Whitecliff Riesling 2009 Makes Hudson Valley Proud in San Francisco!

he Hudson Valley’s Whitecliff Vineyard Beat Thousands of the World’s Wines to Take Best White Wine at the San Francisco International Wine Competition!

Gardiner, New York. , June 23, 2010: Whitecliff Vineyard, one of the Hudson Valley’s premier small family wineries, just took home a Double Gold and the Best In Show - White Wine award at this weekend’s San Francisco International Wine Competition. This is the largest, most influential international wine competition in America, judged blind by a prestigious panel of nationally recognized wine experts. With almost 4,000 wines entered this year from all over the world, Best White is a significant honor for Whitecliff, and for Hudson Valley winemaking.

The honor went to Whitecliff’s 2009 Riesling. Important to note that as Best in Show it was chosen over a huge selection of well-known and highly respected wines, such as Chardonnays from Napa Valley and France, New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs, and Rieslings from Germany.
The Riesling was produced at Whitecliff from their own Hudson Valley Riesling grapes, combined with grapes from the Finger Lakes and Long Island, to balance the strengths offered by each of these different New York regions.

This year marks the 30th year of the San Francisco International Wine Competition, making it one of the oldest in the nation. As a small, artisanal winery, Whitecliff produces a total of about 3,000 cases of wine a year, with wines regularly selling out. Less than 200 cases of our award-winning Riesling were originally produced, and at this time we have a little over 100 cases still available for sale. It is medium dry, with 2% residual sugar, a ph of 3.0, and acidity of 8.25 g/l.

With 26 acres of vineyard, and its roots in a passion for farming, Whitecliff is one of the leading vineyard-based wineries in New York’s Hudson Valley. The winery is located at 331 McKinstry Road, in Gardiner, NY. It offers a line of primarily dry, European style wines, from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, to its award-winning Awosting White, and Gamay Noir. Our wines have been featured at many respected restaurants, including the Culinary Institute of America, the Gramercy Tavern, and Xaviers.

Kevin Zraly Reads Hudson Valley Wine magazine

Here's a photo of Kevin Zrally, author of WINDOWS ON THE WORLD 25th Anniversary Edition, holding a copy of Hudson Valley Wine magazine. Kevin's bestselling book has been in print for 25 years, and has sold more than 3 million copies. This photo was taken at Fine Wine +Fine Art event last weekend.

Looking forward to Kevin's new book coming ou this Fall, THE ULTIMATE WINE COMPANION.

New York Cork Report Reviews Whitecliff 2009 Riesling

Lenn Thompson reviewed Michael and Yancey Migliore's Whitecliff Vineyards 2009 Riesling on the New York Cork Report.

Here's the begining...

June 17, 2010
Whitecliff Vineyards 2009 Riesling
By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor

Disappointingly few rieslings made in the Hudson Valley from Finger Lakes fruit maintain the true character of the fruit's origin. There are many reasons why this could be, some unavoidable.
Trucking fruit or juice from central New York to the Hudson Valley certainly isn't going to make for a pristine start to the winemaking process. That can't help. Add manipulative or extremely low-tech winemaking techniques (lack of temperature control during fermentation for instance) and it's easy to see why many rieslings made and bottled in the Hudson Valley under the "New York State" AVA can be tasty, but rarely express or are recognizable as being born in the Finger Lakes.

Not so with the Whitecliff Vineyards 2009 Riesling ($15).

read the rest at:

http://www.lenndevours.com/2010/06/whitecliff-vineyards-2009-riesling.html

June/July 2010 Wine Events in the Southern Hudson Valley

2010 June/July Events at Brotherhood,

Palaia, and Warwick Valley Wineries


BROTHERHOOD WINERY

Candlelight Cuisine June 25, 2010
When? 7:30pm
Where? Brotherhood Winery
Contact: contact@brotherhoodwinery.net
Phone: 845-496-3661


Come join us again as Amuzae Executive Chef Shawn Hubbell returns to tantalize your tastebuds in the country's largest underground wine cellars. Featuring three exquisite courses sourced from local farms, each paired with an Award Winning Brotherhood Wine, watch and learn as the entire meal is prepared live, right before your eyes.

Chef Shawn Hubbell has been featured in several Hudson Valley publications and is known for creating delectable dishes utilizing locally sourced ingredients. Chef Shawn breaks down the science and art of creating delicious meals using a simple theme: Fresh, Local Ingredients that taste good.

