At the 2008 New York Wine & Food Classic in the Hudson Valle

At the 2008 New York Wine & Food Classic in the Hudson Valley…



Swedish Hill Winery wins “Governor’s Cup”



and “Winery of the Year”



New Paltz, New York, AUGUST 20—Swedish Hill Winery from the Finger Lakes won the coveted “Governor’s Cup” trophy at the 2008 New York Wine & Food Classic competition, held on August 19 & 20 at the Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz, NY. The “Winery of the Year” award also went to Swedish Hill Winery.



The elegant Governor’s Cup, a large silver chalice, recognizes the “Best of Show” or top prize of all 775 entries in the Classic, known as “The Oscars” of New York wine. The “Winery of the Year” award is presented to the winery with the best overall showing based on the level and number of awards in relation to entries.



This year’s competition included 775 New York wines from the Long Island, Hudson Valley, Finger Lakes, Niagara Escarpment, Lake Erie, and other regions of New York State. The 2007 Vidal Blanc was also voted Best White Wine, and Best Vidal Blanc on its way to the ultimate award. Swedish Hill Winery received 2 Double Gold, 2 Gold, 11 Silver, and 7 Bronze awards on its way to that honor.



A new “Specialty Wine Champion” award was added this year to recognize consistent quality among the increasing number of wines made from fruits other than grapes, or honey. The 2008 winner was Earle Estates Meadery, with 1 Gold, 2 Silver, and 5 Bronze awards.



The awards were based on blind tastings by 25 expert judges—7 from California, 11 from New York, and 7 from other states. Judges included prominent wine writers, restaurateurs, retailers, and wine educators. Four-judge panels determined the initial awards, with top-scoring wines evaluated by all 25 judges for Best of Category and Governor’s Cup awards.



Celebrating its 23rd year, the Classic is organized by Teresa Knapp of the New York Wine & Grape Foundation, and is open to all 242 New York wineries from all regions. In 2008, a total of 14 Double Gold, 62 Gold, 198 Silver, and 266 Bronze medals were awarded. In addition, “Best of Category” and “Best of Class” designations were awarded to wines rated as the finest in various areas. Double Gold medals require unanimity among a panel’s judges that a wine deserves a Gold medal, whereas Gold medals require a majority vote.



The “Best of Category” awards, all eligible for the Governor’s Cup, went to Swedish Hill Winery NV Spumante Blush for Best Sparkling wine, Swedish Hill Winery 2007 Vidal Blanc for Best White wine, Anthony Road Wine Company 2007 Dry Rosé for Best Blush or Rosé wine, Bedell Cellars 2006 Musée for Best Red wine, Earle Estates Meadery Creamy Apricot for Best Specialty wine, and Casa Larga Vineyards 2005 Fiori Vidal Ice Wine for Best Dessert wine.



The “Best of Class” awards for different varietals or proprietary blends, which were tasted off for “Best of Category” awards, went to Swedish Hill Vineyards Spumante Blush wine for Best Native Sparkling wine, Lakewood Vineyards 2007 Dry Riesling for Best Dry Riesling wine, Hosmer 2007 Riesling for Best Semi-Dry Riesling wine, Paumanok Vineyards 2007 Semi-Dry Riesling for Best Semi-Sweet Riesling, Castello di Borghese Vineyard 2006 Chardonnay for Best Chardonnay wine, Macari Vineyards & Winery 2007 Sauvignon Blanc, Katharine’s Field for Best Sauvignon Blanc, McGregor Vineyard 2007 Rkatsiteli-Sereksiya,Estate Grown for Best White Vinifera Blend, Whitecliff Vineyards 2007 Traminette for Best Traminette, Swedish Hill Winery 2007 Vidal Blanc for Best Vidal Blanc, Rooster Hill Vineyards 2007 Silver Pencil for Best White Hybrid Blend, Arbor Hill Grapery 2007 Vergennes for Best Other Native White Varietal, Hickory Hollow Wine Cellars Liquid Wisdom for Best Niagara, Anthony Road Wine Company 2007 Dry Rosé for Best Blush or Rosé, Torrey Ridge Winery Blue Sapphire for Best Concord, Barrington Cellars Baco Noir for Best Baco Noir, Swedish Hill Winery Viking Red for Best Red Hybrid Blend, Red Newt Cellars 2005 Cabernet Franc for Best Cabernet Franc, Osprey’s Dominion 2005 Reserve Merlot for Best Merlot, Chateau Lafayette Reneau 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon, Estate Bottled for Best Cabernet Sauvignon, Bedell Cellars 2006 Musée for Best Red Vinifera Blend, Earle Estates Meadery Creamy Apricot for Best Mead, Heron Hill Winery 2006 Late Harvest Vidal Blanc for Best Late Harvest wine, and Casa Larga Vineyards 2005 Fiori Vidal Ice Wine for Best Ice Wine.



