Wine Pundit

German Rieslings At NYTimes Wines of the Times: Wine as the Refreshment of Excellence

2012-02-11T16:41:00.002+01:00

If you are a wine connoisseur, you know some of the top German Riesling wines.

At Wines of the Times in Dining & Wine at the New York Times, Eric Asimov has an article on German Rieslings at Choosing the Top 10 Spätlese Rieslings.

Wine is a matter of individual taste and style. In the words of the late Sheldon "Hack" Wilson, founder of the Chimney Rock Winery in Napa Valley, California, "wine is the refreshment of excellence" -- in moderate amounts, of course.

There are numerous German wineries that produce excellent Riesling wines.

Living on the Moselle River, we of course have our own Mosel Riesling favorites, some of which can be found among the top wine estates that belong to the Bernkasteler Ring.

In fact, many of our local winemakers in Traben-Trarbach produce excellent Rieslings. Take a look.

Monstrous Mosel Bridge Originally Had a Military Purpose and May Still Have One

2011-09-01T01:05:00.000+02:00

The Wine-Times noted last year that the monstrous bridge being built over the Moselle River between Traben-Trarbach and Bernkastel-Kues, i.e. right in the world-famous Middle Mosel wine region, originally may have had a military purpose. See "Wine-Times - Irrsinns-Brücke über die Mosel soll nun doch gebaut werden."

That view is confirmed by looking at http://peti.pro-mosel.de/risiken.html, where a clear military purpose can be seen in documents and images going back to the year 1984 (Stern, 1984), where the bridge concept discussed there nearly 20 years ago is virtually identical to the bridge project now under construction.

No civilian purpose can explain this dramatic and otherwise totally unnecessary undertaking.

The Rise of German Rieslings… at Marie's Blog: Marie von Ahm at JamesSuckling.com with Wine Ratings Reviews Tasting Notes Videos

2011-08-19T11:40:00.000+02:00

Marie von Ahm at Marie's Blog: The Rise of German Rieslings… - JamesSuckling.com | Wine ratings, Wine reviews, Wine tasting notes & Wine videos writes that German Rieslings are on the rise, not only in her native Scandinavia, but also in China, the next great market for wine.

Hat tip to Dr. Pauly-Bergweiler Wine Estate

Mosel Valley Rieslings Touted by Harry Eyres at The Telegraph, Saddened by High Bridge over the Moselle River (Hochmoselübergang)

2011-08-12T17:58:00.000+02:00

Harry Eyres is a real fan of Mosel wines but, as far as the monstrous bridge in process of construction over the Moselle River Valley, Eyres writes at The Telegraph in Rieslings from the Mosel valley:

"[Y]ou can’t help feeling that Germans in general do not value their 1,700-year-old wine heritage."

Hat tip to CaryGEE.

New Stricter Rules for Labeling Wine Proposed by U.S. Treasury Department Agency, The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau: How About Green Wine?

2011-05-09T20:57:00.000+02:00

The long arm of the law is everywhere, also in wine-growing.

Michael Doyle McClatchy/Chicago Tribune News in Stricter wine labeling rules? Put a cork in it! reports that the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, an agency of the Treasury Department that regulates wine labeling, is considering tighter rules for wine label and wine label definitions.

Some U.S. vintners would welcome more exact limitations on who can use terms such as "estate" on their wine labels. The term "estate bottled" -- for a wine from an estate that controls the entire process from growing grapes to bottling the wine -- is quite strictly defined, whereas the term "estate" itself is not legally defined, permitting such labels as "estate grown", which may be misleading.

There are also differences between wine labeling depending on country.

For example, what about sulfites in wine? what about wine made from organic grapes?

Read Heather Stober Fleming of Grape Expectations at SouthCoastToday.com in
There's white wine, red wine, and now, 'green' wine.

Best Wine Competition in Germany

2011-04-20T13:13:00.000+02:00

Wein-Plus Magazine in Competition for wine by the glass writes that wine competition is underway in Germany. Go there for info in English about the Mosel region competition.

For more information in German (only), see also derbesteschoppen.de, which has divided Germany into the various wine regions for purposes of the competition, not just the Mosel region, but also including Mittelrhein, Rheinhessen, and Pfalz. The Ahr and Pfalz are pictured on the map but not currently clickable.