*Menus are based on local and seasonal availability and are subject to change.

This event sells out each night, so tickets are needed in advance and are non-refundable. Patrons must be 21 years of age or older.

Tickets are not mailed to the purchaser. You are placed on a check-in list at the event, where you need to show valid ID and must be 21 or older to enter.

Advance tickets: $ 45.00 per person.

Wine and Beer Festival
When? 1-6pm
Where? Brotherhood Winery
Contact: contact@brotherhoodwinery.net
Phone: 845-496-3661
School is out and summer is here so why not kick off our favorite time of the year with our annual Wine & Beer Festival taking place each year on the last Saturday in June. Join Brotherhood, America’s Oldest Winery and Yuengling, America’s Oldest Brewery as we partner up to bring you an amazing day of food and entertainment along with a fabulous selection of wines and beers from this great land. The event will feature Brotherhood’s famous collection of wines and Yuengling’s amazing assortment of beers along with many other favorite fine craft breweries. Add some really good live entertainment and an awesome BBQ and now you’ve got yourself a Wine & Beer Festival you’d have to be crazy to miss.
ALL INCLUSIVE tickets are $60 and include food, entertainment and unlimited wine & beer sampling.
Event takes place Rain or Shine and tickets are limited and non-refundable.
***NJ and PA Residents should enter "100 Brotherhood Plaza Drive Washingtonville, NY 10992" as their shipping address when purchasing tickets.***
Tickets are not mailed to the purchaser. You are placed on a check-in list at the event, where you need to show valid ID and must be 21 or older to enter.
Advance tickets: $ 60.00 per person.


Palaia Vineyards

June 24 - Open Mic Night 7:00-10:00 P.M.
Inside (21 and over only please!)
Winery Open From 12:00-10:00 P.M.

June 25 - Bruce Perone 7:00-10:00 P.M.
Inside (21 and over only please!)
Winery Open From 12:00-10:00 P.M.

June 26 - 3rd Degree - Classic Rock 6:00-9:00 P.M.
Outside (All Ages Welcome!)
Winery Open From 12:00-10:00 P.M.

June 27 - Paul Binotto 2:30-5:30 P.M.
Outside (All Ages Welcome!)
Winery Open From 12:00-6:00 P.M.



Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery

June 27 Rick Nestler - Acoustic / Folk / Americana

July 3 Tim O Donohue - Folk / Roots Music / Country
July 4 Reddan Bros. Band - Rock / Psychedelic / Blues

July 10 Paul Binotto - Classic Rock
July 11 Susie Q - Rock / Acoustic / Alternative

July 17 Marty Koppel - Roots Music / Acoustic / Americana
July 18 Larry Amato - Classic Rock

Contact music@wvwinery.com for music bookings.

Upcoming Special Events & Music Festivals
Watkins Glen Revisted - June 26 (Raindate 27th)
Music of The Band, Allman Brothers and the Grateful Dead
Admission $15.00/door $10.00 in advance (12-5pm)
Tickets on Sale June 1st 2010

Shawangunk Around the World in 80 Miles Wine Event June 19 & 20

Doug Glorie of Glorie Farm Winery from 2007

The Sixteenth Annual"Around the World in 80 Miles"
Saturday and Sunday, June 19& 20, 2010

Tickets $25 per person in advance $35 at the door if available

For this popular annual self guided event, each of the wineries along the Trail transform into a different wine producing country. Armed with your "Passport", travel the Wine World and discover the best of each "Country's" food paired with delicious wines from the Shawangunk Wineries. Your Passport comes with Visas for each "country"and a souvenir Wine Trail etched wine glass.

Reserve early as this popular event sells out!

This is a fun event, with each winery serving the cuisine of a different country. Past themes have included Argentinian, French, German, Indian, Italian, Polish, and other cuisines.

Marc Stopkie, of Adair Vineyards, in traditional Indian men's garb.

Strawberry Fields Event on Hudson Berkshire Beverage Trail

Strawberries are the Stars on
Hudson Berkshire Beverage Trail
this Weekend, June 12 and 13, 2010!

On Saturday & Sunday, June 12 & 13, the Hudson Berkshire Beverage Trail is conducting its second group event of the season. This one is called “Strawberry Fields Sip & Savor,” and will feature a strawberry delicacy at each of the participating venues. For example, there will be strawberry sangria at the Hudson-Chatham Winery, chocolate-covered strawberries at Furnace Brook Winery, vodka-soaked strawberries with fresh cream at Harvest Spirits, and strawberries in phyllo at Brookview Station Winery. There will be lots to sip and savor this weekend on the premier beverage trail in the Northeast!

