Top Awards Announced from the New York Wine Classic proving once more to the world that New York State is “the Next Great American Wine Region” as read in SevenFifty Daily
The New York Wine & Grape foundation (NYWGF) announced on 18th March 2021, the top winners of the 35th annual New York Wine Classic, a nationally recognized competition highlighting the best of New York’s wine.
Organized annually by the New York Wine & Grape Foundation, the New York Wine Classic celebrates a diverse selection of world-class wines from producers within the State.
Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul made the announcement during a special live virtual event.
Judging for this year’s competition was conducted over a 4-month period, from November 1, 2020 to February 15, 2021 and included 607 entries from 96 wineries from across the state.
A total of 1 Platinum, 138 Gold, 355 Silver, and 104 Bronze medals were awarded. For the first time ever, the NYWGF partnered with the Beverage Testing Institute (BTI) to judge the wines.
Samuel Filler, Executive Director of the New York Wine & Grape Foundation, said: “we wish to extend our congratulations to all the winners. We had a particularly strong showing from the North Fork of Long Island this year. The results of the Classic shine a spotlight on the fact that New York produces amazing wine worth exploring in every region across the state. We are looking forward to weather turning warm, and safe travel returning soon. Going on an adventure to visit the winners of the New York Wine Classic will be a perfect way to explore New York wines from corner to corner”
Among the winners, the following wineries are members of the Western European programme, which means they have started exporting to some Western European countries or they are looking for distributors:
- Best Cabernet Franc: Lamoreaux Landing 2019 T23 Unoaked, Cabernet Franc, Finger Lakes.
- Best Dessert Wine & Best Ice Wine: Boundary Breaks 2019 Ice Wine, Riesling, Finger Lakes
- Best Cabernet Sauvignon: Brotherhood 2017 New York Premium Selection, Cabernet Sauvignon, New York State
- Best Gruner Veltliner: Dr. Konstantin Frank 2019 Gruner Veltliner, Finger Lakes
- Best Other Red Vinifera Varietal: Dr. Konstantin Frank 2018 Saperavi, Finger Lakes
New York wines: a cool climate region
Diverse and bold, with a long history stretching back hundreds of years, New York is reinventing itself as an epicenter of dynamic winemaking.
The state is home to the first winery in the United States, and producers are drawing on that background to produce some of the most exciting wines in the country. Wine has been made since the 17th century and since the 1950s a successful focus on quality has taken hold to the point that New York is gaining a well-deserved reputation as one of the world’s most transformative regions.
There is an incredible amount of diversity in climate and growing conditions: from Long Island, exposed to the Atlantic Ocean, to Hudson Valley, the historic heartland of New York wine, to Niagara and the Champlain Valley on the border with Canada, to Finger Lakes, which has established itself as a region that can compete with Germany, Austria, and the Loire Valley. Think cool climate, expect the unexpected.