Wine Connoisseurs Around the World: Please Write to the German Chancellor Now to Tell Her The Politicians Have Gone Too Far with the Planned Monstrous Mosel Bridge

2011-04-14T21:15:00.000+02:00

Wine pope Hugh Johnson wrote last year at Decanter.com about the planned monstrous Mosel Bridge to run through the middle of one of the world's greatest wine-growing regions, calling it "a bridge gone too far".

See The Mosel: A bridge too far .

Johnson recommends that all lovers of wine around the world write to the German Chancellor Angela Merkel to tell her that this planned bridge is a big mistake:

"Every wine lover should stand up and protest. If you agree with me, contact the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel (write to her at angela.merkel@cdu.de), and open a bottle of Urziger, Graacher, Wehlener… you choose."

Mosel Bridge-Building Paused for Coalition Negotiations Between the Social Democratic Party and the Environmentalist Green Party

2011-04-07T01:30:00.001+02:00

On March 3, 2011, prior to elections in the German Rhineland-Palatinate (Rheinland-Pfalz) we posted at LawPundit about the highly controversial 158-meter high and over 1-mile long bridge planned to be built over the Moselle (Mosel) River right through the center of one of the world's leading wine-producing regions -- see Winemakers Unite to Oppose the Building of an Ugly and Unnecessary Bridge over the Moselle River in Germany's Famed Mosel Wine Region. But is it TOO LATE?

We are glad to report that the fantastic result of that election is that the building of the monstrous planned Moselle bridge has been paused for post-election coalition negotiations, for the reason that a major aspect of the political platform of the Alliance '90/The Greens, who emerged from the elections as the political party of the hour, was strong opposition to the bridge.

To get some idea of the gigantic size of this bridge, 158 meters is the same height as the Telecommunications Tower, Torre de las Telecomunicacione viz. Torre Antel (Antel Tower) in Montevideo, Uruguay, the tallest building in the country!

Full resolution‎ (480 × 640 pixels, file size: 64 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)
Torre de las Telecomunicaciones, Montevideo, Uruguay.
Foto realizada y subida por Federico Corral (aka Shant)

For the planned Mosel Bridge, just extend that height one mile horizonally and add 25,000 tons of steel over one of the most picturesque rural wine-producing areas in the world and you know that some misguided planners' delusions of grandeur have reached their limit.

Here, for comparison, from the German Wikipedia website (Hochmoselübergang) are "before" and "after" images of what the countryside looks like now and what it will look like if this monstrous bridge is built as planned. These gigantic pillars for the Mosel are essentially equivalent to putting a dozen skyscrapers in the middle of French Bordeaux. Would France ever even think of doing such a crazy thing?

The elections are now over and the German environmental party, Alliance '90/The Greens, surely in part also because of the tragic tsunami wave in Japan and the subsequent nuclear catastrophe which has followed, made huge gains in Baden-Wuerttemberg, ousting Chancellor Merkel's CDU party.

Merkel's ruling party was absolutely destroyed there by stupidly supporting the planned demolition in Stuttgart of the Hauptbahnhof, the main train station, a highly regarded cultural and architectural monument, in order to make way for a planned underground station. Police used water cannons to try to remove protestors, inciting even more opposition, and the ruling CDU party did not get the message that they were on the wrong side of the issue. They got what they deserved in the election -- they were ousted. As now written at Deutsche Welle:

"German rail operator Deutsche Bahn (DB) has announced a work freeze on a contentious rail project centered on the southwestern city of Stuttgart following recent state elections."

Baden-Wuerttemberg with its capital Stuttgart is the 3rd largest State in Germany, and corporate headquarters for inter alia Daimler [Mercedes-Benz], Porsche, Robert Bosch, Carl Zeiss, and SAP -- the largest software firm in Europe. Faced with the spectre of the CDU getting thrown out of government in that corporate-oriented State for being -- clearly -- on the wrong side of an important environmental issue, warning signs have gone up for politicians all over Germany.

In the Rhineland-Palatinate, the Alliance '90/The Greens picked up substantial environmental votes, enough votes to go from being completely out of the government previously, to now having to be included in coalition negotiations with the Social Democratic Party (SPD). That SPD, just as the minority Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in the Palatinate, has up-to-now supported the bridge for economic reasons. What economic reasons? The bridge is being financed 80% by federal financing and those Euros for the Palatinate constitute the blood money for the otherwise unnecessary bridge.