Guests may visit any Trail member of their choice and pay the normal tasting fees, or buy a Trail Passport for $15 per person ($5 for a designated driver), and receive a great discount that covers beverage samplings and strawberry creations at all the participating Trail locations! Passports will be available for sale on the day of the event at all of the venues.

Trail members participating in “Strawberry Fields” will be open 12 to 5:00 pm.Trail members include: Brookview Station Winery in Castleton, NY; Chatham Brewing in Chatham, NY; Furnace Brook Winery in Richmond, MA; Harvest Spirits in Valatie, NY; Hudson-Chatham Winery in Ghent, NY; Les Trois Emme in Great Barrington, MA; and, in fall 2010, Tousey Winery in Germantown, NY. Directions from one location to the others will be available at each place, and for more information you can visit the website at http://www.hudsonberkshireexperience.com/.

Hudson Valley Wine Magazine Announces Winners of the 2010 “VINI” Awards

“The Face of Hudson Valley Wine”
First-Ever Hudson Valley Wine Label Competition

HUDSON VALLEY, NY, June 14, 2010. — Publishers of Hudson Valley Wine Magazine announced today the winners of the first-ever “Vini Awards” – the “Face of Hudson Valley Wine” Label Competition. Over seventeen Hudson Valley wineries entered almost 100 labels in seven categories for the competition. A panel of four industry professionals in the fields of design, branding and marketing rated the labels on originality, style, composition and legibility.

Winners of the 2010 “Face of Hudson Valley Wine” Label Competition in each category are:

Best Use of Illustration: Benmarl Winery 2006 Baco Noir (First Place), Hudson-Chatham Winery 2007 Merlot (Second Place), Brotherhood Winery Ruby Port (Third Place);

Best Limited Edition: Millbrook Vineyards 2006 Cabernet Franc (First Place), Hudson-Chatham Winery Baco Reserve (Second Place), Brookview Station Winery Hudson River Ridge (Third Place);

Best Use of Photography: Palaia Vineyards 2007 Cabernet Franc (First Place), Cereghino-Smith Tarragona (Second Place), Palaia Vineyards 2002 Cabernet Franc (Third Place);

Best Type Design: Clinton Vineyards Embrace (First Place), Clinton Vineyards Cassis (Second Place) and Hudson-Chatham Winery Pomme Bullé (Third Place);

Most Recognizeable as a Hudson Valley Wine: Benmarl Winery 2006 Baco Noir (First Place), Hudson-Chatham Winery Hudson River Valley Red (Second Place), Millbrook Vineyards 2008 Chardonnay (Third Place);

Most Unique Name: Cereghino-Smith Eaten by Bears (First Place), Pazdar Winery Hot Sin and Brookview Station Winery WhistleStop White (tied for Second Place), Clinton Vineyards Embrace (Third Place)

Most Memorable (overall): Benmarl Winery 2006 Baco Noir (First Place), Cereghino-Smith Rock ‘n Roll Red (Second Place), Clinton Vineyards Embrace (Third Place).

Honorable Mentions include Stoutridge Vineyards Quimby’s Rosé and Glorie Farm Winery Jumpin Jazz.

The judging panel consisted: Gordon Kaye, Editor and Publisher of Graphic Design USA, the monthly trade magazine for graphic design professionals; Mark LaRocca, President of LaRocca Branding & Advertising, Inc., in Rhinebeck, NY; Robert LaValva, Founder and Director of the New Amsterdam Market, a public market and civic institution in New York City; and Melissa Ifkovits, Wine Sales Consultant for Southern Wine and Spirits. Judging took place at Lily’s Restaurant and Bar at the Roger Smith Hotel in New York City on June 9, 2010.

When asked about the overall design the labels, Mark LaRocca commented, “Brand identity is about creating a relationship between the client and the consumer. The consumer has to see some of themselves in the label and in the product. Some of these [labels] we judged today are exciting...and will excite their clients and customers too.”

“From a marketing perspective, it was really good to actually rate labels on a scale to compare them, while keeping in mind their personal “identity” and uniqueness,” remarked Ifkovits.

