The place for all things wine, focused on serious wine discussions.

WineAdvisor: Judging New York wines

Moderators: Jenise, Robin Garr, David M. Bueker

no avatar
User

Robin Garr

Rank

Forum Janitor

Posts

21612

Joined

Fri Feb 17, 2006 1:44 pm

Location

Louisville, KY

WineAdvisor: Judging New York wines

by Robin Garr » Tue Jun 26, 2007 10:11 am

<I>We're running a little late with the "Monday" edition this week because of my travels. For the same reason, </I>The 30 Second Wine Advisor<I> will publish on Monday only, and there'll be no Thursday </I>FoodLetter<I>, this week or next.</I>

Judging New York wines

During one weekend in New York State, I think I managed to get a taste of more New York wines than I've sampled cumulatively in my life heretofore.

Some might ask "why?" With its image as urban center, industrial Northeastern state and a place where winter runs long, harsh and deep, New York State hardly strikes most people as a likely place for wine production. Certainly its climate is a far cry from the balmy, temperate Mediterranean conditions that prevail in many of the world's wine-producing regions from the coasts of sunny California or Australia to Tuscany's Latin sun.

But come up with a different list of wine regions to compare, and you'll get a different perspective. Long Island, a gravelly spit surrounded by the tempering waters of the North Atlantic, isn't entirely unlike Bordeaux; and check the soils and climate of the Finger Lakes and you're looking at something akin to the Rhine, the Mosel or even Burgundy, albeit with a bit more vine-protecting winter snow.

Accordingly, although many wine enthusiasts would never guess it, New York State ranks third in the U.S. in wine production, trailing only the West Coast states of California and Washington State. The Empire State boasts more than 200 wineries - about half of them in the Finger Lakes region - and produces one-fourth of 1 billion bottles in an average year.

Historically, it's true that much of New York's wine hasn't fallen into the style categories that serious wine lovers crave. Sweet, jammy country-style or kosher wines made from native American grapes like Concord still own the lion's share of the state's wine production. These, along with fruit and berry wines and the less familiar flavors of cold-resistant hybrid grapes with odd names like Chambourcin and Seyval and Baco Noir, don't often win high point ratings from the wine-geek publications, which in fact rarely mention them at all.

But here is New York's secret: As interest in wine has grown in the U.S. over the past generation, with commercial wineries in all 50 states, New York's established wine industry and diverse climate have made it one of the first Eastern states poised to break out into a broader market.

What's more, younger generations at old-line wineries and newer artisan producers have been paying serious attention to making wines from familiar grapes well suited for the regional climate: Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay and perhaps most of all, Riesling.

I had the opportunity to taste quite a few of them over the weekend, first as a wine judge on Saturday at the New York State Fair wine competition in Syracuse, then at "NiagaraCool," a sociable picnic of online wine enthusiasts on Sunday in the Buffalo-Niagara Falls area.

For a change of pace this week, I thought you might enjoy a few quick comments on some of the wines I tasted as a State Fair judge. Although wines were presented "blind," without any information about the producer or exact label, we were told the varietal grape (or other fruit) makeup of each wine and its sweetness as measured by percent of residual sugar.

The 24 judges were divided into six panels of four, and each panel tasted about 40 wines in preliminary judging, then another 40 or so in a final "sweepstakes" round in which all judges tasted the top-rated wines in each division and the seven candidates for "Best of Show."

Sadly, this division kept any of us from getting a good sampling of every wine type available - I was able to taste only a couple of Pinot Noirs, Cabernet Francs and Merlots in the final rounds, for example - the daylong event still gave a good sense of the diversity - and the quality - of New York's wines.

<B>* Sparkling vinifera</b> - A flight of seven sparklers, all extremely high in acidity, made quite a challenging breakfast. All seemed well-made and flavorful, but that screeching acidity almost demanded a more substantial food accompaniment than the bites of bread provided.

<B>* White blends</b> - There were only three wines in this limited category, but one of them - a blend of 60 percent Chardonnay and 40 percent Seyval Blanc - definitely caught my attention and, speaking of food pairings, made me want a plate of nicely chilled oysters.

<B>* Riesling</b> - Many wine experts argue that Riesling is the ideal grape for fine, high-end Finger Lakes production, and certainly the eight in this flight showed promise. Several showed pleasing minerality, and most presented the transparent clarity of flavor that makes Riesling special. A couple seemed over-sulfured, and in general, this 2006 vintage, although adequately acidic, lacked the steely acidity that marks Riesling at its best.

<B>* Vignoles</b> - Perhaps my favorite white French-hybrid variety, Vignoles (also known as Ravat 51) is occasionally made dry but most often vinified as a sweeter wine. The six in this flight ranged from almost dry (1 percent residual sugar) to the sweeter side of off-dry (5%). I was impressed with them all and would list Vignoles ("Veen-yole") as another grape to watch in New York.

<B>* White native</b> - If you dismiss native American grapes as hopelessly sweet, thick and "foxy," overwhelmed by the characteristic "Welch's Grape Jelly" character of the <I>Vitis labrusca</i> species, you might (if you have an open mind) try getting your hands on a well-made Niagara. The six Niagara-based white wines in this flight certainly showed the characteristic "grape jelly" flavor, but wrapped up in nicely balanced sweet-tart packages that made them surprisingly refreshing and not at all one-dimensional.

<B>* "Other" Vinifera reds</b> - A mixed bag, this "catchall" flight of eight wines made from less commonplace vinifera grapes was led by two good if lighter-style Syrahs; a splendid Zweigelt, peppery and juicy-ripe, and one Gamay that could easily have passed as a ringer in a flight of Cru Beaujolais. Two Lembergers, a Pinot Meunier and another Gamay were less impressive.