Thankfully, the German voters are paying attention. In the March 27, 2011 Rhineland-Palatinate elections, this time it was the SPD that lost its ruling majority in the State, gaining 10% fewer votes than in 2006 in the Palatinate. It is a strong political message when Germany's two largest political parties are getting beaten badly because of environmental issues.

By contrast, the Alliance '90/The Greens surged from 4.6% in 2006 in the Palatinate-- not even reaching the 5% government-participation threshold -- to achieving a triumphal 15.4% in 2011, putting them solidly in the government and reaching a voting level they are unlikely to lose anywhere in the near future.

The environmental ramifications of the Fukushima nuclear accidents will be with us for years. MORE environmental protection, rather than less, will be the hallmark of successful politicians.

For Palatinate Minister-President Kurt Beck and the SPD to stay in power and to continue to govern, something has to give in the coalition negotiations, and it is going to be the building of the totally unnecessary monstrous bridge over the Moselle River. That will have to go.

Representatives from the CDU have been quoted post-election as saying that the bridge will be built anyway because of ca. €330 million contracts that have been granted viz. planned for construction of the project.

We are not sure about that.

Those contracts are no hindrance to stopping the bridge.

There is of course no reason to cost people their jobs just because you end an unnecessary construction project. Those same construction firms can be put to work for the same money repairing the roads, bridges and highways that ALREADY EXIST and in part are in a dilapidated state of repair. There is plenty of work to be done.

Or, in a worst case scenario, one could maintain the road-building as planned, but replace the monstrous bridge with a normal "human-size" bridge as already found on the Mosel elsewhere and as suited to a wine-growing and tourist area.

Most people on the Mosel could probably live with that.

Roads and bridges over rivers are necessary in moderation -- but not the monstrous bridge planned for the Mosel. That is NOT necessary.

If the politicians in Berlin still want this monstrous bridge built as a job generator (Arbeitsbeschaffungsmaßnahme), we suggest they try to put it in the middle of Berlin on the Ku'damm (Kurfürstendamm) and see what happens. That would be no different than putting that same bridge here on the Mosel.

The Upscale Wine Thief in Buffalo, New York

2011-03-28T21:13:00.000+02:00

Paul Stephens in a special to the Buffalo News, New York State, features the upscale Wine Thief Bar and Bistro in Buffalo that offers an endless selection of wines.

Goldman Sachs and other Wealthy American Oenophiles Buy into the Vineyards of French Burgundy

2011-03-28T21:06:00.000+02:00

At the Wall Street Journal Life and Culture blog ON WINE Jay McInerney Visits Becky Wasserman, the Earth Mother of Burgundy and weaves of tale of wealthy American oenophiles from Goldman Sachs and other US backgrounds who have invested in vineyards in France.

As McInerney writes inter alia:

"Last month, a group of American investors assembled by former sommelier Robert Bohr purchased Domaine René Manuel, about 20 acres of prime Meursault vineyards for some €13 million ($18.5 million), sealing a trend whereby wealthy American oenophiles buy into the fabled vineyards of Burgundy."

Read the whole intriguing article here.

Red Wine in Germany: German Pinot Noir (Spätburgunder) a Rising Star Says Brad Prescott at IntoWine.com

2011-03-28T20:56:00.001+02:00

Best German Red Wine - Wine Recommendations | Into Wine

"Germany is the new rising star of Pinot Noir – called Spatburgunder in German."

How to Read a German Wine Label

2011-03-28T20:49:00.000+02:00

Some of the best wines in the world are grown and bottled in Germany. To learn how to read a German wine label see GermanWineUSA.com

Winemakers Unite to Oppose the Building of an Ugly and Unnecessary Bridge over the Moselle River in Germany's Famed Mosel Wine Region. But is it TOO LATE?

2011-03-03T22:48:00.000+01:00

What chance does the environment have when politicians, administrators and environment-blind engineers destroy the best landscapes of their own national heritage? Take Germany.

Read here about one of the most outrageous and unnecessary bridge construction projects ever to threaten a beautiful region, in this case known for its breathtaking panoramic scenery and fantastic wines. Indeed, tourism and wine are the major industries of the Moselle River Valley. All are now threatened by one of the most detested building projects ever contemplated on German soil.

The politicians and political administrators in the Palatinate (Rheinland-Pfalz) have OK'd the building of a massive "Autobahn" bridge over the Moselle River in the Mosel wine region, which threatens the scenery and the wine and virtually destroys a good section of the famed Middle Mosel River Valley. Virtually nothing justifies the building of this bridge, other than the selfish vested interests of those who seek to profit from it.

