Thursday, April 03, 2008

Finger Lakes News & Notes - April 3, 2008

- The Finger Lakes International Wine Competition was judged last weekend and the results are out. Finger Lakes wineries did well on their home turf. Chateau Lafayette Reneau won Best Chardonnay for their 2006 Chardonnay (one of my favorite picks from last year). Double Gold went to Casa Larga for their Fiori Delle Stelle Vidal Ice Wine (another of my favorite picks from last year), Torrey Ridge 2006 Lemberger, Swedish Hill 2006 Dry Riesling, Penguin Bay semi-sweet Riesling & 2006 Valvin-Muscat (one of the new Cornell grapes).

Gold went to Anthony Road 2006 Cabernet Franc/Lemberger, Imagine Moore 2006 Cayuga, Casa Larga Chardonnay, Sheldrake Point 2007 Riesling Ice wine, King Ferry 2006 Late Harvest Riesling, Widmer 2005 Late Harvest Vidal Blanc & 2006 Riesling, Chateau Frank 2000 Blanc de Noirs, Chateau Lafayette Reneau 2006 Dry Riesling, Red Newt 2006 Dry Riesling Reserve, Miles 2006 semi-dry Riesling, Fox Run 2006 semi-sweet Riesling, Hosmer 2007 semi-sweet Riesling, & Goose Watch Pinot Noir Brut Rose'. See the complete results here.

- Congratulations to one of me and Mrs. Wino's favorite people, Liz Stamp of Lakewood Vineyards, for receiving the Unity Award at this years NYWGF Unity Banquet. Liz was honored for her tireless work to promote cooperation and collaboration among industry members through her participation and leadership in various groups. She has served as president and treasurer of the Seneca Lake Wine Trail, created the concept of the Deck the Halls holiday weekend that has been copied by other wine trails throughout the state and country and has shared her knowledge and experiences with others as a speaker and a judge in various wine competitions. Plus, she's just a really nice person! We'll be seeing you soon Liz.

- A firestorm of debate has erupted since Wine Spectator's Finger Lakes Riesling ratings came out. Lenn Thompson at LennDevours blog takes issue with the ratings and Jason Feulner adds fuel to the fire. And Carlo Devito also chimes in on the debate about Wine Spectator's Finger Lakes Riesling ratings. My own feelings are that there are some amazing Finger Lakes Rieslings that are not even listed in the Wine Spectator ratings and certainly some of those listed should be rated higher. But any way you look at it, it's pretty good publicity for the Finger Lakes.

- Finger Lakes tourism counting on more daytrippers this year

- Dan Berger recommends Finger Lakes Riesling for spring

- Blogger Bibliochef writes an excellent article about Red Tail Ridge Winery

- Blogger Water Into Wino reviews Anthony Road Cabernet Franc/ Lemberger

- Myself and Mr. Tom, "The Finger Lakes Weekend Winos" Acoustic Duo, will be performing at Belhurst Castle's Stonecutters Lounge on Saturday, April 19th from 7pm to 11pm. Come on out for some good tunes and great atmosphere at Belhurst Castle.

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