Sunday, July 20, 2008
NEW YORK GOLD from the Long Beach (CA) Grand Cru competition where I judged this weekend was led by Goose Watch Diamond in a tie for Best White Wine, along with its Best of Class sweepstakes contender 2007 Pinot Grigio joined by other Best of Class sweepstakes wines Lucas 2007 Cayuga White and Merritt Estate Bella Rosa. Other New York Gold medals went to Dr. Frank 2007 Reserve Gewurztraminer and 2007 Semi-Dry Riesling, Glenora 2007 Pinot Blanc, Goose Watch Rosé of Isabella, Hunt Country 2007 Late Harvest Vignoles, Penguin Bay Maroon Four (a red blend) and Percussion (a white blend), and Swedish Hill Eau de Vie and Blue Waters Riesling. The 13 Golds were joined by 34 Silver and 24 Bronze medals for New York wines.
DAN BERGER, the California wine journalist who chairs the Long Beach and Riverside competitions and judges at many others, deserves a Double Gold medal for opening the minds and palates of fellow Californians to eastern and Midwestern varietals and styles—and this competition is a shining example. Other than me and Chris Cook from Michigan, all other judges (about 40) were from the west coast. Yet the top ranked wines in the white wine sweepstakes were the Goose Watch Diamond and a Seyval from Wollersheim in Wisconsin, followed by Braganini Traminette from Michigan and Torrey Ridge Catawba from New York—all ahead of the Chardonnays, Pinot Gris, Rieslings, Sauvignon Blancs and other more common varieties. What does Dan Berger have to do with this? (No, his competitions are not “fixed”, nor are others.) For decades, he has been preaching that a great wine is a great wine regardless of its grape variety or region of origin, and that people should open up their minds and palates to the wonderful diversity to tastes and styles. He is not biased toward eastern wine, or California wine, or foreign wines—just toward good wines and the recognition they deserve. Over time, people have listened, and have summoned the courage to vote for wines that may not be in the mainstream. They’re simply great wines They’re also great values—with the two top wines retailing for $9 and $8 dollars. What’s not to like?
AMERICA’S GRAPE COUNTRY WEEK from August 9-17 will include lots of diverse activities in the Chautauqua-Lake Erie region southwest of Buffalo, where about two-thirds of New York’s grapes are grown. “America’s Grape Country” is the identity and theme developed by three organizations (Lake Erie Concord Grape Belt Heritage Association, Chautauqua County Visitors Bureau, and Chautauqua-Lake Erie Wine Trail) with funds from our regional branding program, which is designed to let each major region create its own unique “brand” under the overall “Uncork New York” theme. Among the events scheduled during the week are America’s Grape Country Wine Festival (August 9 & 10 at the Chautauqua County Fairgrounds); the Blessing of the Grapes on August 13 at Westfield Moore Park; a Local Hero’s Event Cook Off in Westfield on August 16; a week-long lecture series at the Chautauqua Institution on “What’s for dinner: Food and Politics in the 21st Century”; special events at many of the region’s wineries; and the unveiling by local naturalist/artist Mark Baldwin of a natural and cultural history map of the Eastern Lake Erie Grape Region. Since we don’t want to miss all the activity, we’ve scheduled our New York Wine & Grape Foundation Board of Directors meeting for August 13 in Westfield. For more information or tickets to events, call 1-888-965-4834 or visit http://www.agcwinefestival.com.
THE ART OF BALANCE: Cool Climate/Maritime Wines in a Global Context is another great example of regional branding at just about the same time on the opposite end of the State. On August 5 & 6 at the Stony Brook Southampton campus on eastern Long Island, experts from around the world will share their expertise and perspectives on the unique qualities of wines grown in cool/maritime climates. About 20 years ago, Larry Perrine of Channing Daughters organized a similar conference with a Long Island-Bordeaux focus which drew great attention to New York’s newest wine region. Again organized by Larry, in conjunction with Long Island wine pioneer Louisa Hargrave, now the Director of the Stony Brook Center for Wine, Food, and Culture, this conference promises to similarly successful. The full conference includes a Grand Tasting and two full days of seminars on various topics. Details and registration are accessible at http://www.stonybrook.edu/winecenter.
WINE EAST, a popular and respected trade magazine which for decades has covered the wine industry in the east and Midwestern parts of the country, will soon become a regular, stand-alone part of the monthly west coast-based Wines & Vines magazine. Wine East’s co-publishers Hudson Cattell and Linda Jones McKee will remain actively involved in the new section, as will several experienced contributors, and the frequency of publication will double from six to 12 editions each year. Hudson and Linda have made a significant contribution to the continuing development of the eastern and Midwestern wine industries with their solid, reliable, practical reporting. The current (May-June) edition is a good example with coverage of developments in Iowa, New York, Ontario (Canada), Pennsylvania, Virginia and other locations, and topics ranging from winery growth to sustainable viticulture and industry awards. It’s great that their coverage will not only continue but expand.
TROPICALIA IN CANANDAIGUA is the theme of a fund-raising event on August 23 at and for the New York Wine & Culinary Center, with proceeds to benefit the Center’s HealthyKids program. Tickets are $125 each, and are available at http://www.nywcc.com or 585-394-7070.
LIVER DISEASE is often cited as one of the prevalent risks of alcohol consumption, but a new government-funded study published in Hepatology suggests that moderate red wine consumption may significantly reduce that risk. Conducted by researchers at California’s San Diego School of Medicine, the study showed that people who drank one glass of red wine a day cut in half their risk of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), the most common type affecting some 40 million U.S. adults. By contrast, people who consumed modest amounts of beer or spirits had over four times the odds of having NAFLD. This suggests that the benefits may be due to the non-alcohol components of red wine such as resveratrol, a naturally occurring fungicide on the skins of grapes which also appears to have major health benefits for humans. The presence of resveratrol in red wine is due to the extended contact of the juice with the grape skins, which contain both the pigment for color and resveratrol. White wine has negligible amounts of resveratrol due to the intended absence of skin contact during processing, though a technical institute in Israel may have developed a process that will include resveratrol in white wine without changing the flavors.
“Some years ago, seekers after the gastronomic truth discovered what the French have known for centuries, and pronounced that a little red wine is good for you.
--Peter Mayle, Encore Provence, 1999
A Votre Santé To Your Health
Jim Trezise