessert wines (62, or 7%), blush/rosé (52, or 5.8%), and sparkling (36, or 4%).

Riesling, regarded as the signature grape of the Finger Lakes, had the most entries with 133 -- 47 Dry, 45 Medium Dry, 21 Medium Sweet, and 9 Sweet. Chardonnay was the second largest category with 83), 47 of them oaked and 36 unoaked.

Red vinifera varietal wines were dominated by Cabernet Franc (63) followed by Merlot (44), Cabernet Sauvignon (30), Pinot Noir (22), and Lemberger (9). The vinifera red blend category was strong, with 54; and vinifera blush/rosé had 39, showing a continuing increase in production of that type of wine.

Go here if you missed my posting showing the top award winners from this year's competition.

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