NEW YORK STATE WINES TOP THE COMPETITION IN WINE-TASTING AT STONY BROOK MANHATTAN
Center for Wine, Food and Culture Boosts Product from LI and Upstate
New York State wines bested competition from all over the world in blind wine-tasting events which helped inaugurate Stony Brook University’s Center for Wine, Food and Culture. The Center was host to leading figures from the wine and restaurant industry, wine and food media, and business, at Stony Brook Manhattan, located at 401 Park Avenue, on Monday, June 28.
In every one of the four categories—Riesling, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot—New York wines rated in the top two choices. The New York wines were put up against world-class wines from France, Germany, and California. The top-rated wines from New York hailed from Long Island, the Hudson Valley, and the Finger Lakes region.
The New York wines which finished in the top two of their respective categories were a 2003 Treleaven from Dr. Konstatin Frank’s Vineferea Wine Cellars in Finger Lakes; a 2001 Chateau Lafayette Renau, Proprietor’s Reserve, Finger Lakes; a 2001 Reserve Merlot, Bedell Cellars, Long Island; and a 2001 Lamoreaux, Landing Wine Cellars, Finger Lakes.
“New York State produces some of the most extraordinary wines in the world,” said Stony Brook University President Shirley Strum Kenny. “We know it, connoisseurs of wine know it, and those who participated in our blind wine-tasting at the Center for Wine, Food and Culture certainly know it.”
Stony Brook’s new Center for Wine, Food and Culture will begin offering non-credit workshops, courses, wine tastings and other special events at Stony Brook Manhattan in Fall 2004 geared to both the general public and the wine industry. Proposed courses for the general public include:
- Wine appreciation
- Building a Wine Cellar in a new York Closet
- Wine and Literature
Proposed courses that will be of special interest to those already in the wine and food industries include:
- Regulations and Interstate Commerce Compliance Workshop
- Wine Marketing Seminar
- Designing a Wine List
- Food and Wine Writing
As the state’s number one public research institution, Stony Brook University will draw upon its expertise in the sciences, biology, ecology and environmental studies, as well as its business, marketing and entrepreneurial enterprises to develop and implement a comprehensive interdisciplinary approach to the Center’s educational programs. For example, courses on sustainable agriculture of New York State could draw on the expertise of faculty from the ecology and biology departments, while experts from the business department could advise on courses on wine marketing and entrepreneurship.
New York State ranks third highest in the country in total grape acreage and wine production. There are 990 vineyards in the state covering 31,400 acres. The annual harvest of 175,000 tons is worth approximately $40 million. There are four major wine regions in the state: Long Island, Hudson River Valley, Lake Erie and the Finger Lakes region.