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Weekly New York Wine News — February 9, 2015

NEWS Observer Review – 2/3/2015 -A group of more than 100 area businesses has written a letter to Gov. Andrew Cuomo in opposition of Crestwood’s proposed liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) storage project in salt caverns along Seneca Lake. Examiner.com – 2/5/2015 The Shawangunk Wine Trail announced the new “Hudson Valley Wine Tasting Passport” that covers each of the Trail’s 14 members wineries. The Telegram – 2/6/2015 Winemakers experimenting with native grapes yield interesting results. “I recently tasted the Cuvée d’Amour 2011 from the Dr. Konstantin Frank winery in the Finger Lakes region of New York, which is made from their own…

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Corin Hirsch to Cover the Hudson River Valley for NYCR

Today I’m happy to announce that Corin Hirsch, a writer and beverage lover I met a few years ago at TasteCamp, has joined the NYCR team. Corin is an enthusiastic drinker, a history geek, and a freshly minted resident of the Hudson Valley, though she grew up in a cul-de-sac on Long Island. Before she joined the white-collar ranks, she worked as a used book buyer, hot-dog-hawker, sandwich maker, and barmaid, the last at a 16th-century pub in rural England. She’s spent almost her entire professional life in publishing — as a reporter, editor, designer, and art director. For the…

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Weekly New York Wine News — January 26, 2015

NEWS Steuben Courier Advocate – 1/20/2015 New York Wine organizations receive grants totaling nearly $1 Million in to help promote the region, build infrastructure, and support the Wine Bloggers Conference 2015 to be held in Corning, NY. Wine Business – 1/20/2015 Stephanie Jarvis Named Marketing Manager for Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards Cornell Daily Sun – 1/21/2015 The Scientist: Prof. Bruce Reisch Develops New Grape Varieties – cold climate grape breeding continues to bring new options to northern vineyards. Finger Lakes Wine Alliance – 1/21/2015 The Finger Lakes Wine Alliance Board of Directors are proud to announce the hiring of Julie Caplan…

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Weekly New York Wine News — January 19, 2015

New York Wine News Poughkeepsie Journal – 1/13/2015 Food, drink events worth a trip – Douglass Miller names Hudson Valley among his destination recommendations. WXXI – 1/14/2015 Rieslings From The Finger Lakes Region Gaining National Attention – “Need to Know” host Hélène Biandudi Hofer is joined by David Mansfield, Owner and President of Three Brothers Wineries and Estates and Vinny Aliperti, Owner and Winemaker for Billsboro Winery. NorthForker – 1/14/2015 Dean Babiar is new winemaker at Jamesport Vineyards – the 30-year-old winemaker said it was a taste of Jamesport Vineyards merlot and cabernet franc, given to him by his brother several years ago,…

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Weekly New York Wine News — January 12, 2015

NEWS Cornell Viticulture and Enology – 12/31/2015 USDA Renews Funding for Northern Grapes Project led by Dr. Tim Martinson at Cornell with a grant of $2.6 Million to continue research and education activities that have reached an aggregate audience of several thousand people across 12 states. DNAinfo.com – 1/6/2015 A Winery grows in Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Winery is planning to open a second location in the Crown Heights neighborhood late summer 2015. Star Gazette – 1/7/2015 Techs who do IT support for Finger Lakes wineries, open a store “Odessa Wine and Spirits” selling only New York wines. The Chronicle-Express – 1/9/2015 Rochester Institute of…

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Weekly New York Wine News — January 5, 2015

I’ll Drink to That Podcast – 12/23/2014 Levi Dalton interviews Christopher Tracy – winemaker and a partner at the Channing Daughters winery, on New York’s Long Island. Plus Erin Scala takes a look at the history of wine production in New York state. New York Times – 12/26/2014 The owners of Finger Lakes wine cellars are squaring off against business interests to store liquefied petroleum gas in their neighborhoods. New York Winemakers Fight Gas Storage Plan Near Seneca Lake. Syracuse.com – 12/29/2014 Gas storage plan under Seneca Lake draws letters to the editor and a heated commentary. WXXI News – 12/29/2014 New York…

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Finger Lakes Region Mourns the Loss of Top Grape Grower Sam Argetsinger

The Finger Lakes lost one of its most prominent grape growers on Sunday night when Sam Argetsinger died at his home. Argetsinger is the owner of his eponymous vineyard, which rises high above the southeast side of Seneca Lake. “We’re still in shock,” said Morten Hallgren, co-owner of Ravines Wine Cellars, which uses Argetsinger Vineyard fruit to make some of the finest wines in the region. “Sam was a loyal friend, a passionate grape grower, and an Iroquois translator who was so in touch with his environment that you could see it in his fiery blue eyes. A friend like…

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Happy Holidays — We’ll Be Back in 2015!

It’s been a busy 2014 here at NYCR headquarters — as well as our satellite offices throughout New York. At times the site just hasn’t been a priority and we’re sorry about that. Fear not New York wine fans — we’ll be back with a vengeance in 2015, with some new programs, a new look and possibly some pretty big news. In the meantime, the team and I are going to shut things down for the year and enjoy the time with our friends and family over the holidays. Happy holidays!

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The Last Hurrah: Empire State Cellars Wine Club November 2014 Selections

As I sit down to write this month’s newsletter, it is with mixed emotions. Empire State Cellars will be closing at the end December, which makes this the final club shipment. One one hand, it’s obviously saddening to think that the largest New York-only retail shop is closing and that a club that I’ve curated for so many years (with three different shops handling logistics) is coming to an end. (Selfishly, I’m bummed about the store because it’s going to be that much harder for me to find Finger Lakes, Hudson Valley and Niagara wines locally.) On the other hand, this is…

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TasteCamp 2014: Hudson Valley Kicks of Drink Local Wine Week 2014

Tomorrow morning, I head up to the Hudson River Region of New York’s wine country to take care of some final preparations for this year’s TasetCamp event, presented by Drink Local Wine (DLW). This weekend, nearly two dozen writers will join me as we immerse ourselves in the Hudson Valley’s wine, spirits, cider and beer communities through a series of tastings, visits and discussions. I look forward to tasting some of my favorite local libations again, but also to making new discoveries. That’s the fun part. But TasteCamp is really just the beginning — the beginning of “Drink Local Wine Week…

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