Proud to be an New Yorker! (I’m talkin’ Upstate)
posted by Annie in Wine
I went to college in upstate New York - in Ithaca to be exact. When I first realized that my school was in the middle of the Finger Lakes wine region, I got pretty excited. I figured there would be plenty of opportunities for some wine tasting with new friends *obviously* once i turned 21! helloooo!?! The first winery I remember visiting was Treleaven, on the eastern shore of Cayuga Lake. Though my palate of newly of legal drinking age was still inexperienced and unsure, I did enjoy a few of their Rieslings, a Cabernet Franc, and a Seyval Blanc. I left with a bottle of Semi-dry Riesling(with lots of residual sugar) and a 375 of ice wine to drink at home. (Yes, I totally loved ONLY sweet wines back in the beginning, who else is with me on that??)
Flash forward six years - Here I am, working at Snooth, I’ve just completed the Advanced Certificate for the WSET, and I have a much more experienced palate (Evidence!). Maybe its just me, but since learning about the magnitude of wine’s impact on world culture, I tend to be more fascinated by wines from foreign places, as they are, well, foreign. I’ve grown an affinity for wines from the Rhone Valley, Northern Spain, and South America. I definitely gravitate to these sections when I enter a wine store or search online.
I decided it was time to ask myself some important questions. When was the last time I opened a bottle from Upstate New York? Can I remember? Have I forgotten that I lived in this wine region for four years of my life and really enjoyed drinking the local wine? In one of my WSET classes, the lecturers asked why New Yorkers seem to be so enamored with famed French wines and classics from Napa, yet rarely enjoy our own state’s products. Its a good point. Why don’t we find more New York State wine on New York State wine lists and in New York State wine stores?
I decided to break free from the ’shackles’ of my love for Chliean Malbec and just do it. On Saturday night, I opened a Hosmer Seyval Blanc that I had been saving since my last visit to Ithaca. It was dry and crispy and had a very refreshing apple and citrus flavor, not too dissimilar from an Austrian Müller-Thurgau or Chablis. I proudly continued to drink, because whats not to be proud of? We New Yorkers make some good wines and we shouldn’t forget it.
Since I know the area surrounding Cayuga Lake better than the other Finger Lakes , I can wholeheartedly suggest trying Cayuga Lake wineries Hosmer (their dry riesling wins wine awards annually), Sheldrake Point, and newcomer Thirsty Owl.
What NYS wines do you like? Don’t you heart New York too?
The Finger Lakes holds a special place in the evolution of my wine life, as in one weekend there i managed to try 12 new varieties. It was that trip that got me to the elusive century and now i’m proud to be a member of the wine century club as evidence!
Whilst I may not frequent them as much as I should, I admire the stores and restaurants that stick to a specific region. Vintage New York in the West Village of Manahattan does exactly that.