New cold hardy grape varieties set for Northern NY

Growers show off their cold hardy grapes.

• From NNY ADP

WILLSBORO -- The cold-hardy grape variety research nursery in Northern New York at is getting a makeover.

With new funding from the farmer-driven Northern New York Agricultural Development Program that helped establish the nursery at the Cornell Willsboro Research Farm [here in Essex County in 2005], old vines have been removed, the soil is being refreshed, and new varieties of grapes have been carefully selected for planting in 2017. ...

A list of 21 potential varieties for the new planting at the Willsboro farm was identified through a survey of Northern New York grape growers, the leaders of the highly respected Cornell-Geneva Station and University of Minnesota grape breeding programs, and private grape breeders. Cornell University Horticulture professor Tim Martinson and Anna Wallis of the Eastern New York Commercial Horticultural Program will determine the final planting based on the availability of plant material in the spring of 2017.

In 2015, the old vines at the Willsboro farm were removed with the exception of the Marquette, Frontenac, Frontenac gris, and La Crescent varieties that have proven to be suited to the NNY climate and soils. Those plantings will continue to produce grapes for wine production research by Cornell University.

Go here for more details.

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Oneida County winery adds farm-to-table bistro

Villa Verona Vineyard has lengthened its name, adding "& Bistro" to bring attention to its newest venture.

The Central New York winery has officially opened an on-premises farm-to-table restaurant featuring fresh, seasonal ingredients and starters such as a daily selection of charcuterie and New York State cheeses, and 13 house wines.The kitchen is run by executive chef Micah McKamie, who has put together an imaginative lunch and dinner menu. All sauces, dressings and desserts are made on premises.

The Villa Verona Vineyard & Bistro is located at 4914 State Route 365 in Verona, Oneida County, about 1.7 miles from the Turning Stone Resort Casino. Phone: 315-367-0459. Bistro hours: 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.

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Dr. Frank wine dinner at Forno Bistro

Forno Bistro is planning a wine dinner that will be a matter of Finger Lakes meets Saratoga Springs.

Executive chef Ryan McCormick will create a five-course dinner paired with wines from the Dr. Konstantin Frank Vinifera Wine Cellars collection. The dinner will begin at 6:30 p.m. Monday, October 24. Reservations, which are required, are $82.55 each, which includes all fees, and may be made online.
The menu:

1st Course: New England Oysters on the half shell paired with Dr. Frank Rkatsiteli.

2nd course: Housemade fennel sausage, white wine grapes, fresh herbs, white balsamic, paired with Dr. Frank Guervertztraminer.

3rd Course: Thin crust pizza, tomato sauce, wild mushrooms, mozzarella, pecorino, paired with Dr. Frank Pinot Noir.

4th Course: Black Angus slider with black truffle, aged NY cheddar, truffle aioli, toasted brioche, paired with Dr. Frank Cabernet Franc.

5th Course: Warm apple turnover, vanilla gelato, caramel sauce, paired with Chateau Frank Celebre Riesling.

Forno Bistro is located at 541 Broadway in Saratoga. Phone: 581-2401.

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Keuka Spring's wines taking on a brand new look

The new look (with old look in the inset)

Keuka Spring Vineyards recently was named "Winery of the Year" in the New York Wine & Food Classic competition, but that doesn't mean it is resting on its laurels.

The winery is in the process of introducing a new logo and new labels for its wines. Right now in the tasting room, Clara's Red, 2015 Gewurztraminer, 2015 Semi Sweet Riesling, and 2015 Dry Rosé bear the new look. 

As co-owner Jeanne Wiltberger explains the decision, "As a team, we worked for several months to create an updated and exciting, forward-thinking yet approachable look and feel. We wanted an elegant look that conveys the excellence and quality of wine that is always inside the bottle.

"Signed by the Wiltberger family, the label highlights the beauty of grape-growing in our area, mentions blending tradition with innovation, and talks about creating wines to love and share year after year. We kept the unique shape of Keuka Lake in the label, as Keuka Lake is part of our identity, and something you can identify with, too."

In the August competition for New York State wines, Keuka Spring racked up enough double gold, gold, silver, and bronze medals to be named the top winery. Its "best of" category wins included Best White (2015 Gewürztraminer), Best Gewürztraminer (2015 Gewürztraminer), Best Dry Riesling (2015 Humphreys Vineyard Riesling, Single Vineyard Series), Best Medium Sweet Riesling (2015 Semi Sweet Riesling), Best Overall Riesling (2015 Semi Sweet Riesling), and Best Vinifera/Hybrid White Blend (Celebrate).

Keuka Spring Vineyards is located on the east side of Keuka Lake at 243 East Lake Road (Route 54), Penn Yan. Phone: (315) 536-3147.

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Empire Merchants hits deposed CEO with lawsuit

• From the Shanken News Daily
 

Exclusive: Empire Merchants, New York’s biggest spirits and wine distributor, has fired CEO Lloyd Sobel and filed suit against co-owner Charlie Merinoff, claiming in federal court that the two men -- and others, including Breakthru Beverage CEO Greg Baird -- defrauded the company through their involvement in an interstate smuggling scheme.

The Brooklyn-based Empire is co-owned by the Merinoff/Drucker family and the Magliocco family. According to the complaint Empire filed in U.S. District Court in New York earlier today, Charlie Merinoff took part in an illegal scheme to smuggle spirits products from Maryland to New York, where they were sold by local retailers. 

With excise taxes on liquor nearly five times higher in New York than Maryland, the complaint contends that Reliable Churchill, the Maryland division of the Charmer-Sunbelt Group that the Merinoff family controlled, and retailers in both New York and Maryland deprived New York of millions of dollars of tax revenue through this illicit activity, which supposedly started in 2008 and continued until recently.

Earlier this year, Republic National Distributing Co. (RNDC), the country’s second-largest spirits and wine distributor, was indicted in federal court in Maryland for what the U.S. attorney there alleges were similar activities. RNDC is frequently mentioned in Empire’s complaint, but not named as a defendant.

Go here for the full story.

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CIA hosting HV craft beverage conference

Registration is now open for the 4th annual Hudson Valley Beer, Wine, Spirits & Cider Summit, scheduled for October 4 at the Culinary Institute of America.

The event, intended for those working in the industry, will feature a lineup of discussions related to the craft beverage industry’s current climate, and future opportunities in the Hudson Valley region. Of course, participants will be able to sample a variety of beers, wines, spirits and ciders.

Charles Merinoff, principal founder and co-chairman of Breakthru Beverage Group and a 35-year veteran of the beverage distribution industry, will be the keynote speaker. The conference will begin at noon at the CIA's Marriott Pavilion. Seating is limited and advance registration, available online, is required.

The CIA is located at 1946 Campus Drive, Hyde Park, near Route 9.

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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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