Interview with Tiffany Robibero - Robibero Family Vineyards 1st Double Gold

Robibero Family Vineyards is one of the newest wineries in the Hudson Valley.  They recently won a Double Gold Medal in the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition.  What a wonderful achievement for them!  I recently interviewed Tiffany about the win.

HVWG: How were you notified of your big win for the 2010 Dry Riesling?

Tiffany: By an email from the New York Wine & Grape Foundations Wine Press. It was Monday night around 7:30pm and I opened the email and started glancing through the list of winners. Since I opened the email on my iphone the article was very small so when my eyes saw Robibero under the Double Gold winners I had to do a few double takes before I realized what we had won for. 

HVWG: This is your first big competition win, a Double Gold Medal, when you got the news, what was the first thing you did after you closed the email. (keep it clean:)

Tiffany: Ryan was on the phone in the other room and I started screaming “We won, we won a double gold for our Dry Riesling!". He hung up the phone and I showed him the email and he was just as excited, if not more than I was. We immediately called my dad and our winemaker to share the big news. The next night we celebrated with family, friends and of course our 2010 Dry Riesling. We have rarely entered competitions in the past so this win was a very big surprise to us, especially since it was our first international wine competition. 

HVWG: Where did the grapes get sourced from for the Riesling?

Tiffany: The grapes were sourced from a vineyard located in the Finger Lakes "banana belt" region on the eastern shore of Seneca Lake. 

HVWG:Describe the process for making the Riesling?

Tiffany: The grapes were hand picked at 20.5 Brix. Ph-3.18, Acidity-7.2 gr/L. We used Prise de Mousse Yeast (EC-1118) from France. Fermentation was 30 days @ 48 degrees F. We fermented at cooler temperatures to bring out the fruit in the wine. It was then aged in Stainless Steel. 

HVWG: Tasting notes for the Riesling

Tiffany: A delightful citrusy nose of pear grapefruit that leads into green apple and lime flavors on the palate. Dry and crisp with fresh acidity and subtle slate character. A lingering spicy pear finish with a touch of honey. 1% R.S , 12.5% Alcohol 

HVWG: What is your favorite pairing for the Riesling?

Tiffany: Sushi!! We eat sushi at least 3 times a week in our house and we always have a bottle of Robibero Riesling on the table. 

HVWG: What's next for you and the winery?

Tiffany: We are looking forward to releasing our 2011 wines and winning a lot more awards . This year our winemaker Kristop Brown has been busy in the cellar producing a 3rd Robibero Riesling. This Riesling will be unique as it was made from Arctic Riesling grapes and currently aging in 3 year old oak barrels. We are very excited to add another Riesling to our wine portfolio. The great thing about Riesling is that it is such a versatile grape. You can play around with it to produce many different styles of wine.