Complete results of the 2008 Classic will soon be posted under “New York Gold” at http://www.newyorkwines.org, which also includes Gold medal New York wines from other major competitions.



Media Contact: Jim Trezise, 585-394-3620, ext. 203








New York Wine & Food Classic

Glad to see Arbor Hill's Vergennes winning in the Best Other Native White category. As I've said before, Arbor Hill's dedication to reviving some of the native Americans that got lost with time is a very positive development.

that is a mind-boggling array of best of's. some are for individual varieties, some for blends, some for other. i can't even see a pattern. does anybody know how this is decided? it would also help if it were in list form rather than discursive.

that is a mind-boggling array of best of's. some are for individual varieties, some for blends, some for other. i can't even see a pattern. does anybody know how this is decided? it would also help if it were in list form rather than discursive.

Decided by a tasting panel. There should be an easy to follow list on the uncork new york website soon.

well, that can't be, can it? i mean, a tasting panel would decide which wine gets which best of....; but the decision as to what groupings should even have a best of....; those decisions wouldn't be up to a tasting panel. that would be up to the organizers. i just think its an odd bunch of best of's. for instance, for natives - admittedly two-thirds of what they produce - there are awards for best niagara, concord, 'other' and sparkling. but no award for hybrid or vinifera sparkling? for hybrids - the next biggest production - there are awards for 3 varietals(traminette, vidal and baco) plus two awards for blends but none for 'other'. under vinifera, there are awards for 7 varietals and two blends, but again no 'other'. so, for instance, the wonderful k. frank rkatseteli which isn't a blend and doesn't have its own best of .... can't even be considered in best of category, because it doesn't have a 'class' to be best of class in? i KNOW i'm missing something.

well, that can't be, can it? i mean, a tasting panel would decide which wine gets which best of....; but the decision as to what groupings should even have a best of....; those decisions wouldn't be up to a tasting panel. that would be up to the organizers. i just think its an odd bunch of best of's. for instance, for natives - admittedly two-thirds of what they produce - there are awards for best niagara, concord, 'other' and sparkling. but no award for hybrid or vinifera sparkling? for hybrids - the next biggest production - there are awards for 3 varietals(traminette, vidal and baco) plus two awards for blends but none for 'other'. under vinifera, there are awards for 7 varietals and two blends, but again no 'other'. so, for instance, the wonderful k. frank rkatseteli which isn't a blend and doesn't have its own best of .... can't even be considered in best of category, because it doesn't have a 'class' to be best of class in? i KNOW i'm missing something.

After going over the list and your concerns, David, I have to agree that something looks weird. It almost appears that the Best Of categories were determined after the fact.

I'm not sure that Natives are 2/3 of what the aggregate of small NY producers produce by class--but some certainly produce them on that level by volume.

i'm just quoting the numbers i've gotten from the foundation and they claim they are only giving me wine-grape numbers. actually it was more than 3/4 native the last time i got them. anyway, maybe someone will tell us what this best of class stuff is really all about - or not......

i'm just quoting the numbers i've gotten from the foundation and they claim they are only giving me wine-grape numbers. actually it was more than 3/4 native the last time i got them. anyway, maybe someone will tell us what this best of class stuff is really all about - or not......

Oh, I see. Yes, native grape crops are the largest, but most of that stuff goes into grape juice and that, you know, 20-20 kind of drink...

The government-funded agency lumps grapes as one funded entity, no matter the species, varieties, or end use.

I was thinking that perhaps the best of class categories reflect only wines that reach Gold Medal status. They used to give awards for best of class even in a category where Gold Medals were not awarded, but I think they took some criticism for that.

Ed - the michigan wine competition was held aug. 5 and the winners are posted at http://www.michiganwines.com you could contact karel bush for any additional info through that website. the entries were just under half that of NY; but several large wineries missed the deadline - should have been just over half.

Thomas - the person i talked to at the foundation SAID they were giving me only wine grape info NOT total production that included juice. i don't know any more than that. Three years ago was the last time i asked and the figure for hybrids was under 20% and for vinifera under 10%. i assume both have grown.

thanks for the info