<B>* Chambourcin and Baco Noir</b> - These French-hybrid red varieties aren't particularly to my liking with their charred-grain "hybridy" aromas and, in the case of Chambourcin, high acidity that's out of whack with the fruit. That said, however, they were varietally correct and well-made. A brandy-fortified Baco Noir "Port" fared less well on my score sheet.

<B>* Non-fortified fruit dessert wines</b> - I'm familiar with this genre from its popularity among Indiana and Kentucky wineries closer to home. Success in fruit wines rests in making a beverage that truly represents the aromas and flavors of the fruit and presents them with sweetness and acidity in balance. In this round of eight, two blackberry wines got it best.

<B>* Ice wines</b> - Although Ontario's Niagara Peninsula has sought to capture toothache-sweet ice wines made from naturally frozen grapes as the regional specialty, upstate New York also lays a credible claim. Both stylish Riesling and more "feral" and "wild" flavors of Vidal Blanc worked very nicely indeed; a red Primitivo (Zinfandel) ice wine flawed by pickle-juice volatile acidity was just plain weird.

And that's the way it is in New York: Traditional wine makers still producing the old traditions; newer producers trying a little of almost everything, trying to find what works. Overall, there's a real sense of renaissance and some optimism about the opportunities that increased interstate wine shipping may allow.

As time goes by, chances are that most of us in the rest of the world will gradually begin seeing more wines of the Finger Lakes and other New York regions available at local retail or by Internet and mail order. My advice: Don't sell them short.

<center>Subscribe to The 30 Second Wine Advisor</center>
no avatar
User

michael dietrich

Rank

Ultra geek

Posts

246

Joined

Wed May 10, 2006 5:09 pm

Location

West Linn, Oregon

Re: WineAdvisor: Judging New York wines

by michael dietrich » Tue Jun 26, 2007 10:27 am

Next month I get to be a judge at our Oregon State Fair wine competition.
This will be the third time I have done it. Since I am a retailer it gives me a good chance to see how Oregon is doing. They have 5-7 judges and we taste over 200 wines in 2 days, 8 hours per day. It is very interesting but definitely work. Most of the wines are from newer wineries.
no avatar
User

Thomas

Rank

Senior Flamethrower

Posts

3768

Joined

Wed Mar 22, 2006 4:23 pm

Re: WineAdvisor: Judging New York wines

by Thomas » Tue Jun 26, 2007 11:24 am

I was also a judge at the NY State Fair of which Robin speaks--and finally got to meet the Kentucky gentleman.

In my flight we got to judge Pinot Noir, and I was truly impressed by the quality of the five wines before me.

We also got to judge some Riesling and Traminette; the former were the usually representative wines of the region; the latter showed one in particular that merited top status.

And then the fruit wines. It is difficult for me to judge fruit wines. Yet, I found the round before me most interesting. A honey sparkling wine the quality and cleanness of which truly was astounding; a raspberry-cranberry wine that I am sure could make a summer evening feel like heaven with cream on top.

Finally, while Robin found a Niagara to be delightful, our panel gave a double Gold Medal to a stellar Diamond. Elegant, balanced, and just what I've always known that particular grape can do.

The most disappointing wines for me were Sauvignon Blancs. I'm not crazy about the NZ often over-the-top asparagus/grassiness, but I am enamored with Sancerre's version of the grape. The NY versions fell nowhere near either camp, and in fact certainly called up decent white wine, but not of Sauvignon Blanc.
Thomas P
no avatar
User

Paul B.

Rank

Hybrid Guru

Posts

2063

Joined

Wed Mar 22, 2006 11:38 pm

Location

Ontario, Canada

Re: WineAdvisor: Judging New York wines

by Paul B. » Tue Jun 26, 2007 11:35 am

Thomas wrote:Finally, while Robin found a Niagara to be delightful, our panel gave a double Gold Medal to a stellar Diamond. Elegant, balanced, and just what I've always known that particular grape can do.

Thomas, that is super. As you may have seen in my NiagaraCOOL writeup, Dan Smothergill had his homemade Diamond at the Picnic and I found it again to be a very lovely wine. I really like Diamond - I wish more Estates made it in that style: dry or just barely off-dry, crisp and fruity, with that lovely floral finish. I fear that much Diamond, historically, has gone into nondescript industrial wines - and this is a trend that must be reversed for the grape to be rediscovered in what is truly the age of vinous renaissance in the Northeast.
http://hybridwines.blogspot.ca
no avatar
User

Robin Garr

Rank

Forum Janitor

Posts

21612

Joined

Fri Feb 17, 2006 1:44 pm

Location

Louisville, KY

Re: WineAdvisor: Judging New York wines

by Robin Garr » Tue Jun 26, 2007 11:42 am

Thomas wrote:I was also a judge at the NY State Fair of which Robin speaks--and finally got to meet the Kentucky gentleman.


It was a delight to meet you finally too, Thomas, and to talk about wine and slimy okra and other things.

A honey sparkling wine the quality and cleanness of which truly was astounding ... a double Gold Medal to a stellar Diamond. Elegant, balanced, and just what I've always known that particular grape can do.


I did have the pleasure of tasting both those in the sweepstakes round, and I concur on both. In fact, I think I mentioned the Diamond to Paul at Sunday's picnic. Kind of wish I had thought to throw that into the Wine Advisor mix.

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Bruce K, ClaudeBot, DotBot, Patchen Markell and 1 guest

Powered by phpBB ® | phpBB3 Style by KomiDesign