Winners of Hudson Valley Wine Magazine‘s “Face of Hudson Valley Wine” Label Competition will be presented a “VINI” Award. The award-winning labels in all categories will be announced and published in the Summer 2010 issue of Hudson Valley Wine Magazine and a portfolio of the winning labels will also be made available on the magazine’s website, http://www.hvwinemag.com/.

A“People’s Choice” label award winner will be decided in July where attendees of the Shawangunk Trail’s Bounty of the Hudson Festival at Warwick Valley Winery will able able to vote for their favorite among the winners. Online voting will also be available prior to the event.

In addition, the winners of “The Face of Hudson Valley Wine” will be announced on local radio interviews and through social media. The winning labels in each category will be featured on a fullcolor, limited-edition poster, which will be distributed at wineries, wine shops and retailers throughout the region.

A major sponsor of the competition included Fox & Hound Wine and Spirits of New Paltz; and HudsonValleyWineCountry.org

This first-ever label competition is presented by the award-winning Hudson Valley Wine Magazine, the only publication dedicated to the wines and wineries of the Hudson Valley.

Return of Wine Tasting Tent at 30th Owego Strawberry Festival

30TH ANNUAL OWEGO STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL
JUNE 18TH AND 19TH, 2010

Last Update: 6/03 10:04 am
The 30th Annual Owego Strawberry Festival has activities for people of every age. For the adult attendees, the Wine Tasting Tent is back by popular demand.

The Wine Tasting Tent is open this year on both Friday night from 5:30pm-10:00pm and Saturday from 9:30am-6:00pm. Popular NY wineries will be represented like Crooked Lake Winery, Glenora Wine Cellars, Knapp Vineyards Winery, Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards, Hudson-Chatham Winery, Thousand Island Winery, and Villa Bellangelo. Also in the wine tent will be Laraysville Cheese Factory and Cabin Crafts (maker of wine gift bags).The Wine Tasting Tent will be located on the memorial square area in front of the beautiful Tioga County Courthouse overlooking the Susquehanna River. Admission is $5 per person and IDs will be checked at the door. Attendees are encouraged to sample wines at any of the vendors but to be responsible with consumption. Anyone who over indulges will be escorted from the premises.

Sealed bottles of wine will be for sale at each winery table and wine can be stored on site and picked up when you are ready to leave the festival for the day, so please feel free to purchase your favorites in any quantity. Many of these wines are difficult to find outside the actual winery so be sure to stock up at the festival!

Call the Tioga County Tourism office at 607-687-7440 for more information.

FINE WINE AND FINE ART AT THE DORSKY - MEET KEVIN ZRALY AND STEVEN KOLPAN

This is an exciting event. Firstly, you'll meet famed wine educators Kevin Zraly (author of Windows on the World and the soon to be published The Ultimate Wine Companion) and Steven Kolpan (author of Exploring Wine and co-author of A Sense of Place with Francis Ford Coppola). That is worth the price of admission alone. Kevin and Steven are both entertaining and incredibly knowledgable about wine - incredible value right there.

Secondly, wines will also be avialable for tasting, including international and local Hudson Valley wines.

Thirdly, food supplied by the always excellent DePuy Canal House.

Plus more and more.

Cereghino-Smith Launch Two New Whites for Summer

Fred and Paula of Cereghino-Smith Winery have introduced two new wines. Fred and Paula have always done big, deep, dark red wines. Their Petite Syrah is to die for. So I was floored when I recently saw them at the Rip Van WInkle Wine & Cheese 2010 and they debuted two new whites.

The fisrt was called Chard. And of course it's a Chardonnay. It was fragrant, lean, and delicious. I had melon up front, with a touch of reen apple on the finished. A delicious light white dry wine. Excellent!

The second was Bianca. This was a blend of several different grapes. This also had an incredibly flowery nose, and a tremendous flavor to boot! Excellent!

These are two great additions to their line of fine wines, which can be found throughout the Hudson Valley, not the least of which is at the CIA in Poughkeepsie!

Enjoy!

Rhinebeck Spring Crafts Festival June 19 & 20, 2010

The wineries attending the spring festival include:

Cascade Mountain Winery

El Paso Winery

Hazlitt 1852 Vineyard
Hudson-Chatham Winery

Thousand Islands Winery

Pazdar Winery

Have fun!!!

Berkshire Home Style magazine Raves About the Hudson Berkshire Beverage Trail

The June 2010 issue of Berkshire Home Style Guide features a two page spread about the Hudson Berkshire Beverage Trail. The article highlights each of the trail members and features photos all all the different products and places.