Results of the Hudson Valley Wine Competition

I won't keep you in suspense any longer. Here are the results as well as info if you would like to attend the wine dinner.

The link for the Hudson Valley Wine & Culinary Food Pairing Dinner

Poughkeepsie, NY , April 29, 2008: Brook in Waterland in Rhinebeck New York was the setting Saturday, April 26th for the 4th Annual Hudson Valley Wine Competition. This competition highlights the Hudson Valley Regions wines and the growing interest the public has for them. The competition was open to all commercial wineries in the Hudson Valley AVA using New York State fruit, but more exclusively, Hudson Valley fruit.

Seventy nine wines made in the Hudson Valley were entered in the competition. Overall the wines from the 18 wineries that entered scored higher than in the past three competitions, suggesting to all present, a continuing improvement in winemaking for the area.

The winners of the 4th Annual Hudson Valley Wine Competition by class and variety are:

Sparkling:

Brotherhood Winery NV Blanc de Blanc –Silver Medal, Best Sparkling Wine

Clinton Vineyards NV Sparkling Seyval Peach – Bronze Medal

Applewood Winery Stonefence 2006 Hard Cider-- Bronze Medal

White Hybrid:

Benmarl Winery 2006 Seyval—Gold Medal, Best in Class and Best White Hybrid

Magnanini Winery 2006 Bianco Amable (Seyval) -- Silver Medal

Brotherhood Winery 2006 Seyval Blanc—Bronze Medal

Bashakill Winery 2006 Whitetail (Cayuga) –Gold Medal, Best in Class

Brimstone Hill Vineyards 2007 Cayuga – Silver Medal

Adair Vineyards 2007 Cayuga—Bronze Medal

Whitecliff Vineyards 2007 Awosting White (Seyval/Vignoles)--Silver Medal, Best Hudson Heritage
Benmarl Winery 2007 Traminette – Bronze Medal

White Vinifera

Millbrook Vineyards 2007 Tokai Fruilano – Gold Medal, Best in Class, Best White Vinifera

Millbrook Vineyards 2006 Chardonnay –Gold Medal

Benmarl Winery 2007 Riesling – Bronze Medal

Brotherhood Winery 2005 Riesling—Bronze Medal

Labrusca (Native) Grape:

Hudson-Chatham Lindenwald White Niagara/Diamond—Silver Medal, Best in Class

Red Hybrid:

Benmarl Winery 2006 Baco Noir—Gold Medal, Best Red Hybrid

Benmarl Winery 2006 Frontenac—Silver Medal

Bashakill Winery 2006 Blue Heron (Chancellor)—Bronze Medal

Red Vinifera:

Millbrook Vineyards 2005 Cabernet Franc –Gold Medal, Best in Class, Best in Show, Best HV Wine

Millbrook Vineyards 2006 Cabernet Franc Block 3—Gold Medal

Applewood Winery 2006 Cabernet Franc – Bronze Medal

Oak Summit Vineyards 2006 Pinot Noir – Silver Medal, Best in Category

Millbrook Vineyards 2005 Pinot Noir—Silver Medal

Bashakill Winery 2006 Copperhead (Pinot Noir)—Bronze Medal

Brotherhood Winery 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon—Silver Medal

Hudson-Chatham 2005 Merlot—Silver Medal, Best in Category

Baldwin 2006 Merlot—Bronze Medal

Grape Sweet Wine:

Bashakill Winery 2007 Osprey (Vignoles)—Silver Medal, Best in Class

Bashakill Winery 2007 Whitetail (Cayuga)—Bronze Medal

Bashakill Winery 2006 Osprey (Vignoles)—Bronze Medal

Fruit Wine:

Brookview Station 2007 Pomona (Apple/Pear) – Gold Medal, Best in Category, Best in Class

Adair Vineyards 2007 Peche –Gold Medal, Best in Category

Dessert Wines:

Clinton Vineyards NV Cassis – Gold Medal, Best in Category, Best in Class, Best Dessert Wine Warwick Valley Winery NV Pear Liquior –Gold Medal, Best in Category

Warwick Valley Winery NV Black Currant—Silver Medal

Palaia Winery NV Mead—Bronze Medal

Port:

Brotherhood Winery NV Ruby Port—Gold Medal, Best in Class

Hudson Chatham Winery Paperbirch Raspberry Port—Silver Medal

For more information on the Hudson Valley Wine & Grape Association visit www.hvwga.com

Video of the competition can be seen here.

Hudson Valley Wine Competition - Competition Day

Well yesterday was a long day. It all started Friday night with last minute changes to entries. Colleen and I were up until 2am making sure everything was correct. With 4 hours of sleep and a stop at the A&P for brown lunch bags (it's a blind tasting) we headed to Rhinebeck for the competition.

While the results aren't official yet...there were some nice results for newcomers at Hudson-Chatham Winery, Baskhill and Palaia. Congratulations to them. I will keep you in suspense until the results become final.