Read all about it at Plans for the Moselle Bridge: Winemakers Flex Muscles Before Upcoming State Election - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International.

Vintners of the World: Amy Wallace at the New York Times on Emilio Estevez, the Budding Vintner

2011-01-23T21:39:00.000+01:00

Amy Wallace has a nice piece at the New York Times on Emilio Estevez, the Budding Vintner

AG Pro-Mosel (Action Group against B50 road and High Mosel Bridge)

2010-08-21T02:21:00.000+02:00

AG Pro-Mosel (Action Group against B50 road and High Mosel Bridge): "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

BBC Stories Report on Fight to Stop Monster Mosel Bridge « Dr. Loosen Blog

2010-08-21T02:18:00.000+02:00

BBC Stories Report on Fight to Stop Monster Mosel Bridge « Dr. Loosen Blog: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

When Talking About Wine, What About Spatburgunder (Spätburgunder, Pinot Noir)? Three Recommendations from the San Francisco Examiner

2010-08-15T19:36:00.000+02:00

Spatburgunder (Spätburgunder, Pinot Noir) anyone? Pamela S. Busch in a Special to The San Francisco Examiner writes about Wine: Try Spatburgunder, a gentle red from Germany, recommending three wines, one of which, Dr. Pauly-Bergweiler Estate Pinot Noir, 2007, stems from the Mosel River Valley, where we are domiciled.

From Lawyer to Vintner: The 'Boss' at St. Francis Winery and Vineyards

2010-08-15T17:15:00.001+02:00

The New York Times relates the story of Christopher Silva who went From Lawyer to Vintner.

Finger Lakes Wines Realizing the Potential that was First Recognized in the 1990's

2010-08-15T17:04:00.000+02:00

See Finger Lakes Riesling Festival shows wine's chameleon character at Democrat and Chronicle.

Virginia State Wine Travel and Tourism Promotion Tweets Win Award

2010-08-15T16:58:00.000+02:00

The Local Digest at The Washington Post reports that the State of Virginia has won a national Mercury Award for Niche Marketing from the U.S. Travel Association for its wine travel and tourist promotion tweets at Twitter.

Josko Gravner Wines - WSJ.com

2010-05-20T23:20:00.000+02:00

The Wall Street Journal has an online article by Will Lyons about Josko Gravner Wines, which are made according to ancient methods:

"After harvest from his 18-hectare site near Oslavia, he fills ... amphorae with grapes. Fermentation is ignited through purely wild yeasts, without temperature-controlled fermentation. He then leaves the grapes to macerate for seven months before transferring them to large old-oak barrels. The wines then rest in these barrels for two years and are bottled without filtration."

Will Lyons writes that he was "amazed" by the results.

Wines of the Times at the NYTimes: Mosel Kabinett Riesling Captures Spring

2010-05-02T20:00:00.001+02:00

Eric Asimov at the New York Times reviews some Riesling wines in Mosel Kabinett Riesling Captures Spring.

The Top 100 Wines of 2009 | Wine Spectator

2010-01-27T19:35:00.000+01:00

The Top 100 Wines of 2009 | Wine Spectator

Chimney Rock Winery: One of the world's premier fine wine producers

2010-01-27T19:32:00.001+01:00

Some great wines are produced at Chimney Rock Winery, "one of the world's premier fine wine producers".

Number-one wine magazine in France plans on going international - Food & Drink, Life & Style - The Independent

2010-01-21T22:24:00.000+01:00

Number-one wine magazine in France plans on going international - Food & Drink, Life & Style - The Independent Relax News writes:

"Revue du vin de France (Wine Magazine of France), a leading publication in continental Europe specialized in oenology, announced in January that it was planning on going head to head with the world's heavyweights Wine Spectator (USA) and Decanter (UK) in the coming years." [emphasis added]

A Vintage Caper ? Why hasn't Peter Mayle's new book been published in Britain? – Telegraph Blogs

2010-01-13T16:49:00.000+01:00

A Vintage Caper ?
Why hasn't Peter Mayle's new book been published in Britain? – Telegraph Blogs

"a detective novel set among the vineyards of the world...."

