Super Bowl LXIV Sunday
February 07, 2010
It is a chilly morning—11 degrees—as we wait for the sun to rise over the vineyards of Glenora and the shores of Seneca—7:15 AM. Adding to the cold is the wind coming from the northwest at 6 miles per hour which gives us a wind chill factor of 1 degree Fahrenheit.
In the vineyards—it was another week of pruning and collecting buds for winter damage analysis—we should be able to report on that next week. We have started pruning some of our more cold tender varieties--this past week it was Chardonnay at Knapp. Vineyard Manager Chris was quite pleased to get the report from the PA woodchuck (Phil) indicating there will be at least 6 more weeks of winter as it keeps the vines dormant and gives him time to work on his pruning projects.
In the cellar—lots of wine movements this past week along with bottling of Lake Series Chardonnay at Glenora. Both the Glenora and Knapp production teams continue to employ Mother Nature to cold stabilize (chill) their wines (a part of our Green project). At Glenora, in addition to 10 stainless steel tanks which are outside we know have 12 porta-tanks.
We were very pleased to see an article in the most recent issue of The Wine Spectator which featured our Mark Twain Riesling label. If you are interested in look at it here is a link: http://www.winespectator.com/webfeature/show/id/41673
Finger Lakes Reds (wines). There has been lots of discussion over the years about the Finger Lakes Region’s ability to produce high quality red wines. While in years past some of the doubt may have been justified. However in recent years by the utilization of new cultural practices in the vineyards along with new and different techniques used in the cellar the region has significantly improved the quality of its reds—remember our Mason Vineyard Cabernet was awarded the honor of being the best cabernet sauvignon at the 2009 Wine and Food Classic Competition. This past week, at a blind tasting held at Fox Run vineyards a Zugibe Vineyards 2007 Pinot Noir outscored 18 other Pinot Noirs. Several of the wines came from Oregon and California, and some with sporting price tags of over $30-$45. Another great Finger Lakes red, from the editor’s perspective, is Glenora’s 2008 Syrah, one if not the first, Syrah’s produced from Syrah grapes grown in the Finger Lakes-Norbud Farms vineyards.
The retail team’s Feast and Fest held last Sunday was a huge success with 87 in attendance. When given the opportunity to register for the next Feast and Fest, February 28th, 71 of those attending signed up “on the spot”—a great tribute to the efforts of the retail team, Chef Orlando and Winemaker Steve.
While it was noted in a memo sent to Team Glenora and Team Knapp earlier this week it also needs to be noted in the Glenora Gazette that Cellar Master/Production Manager Tracey Miller was named “Fireman of the Year” by the Dundee Fire Department. There was a great picture of Tracey, and his daughter Brande who was honored for completing 174 hours of training (the most of anyone in the department) in this past week’s Observer—it was on the front page and about the fold. Congratulations to Tracey and Brande.
Tastings and Festivals—It has been a busy week and weekend for our In-store Tasting and Festival Teams—lots of exposure for Glenora and Knapp’s finest this week as on Friday we were at Harborview in Syracuse and Lisa’s Liquors in Penefild. Yesterday, Saturday, we were at the Herd thru the Grapevine Festival held at the Buffalo Bison’s stadium and at the Wine about Winter Festival in Medina, along with doing a tasting at Prime Wines and Spirits in Kenmore. Barb reported in last evening that both festivals went very well!!
On Friday the editor attended a meeting of the Cornell Advisory Council, of which I am member, for the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station. A significant part of the meeting focused on the impact of the proposed Governor’s budget. While discussion focused primarily on the Experiment Station there was conversation about the budgets impact on NY agriculture in general. Department of Agriculture and Markets Commissioner Hooker gave a brief statement on the impact to that department—which basically leaves the department with little or no funds for operations (the editor’s take on his comments). Consequently, as the budget currently stands, between cuts to the station, the Department of Ag & Mkts, and the research portion of the Wine & Grape Foundation’s budget there will have to be major cuts or reductions with regards to research programs that affect our industry. The IPM program (Integrated Pest Management program) maybe saved/funded because of the bedbugs in NYC—seriously!!
Thought of the week: Government - Government does not solve problems; it subsidizes them.
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