Here is a video I put together from the competition.

Online Videos by Veoh.com

Everyone is invited to attended the Hudson Valley Wine & Culinary Food Pairing May 30th at the Culinary Institute of America's, St Andrew's Cafe. You will be able to mingle with the winemakers and winery owners and their wines are paired with dinner prepared by the Culinary chefs. For more information click here.

Hudson Valley Wine Competition

Well..I have to apologize; I've been lax this week. I have been very busy with work and I somehow got talked into assisting with the Hudson Valley Wine Competition. The Hudson Valley Wine and Grape Association hosts this competition every year. They reached out to me to help them with the competition and arrange the banquet, which is open to the public and being held at the St. Andrew's Café at the Culinary Institute of America. We'll start out first with the competition.

The competition is going to be held on Saturday. There are currently 72 wines entered in an assortment of categories. I will take pictures so you can see a wine competition at it's best. This competition is open to all Hudson Valley wineries and the wines must be made from New York Grapes..preferably Hudson Valley grapes and processed and made in the Hudson Valley.

The judges from the competition are Bob Brink – Fine Wines Manager at Arlington Liquor; Chris Gerling – Cornell's Extension Associate for Enology for NY State; Steven Kolpan – Professor of Wine Studies, CIA, Harriet Lembeck – wine and spirits educator and writer; William Lembeck – Society of Wine Educators, Bill Radner – Sommelier, wine writer and educator.
Wine Director for Xaviar's Restaurant Group; Jennifer Redmond , and Brian Smith- Professor of Wine Studies, CIA.

You will hear first of the winners here on my blog.

On May 30^th at the St Andrew's Café you will have the opportunity to mingle with the winemakers and enjoy the winning wines in the top 5 major categories – Sparkling, Red, White, Fruit & Dessert Wines paired with wonderful dishes from the chefs at the Culinary. For more information on the dinner visit www.hvwga.com I'll be there!

Pasta Primo Vino

I attended the Pasta Primo Vino this past weekend. We had a wonderful time touring the Shawangunk Wine Trail. We started out in Warwick at Warwick Valley Winery. They had a nice Chardonnay that I really liked, which I purchased. I went out of my norm and tasted their Winston Harlequin Port which I was surprised I liked. It was made from Baco Noir grapes which attributed to the smoky taste.

After Warwick we traveled to Applewood Winery which I think had the best Pasta. It was Blue Cheese baked Pasta. Yumm! Then we went to Brotherhood and the Marlboro Wineries. Benmarl had good Gnocchi! I also tasted their port too. It was good. I am not a port drinker, but the person I was with likes sweet wine. I kept an open mind and tried some. After Marlboro we went to the wineries in New Paltz, Pinebush and Gardiner. We ended at Whitecliff where we sat on the deck with a bottle of Awosting White and relaxed after a long day.

The wineries were crowded and I was told that Sunday is usually less crowded. I think the next event which is in June, I'll attend on Sunday.

It's really nice to go wine tasting in your backyard. I am so fortunate to live in a region that has good wineries. On a typical weekend where I don't have anything planned, I will think nothing about packing a picnic lunch and going to some of my favorite wineries. Don't think because you went wine tasting today, next month you will be tasting the same wines. NOT! Wineries release new wines all throughout the year. I will say, if you go wine tasting and really enjoy the wine, purchase it! Don't wait until the next time. These wineries are small production and they may only have a few hundred cases of that wine. The next time you go to purchase the wine, they may be sold out.

Wine and Memory Loss

I saw this information in the NYWGF newsletter. Thank you Jim.

MEMORY LOSS in women may be decreased significantly with moderate wine consumption, according to a recent Swedish study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology. The long-term prospective study showed a 70% decrease in the lifetime risk of dementia, while spirits consumption increased the risk, suggesting that the non-alcohol components unique to wine may be an important factor.

Not sure if I agree, since I can't remember things now. But that might be due to the busy lifestyle I lead. With that being said, in 30 years you will have to ask my kids if this holds true.

Wine for Breakfast

Yesterday morning I attended a Chamber breakfast first thing in the morning…7:30am. I am not the morning person when it comes to conversation. I sat down at a table and the gentleman across from me says "So, what kind of wine do we drink at breakfast?" If looks could kill, I shot him that look and said "excuse me." I am not quite awake yet and he's asking my opinion on wine. He turned to me and said I read your blog. Then it all clicked…I looked at him and said "I think a nice Riesling would do." He responded with nice choice.

I did make the comeback, but no matter how many cups of coffee I would have had, I still wouldn't be on my toes at 7:30am. I don't think my mind becomes intelligent until about 10am. I'm good after that. After 10am…let the questions roll.

Baked Ziti

The UPS man delivered a California Wine Club shipment the other day. In the newsletter they featured a recipe from Rotta Winery which was the selection of the month. It was an awesome Baked Ziti! I will share the recipe with you at the end of the post.

