Saturday, August 2, 2008
LOCAVORE movement is far more advanced on the west coast than in New York, where we of course like to think we’re trendy even though we often lag in areas like this. A great example is the Westin Bellevue hotel near Seattle, the host hotel for this week’s Riesling Rendezvous conference at Chateau Ste. Michelle. As you check in, they let you know their Cypress restaurant features ONLY Washington and other Northwest wines—sorry, no French, Italian, or even California. The selection is eclectic, the staff enthusiastic, the food pairings superb. I asked the manager how this came about—like if it was a specific promotion backed by a trade organization (No)—and he said: “Naturally. We’re in Washington, which has great wines, so why not let our guests taste them?” I asked the same question at several restaurants that had good, if not exclusive, selections of local wines. Same answer. In other words, on the west coast, they get it! Can you imagine that in New York City? With only one exception—“The View” restaurant at the Marriott Marquis, which has had a “New York Tasting Menu” inspired by Bert Miller—you would be hard pressed to fine ONE New York wine in Big Apple hotels. Don’t get me wrong: I Love New York, I’m proud of it, and I applaud its exciting diversity—in people, attractions, and wine. But for a supposedly sophisticated city, it’s largely ignorant of the great wine regions surrounding it, and certainly not loyal to them. That’s one of the reasons we’re concentrating more of our promotion efforts on the Big Apple, including an expanded “New York Wines & Dines” program in October.
WEGMANS food stores, by contract, have been locally focused for decades, buying and featuring products from local farmers, and letting consumers know what’s fresh and exactly where it came from (they even have pictures of the farm families). The best part of having our office in Canandaigua is the nearby Wegmans, which I visit at least once each day (I’m there so often that some people think I’m an employee and ask me where the mustard aisle is). Before you even enter the store, there’s a big chalk board listing today’s fresh, local products and featured farms. And now the Wegman family tradition has been expanded to the Wegmans Wine Shop in Pittsford Plaza, a.k.a. Century Pittsford Wines, where Nicole Wegman and her team put New York wines front and center in a fabulous new store that opened in April. As I entered the store yesterday, there was a chalkboard encouraging customers to visit 25 New York wineries without driving anywhere—by attending the in-store tasting this weekend. It’s a great example of “locavore” and “staycation”—supporting local products without squandering gas and creating greenhouse gases. This store is also unique in that the legendary Sherwood Deutsch, former owner of Century Liquor, is Vice President of Fine Wines. Several years ago, Mr. Deutsch received our “Retailer” award for excellence in promoting New York wines to consumers, and that attitude remains today, along with an unparalleled knowledge of the wine world. That’s evident by the huge display of New York wines right at the front of the store. As we approach “New York Wine Month” (October), we’re delighted that the Wegmans Wine Shop will join other great stores like Premier Wines in Buffalo, House of Bacchus and Market View Liquor in Rochester, Vintage New York in Manhattan, and many others to help spread the word about great local wines.
RIESLING RENDEVOUS last week near Seattle, sponsored by Chateau Ste. Michelle Wine Estates and Dr. Loosen, was once again a topflight event, with participants from around the world, a huge selection of Riesling wines, in-depth educational programs, and tasteful social events. Most of all, it was a magnet for all the positive energy surrounding one grape and the many wines it can make. In fact, the challenge and opportunity presented by Riesling’s diversity—from dry to sweet styles—was a focus of many discussions as well as projects undertaken by the International Riesling Foundation (IRF), which met during the conference. Spearheaded by California wine journalist Dan Berger working with several wine makers, a Riesling Taste Scale is being developed to help both producers and consumers, and will be publicly available in the near future. The story was first reported by Howard G. Goldberg on Decanter.com, followed by Paul Franson at WinesandVines.com. The IRF also commissioned in-depth market research on consumer attitudes toward Riesling, conducted by John Gillespie and Christian Miller of Wine Opinions, which reinforced the importance of broad-based consumer education about various Riesling styles. A Riesling footnote: The “Best of Show” wine in the recent Atlantic Seaboard Wine Competition was a 2007 Riesling from Newport Vineyards in…Rhode Island. The point: Great Rieslings are everywhere.
NEW YORK GOLD from the Atlantic Seaboard event included four “Best of Category” awards: Ospreys Dominion 2005 Reserve Merlot, Duck Walk Vineyards 2006 Pinot Noir, White Springs 2006 Sauvignon Blanc, and Lucas Vineyards Extra Dry (sparkling wine). Additional Gold medals went to Dr. Frank 2007 Semi-Dry Riesling, Hosmer 2007 Riesling, Hosmer 2007 Reserve Riesling, Lakewood 2007 Gewurztraminer, and Pindar Vineyards 2007 Johannisberg Riesling; New York wines also received 28 Silver and 29 Bronze awards. A continually updated list of New York’s top winners is available at http://www.newyorkwines.org under “New York Gold”.
MEDIA COVERAGE just keeps rolling along, led by a fabulous article by Howard G. Goldberg in the June/July edition of Wine News, one of the best consumer publications. Titled “New York’s Golden Oldies”, the article reflects Mr. Goldberg’s longstanding openness to all types of wines—Native American, French-American, and Vinifera—and appreciation of the unique “vins de pays” which may not play on Broadway but are very popular among wine country visitors—and winery owners who must pay the bills. The article, a great read as always, was inspired by Goose Watch Winery’s “Snow Goose” wine (a blend of Cayuga, Traminette, and Viogner) being rated “Best White Wine” at Jerry Mead’s New World International Wine Competition in California. Another prominent writer, Jerry Shriver of USA Today (who will judge at our New York Wine & Food Classic in two weeks), was also inspired by competition results—in this case Indy International—where wines from New York, Michigan and Wisconsin took “Best of Show” or “Best of Class” honors. Jerry’s article in Friday’s paper (still available this weekend or on line at http://www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/ ... wine_N.htm. ) spins off of the famous 1976 Paris tasting of California wines to make the case that great wines are now being made in many places not traditionally considered “wine country”.
“Wine being among the earliest luxuries in which we indulge ourselves, it is desirable that it should be made here and we have every soil, aspect and climate of the best wine countries.”
--Thomas Jefferson
A Votre Santé To Your Health
Jim Trezise