South Africa's Winelands: the complete guide | South Africa - Times Online

2010-01-13T14:10:00.000+01:00

South Africa's Winelands: the complete guide | South Africa - Times Online

"World Cup and beyond: the Cape's celebrated winelands brim with opportunities for tipplers - and non-drinkers"

New Year 2010 : Champagne, Champagne values, Bordeaux, solitude – sipped and spit | Dr Vino's wine blog

2009-12-29T21:23:00.000+01:00

Champagne, Champagne values, Bordeaux, solitude – sipped and spit | Dr Vino's wine blog

Claret and London: Hedonism and claret | The Economist

2009-12-23T19:59:00.000+01:00

Claret and London: Hedonism and claret | The Economist:

"How the rise of the British middle classes in the 18th and 19th centuries shaped the wine industry"

Wine.com Uncorks iPhone App - washingtonpost.com

2009-12-20T00:35:00.000+01:00

Wine.com Uncorks iPhone App - washingtonpost.com

Wine Spectator Sets the Industry Standard

2009-12-20T00:33:00.000+01:00

Wine Spectator is one of the big wine websites online and surely the top wine authority in the eyes of many.

As written by Scott Clemens at the Wine Business Monthly about wine ratings:

"Today the industry standard is the 100-point scale, inaugurated by the Wine Spectator in the early 1980s...."

eRobertParker.com: The Independent Consumer's Guide to Fine Wine

2009-12-20T00:25:00.000+01:00

eRobertParker.com: The Independent Consumer's Guide to Fine Wine - one of the big wine websites online

Wine Spectator .com (winespeconline) on Twitter

2009-12-20T00:18:00.000+01:00

Wine Spectator .com (winespeconline) on Twitter

Wine and Global Warming: An Open Letter to the President : Becker's Iowa Environmental Law Update

2009-11-04T00:43:00.000+01:00

Wine and Global Warming: An Open Letter to the President : Becker's Iowa Environmental Law Update

Wines of New York State and the Finger Lakes District : Constellation Brands : The World's Largest Wine Producer : Is Winemaking Agriculture?

2009-05-16T01:29:00.011+02:00

Uncork New York! is the website of the New York Wine & Grape Foundation, headquartered in Canandaigua, New York State, USA. If you think you know the wine world, but are not familiar with New York State wines or wineries, you are in for a surprise.

In a region sometimes known better for its severe winter snow blizzards, New York State is home to the largest wine producer in the world, Constellation Brands, headquartered in the Finger Lakes District at Victor, New York, about 10 miles northwest of Canandaigua, the town (and lake) which in the year 1945 gave the company its original corporate name, Canandaigua Industries Company.

Its current name, Constellation Brands (NYSE: STZ, STZ.B), was a renaming from the later names Canandaigua Wine Company and Canandaigua Brands. At the Constellation Brands website we can read:

"Constellation is the largest wine company in the world; the largest multi-category supplier of beverage alcohol in the United States; a leading producer and exporter of wine from Australia, New Zealand and Canada; and both a major producer and independent drinks wholesaler in the United Kingdom."

Constellation began business as Canandaigua Industries Co. in the year 1945 by selling bulk wine in barrels to bottlers in the Eastern United States. 60 years later, in 2004, Constellation Brands bought the famous California winemaker Robert Mondavi Corp. for $1 billion - in cash.

The bulk wine origin of Constellation Brands in the Finger Lakes District was possible because the area was favorable for winegrowing and a lot of grapes were grown there (including also many of the grapes used in the famous Welch's brands of grape juice).

Indeed, the largest wine-producing region in New York State today is the Finger Lakes District, a development enabled in part by the 1976 Farm Winery Act, which permitted small wineries to sell wine directly to the public (as is customary in Europe). As written at "Finger Lakes winemaking industry matures, produces world-class wines", CNY Business Journal (1996+), FindArticles.com, 26 May, 2009 :

"Grapes have been grown in New York State for as long as there have been farmers here. There are four wine regions today: Lake Erie, Finger Lakes, Hudson River, and Long Island....

[T]he soil and climate of the Finger Lakes region are especially favorable for growing many of the European grape stocks. The lakes are deep and usually do not freeze over in the winter, so that winds coming across the lakes bring humidity and warmth to the vineyards.

[I]n 1976, the New York State Legislature passed the Farm Winery Act. This act made it economically feasible for farmers to have small wineries, because it allowed them to sell directly to consumers, liquor stores, and restaurants, instead of through a wholesaler or distributor.

