In March, two of Fox Run Vineyards’ wines won double gold. Shortly thereafter, three children won the chance to go to summer camp. What the two have in common is the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition.
The wine competition was held March 23-24, and it was Fox Run’s 2011 Dry Riesling and 2011 Reserve Riesling that earned the medals. The entries from 20 countries and all fifty states were grouped by varietal, one of the most popular being – you guessed it – Riesling.
Going to summer camp may not sound nearly as memorable, but then this summer camp is not like most others. This is the Camp Good Days & Special Times, which is focused on pediatric cancer patients and their families. Though it has grown by over 1,400 children since its inception in 1979, all programs and services are offered free of charge at their lakefront retreat in Branchport, NY. This means that the camp’s existence is reliant on fundraisers.
This is where the Finger Lakes Wine Competition comes in. About a month after the judging is done and the medals are awarded, the Dinner & Auction part of the event is held. Many of the lots being bid upon include those wines that won some of the top honors back in March. All money raised goes to Camp Days.
This year, one of the lots contained a case each of Fox Run’s winning rieslings, and that lot sold for $1,600. That means that from one auction lot alone, three children can attend Camp Good Days this summer. It is particularly fitting that the owner of Fox Run Vineyards, Scott Osborn, was part of the group that started the competition. “To hear the stories of kids diagnosed with cancer and the joy they receive by attending camp, it touches your heart. Entering wine into the competition or donating auction items to the dinner are small things we can do so kids have the opportunity to attend camp and can be kids,” says Osborn.
Happily, as the camp has grown, so has the competition. It had 800 entries when it was founded in 2001 and this year it had 3,505, making it the second-largest wine competition in the country and the largest charitable wine competition in the world. Needless to say, these wines from Seneca Lake will mean the world for a child on Keuka this summer.