Since the wine selection that accompanied this recipe was a Rotta 2005 Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon we decided to open it. With no expectations both Paul and I were WOWED! What serious ripe black cherry that grabs you. Incredible! The nose not only had black cherry but hints of cinnamon too. This wine was smooth with excellent balance. A drink now wine. It went very well with their Baked Ziti.

Here's the recipe for their Baked Ziti

1 lb dry ziti

6 ½ cups of pasta sauce

6 ounces provolone cheese, sliced

1 ½ cups sour cream

6 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded

2 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese

1 onion chopped

Directions:

• Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add Ziti and cook to aldente
  
• In a large skillet, brown onion and ground beef over medium heat. Drain. Add pasta sauce and simmer 15 minutes
  
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer as follows: ½ ziti, provolone cheese, sour cream, ½ sauce mixture, remaining ziti, mozzarella cheese and remaining sauce mixture. Top with grated parmesan cheese
  
• Bake at 350 F for 45 minutes.
  

Enjoy!

Wines and Restaurants

Friday evening we went out for dinner at Hotel Madeline in Tivoli. One thing I like about eating out is trying different wines.

We arrived early and had a glass before our friends arrived. I tried a 2005 Sauvignon Blanc called Indaba from South Africa. This was very good, but not as crisp as the New Zealands I like. It had soft citrus flavors with a slight taste of lemon on the side of your tongue. My husband had a glass of 2006 Altos Malbec from Mendoza. This was earthy with smoke on the finish.

The wine list at the restaurant reflected wines from all parts of the world. When you are out at a restaurant, it's always fun to taste wines you normally don't see. People tend to stick to what they know, XYZ winery from Napa etc.. but when you are out, it's a great opportunity to experiment and taste different wines from different regions of the world.

Next time you are out at a restaurant and they have a nice wine list, try something different from a region of the world you haven't tried.

Pasta Primo Vino

It's spring time and the birds are chirping and the peepers are peeping. It's a great time of year to discover the Hudson Valley Wines of the Shawangunk Wine Trail wineries as they host Pasta Primo Vino April 19 & 20^th. For $20 plus tax you receive wine tasting and pasta sampling at the 10 wineries on the Shawangunk Wine Trail. What a deal that is!!

I heard that you will be tasting Pasta Carbonara at Warwick Valley Winery, Fettuccini con Zucca Pangrattato (with pumpkin and bread crumbs) at Whitecliff Vineyards…and "Husband's Delight" at Glorie Farm Winery. Husband's Delight ought to be good!

Wineries will be releasing some of their 2007 wines..like Pinot Gris and Harvest Moon at Warwick Valley Winery, and Whitecliff's2007 Awosting White, Pinot Gris, Redtail and Mt Laurel White.

It should be an exciting weekend. I hope the weather is nice!!

Sulfites

With wine, you hear the term Sulfites used frequently. Some people are allergic to sulfites and / or the sulfites in wine cause some health issues when they drink wine. Here is the scoop on sulfites.

Sulfite is a term used to describe sulfur dioxide and other sulfur derivatives. Sulfites are found in all wines as they are a natural product of fermentation. Sulfur dioxide is used in wine making to prevent oxidation, kill bacteria and wild yeasts, and encourage quick and clean fermentation. The U.S. government requires wine labels to include "Contains Sulfites" to alert those who may be allergic to sulfites.

To send a wine back or not to…

Have you ever ordered a bottle of wine in a restaurant and it didn't taste right? You thought about sending it back but were embarrassed. Don't be! If you are not happy with the wine you ordered and feel it's corked or tasting funny, you are the consumer, send it back. For the first time, this happened to me at a local restaurant a while ago. We debated on sending it back, but it was undrinkable. We told the waitress who took the bottle back and came back to us and said the bartender tasted it and it was indeed bad. You know how that made us feel. They thought we were pulling one over on them, they didn't trust us, we just didn't like our selection so we were sending it back. It made us feel like we did something wrong. Never did the bartender or owner (who cleared our plates) ever apologize for the bad bottle. These things happen. Could just be a bad bottle in a case, or it was stored incorrectly somewhere along the line. We should have never been made to feel that it was our fault. Don't ever feel that way! If you aren't happy with the selection, whether it's a wine by the glass or bottle, send it back.

Here is a quick guide to some of the problems:

• Moldy Musty Smell – Five per cent of wines are tainted from an infection in the cork. Refuse it saying the "wine is corked"
  
• Flat, Lifeless – Overheated in transport or storage. The wine has its flavors cooked out. The wine is "cooked"
  
• Rotten Eggs – Hydrogen sulphide is present. It should have stayed at the winery. Send it back.
  
• Sherry-like or nutty Odors – Only Sherry should have the nutty flavor of Sherry. Regular wine with this aroma has been oxidized or "cooked."
  
• Off Color – Off color means a white wine that is brownish in color or a red wine with a brown or yellow rim. Not good.