Shortly after the passage of this bill, the largest of the wineries around the Finger Lake-Taylor, Widmer, and Great Western--were absorbed by the Canandaigua Wine Company...."

In 1976 there were only 19 wineries in all of New York State. Today that number is around 250, with many of those wineries on the shores of the Finger Lakes.

As written in the reply affidavit of Robert Ransom (Index No. 08-275) to the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of Ulster in a recent matter involving Rivendell Winery, LLC in the Hudson Valley ("1." is missing since paragraphs are numbered from the beginning of the affidavit and not from the "A"):

"A. THE FARM WINERY AS A BUSINESS

2. The sale of wine and other products in a winery tasting room are fundamental and foundational to the entire winery business. Like so many farms in different industries, without direct sales, there would be no business. Petitioner Rivendell relies on its direct-to-consumer sales for more than 99.2% of its sales. We have virtually no wholesale business.

3. The farm winery industry was founded on the concept of direct sales.Thirty years ago there were no farm wineries. In those days to be a winery in New York State legally required the sale of wine produced to be made through a series of distributors – what is commonly referred to as the “three tiered system” (producer sells to distributor who sells to retailer who sells to consumer). It was not legal for a wine producer to sell directly to the public. Also, a winery was allowed to procure grapes from any source, not restricted to the use of New York State-grown grapes.

4. In the early 1970’s a large upstate winery moved its production to California, effectively stranding several hundred grape growers for whom they were the largest customer. After several years of watching their grapes literally die on the vine, a number of grape growers got legislation enacted in New York State which allowed them to make wine and sell their wine directly to consumers. The NYS Farm Winery Act of 1976 was the enabling legislation that has since been emulated by virtually every State and is the basis for the Farm Winery or “boutique winery” industry that we belong to. N.Y. Unconsolidated Laws § 71, et seq. In 1985, the New York State
legislation was broadened to allow additional privileges to Farm Wineries and to further define allowable sources of raw materials. In that legislation it was clearly established that NYS Farm Wineries were required to utilize 100% New York State grown grapes to produce their wines, but were not required to grow the grapes themselves.

5. Without the ability to sell wine directly – through a tasting room or retail shop on the premises, virtually no farm winery in New York State would be able to economically survive....

24. The New York Farm Winery Act has become a model for winery legislation all over the country. Today, there are farm wineries, selling from their own tasting rooms, in every state of the United States. In New York today there are more than 250 farm winery licenses and every one located in an agricultural zone is permitted a tasting room (through which it makes its sales)."

That reply affidavit supplies us with a lot of information about wine in New York, but the Rivendell Winery has thus far lost that case and has closed its doors because of the cost of the contested and bizarre zoning decision by the already infamous Hudson Valley town of New Paltz (see New Paltz in fiction), a decision confirmed in an unconvincing opinion by Gerald W. Connolly of the New York Supreme Court, County of Ulster, the lowest court in the New York Court system, which declared absurdly that winemaking was NOT agriculture. As written at the Wine Spectator:

"Does processing and producing wine count as agriculture? Apparently in a small town in New York state it doesn’t. For nearly two years, Hudson Valley-based Rivendell winery fought a legal battle to build a mixed-use winery in the town of New Paltz, N.Y., but a recent court ruling, coupled with the rising costs of legal fees, has forced the winery to close. The winery’s founders, Robert Ransom and Susan Wine, were planning to move their 20-year-old winery to a property in New Paltz, with the intent of renovating an existing building into a winery and tasting room. Their plans came to an abrupt halt when a New Paltz building inspector determined that the proposed plan was not permitted under local agricultural zoning laws. When the town’s Zoning Board of Appeals supported the inspector’s ruling, the couple appealed their case to the New York Supreme Court. But Ulster County Supreme Court Judge Gerald Connolly recently ruled that the couple’s proposed farm winery was not permitted agricultural use. According to the Hudson Valley's Daily Freeman, New Paltz resident David Porter applauded the decision. "Rivendell doesn't even grow its own grapes," he said. "They're not agriculture, they're commercial." Unfiltered can only wonder how the négociants and cooperatives of Burgundy feel about this." [LawPundit: emphasis added - in Europe, wine is agriculture, and in most cases, wine is agriculture also in the U.S.A. - with the exception of New Paltz]

Given the judicial opinion by Gerald W. Connolly in the Rivendell case, it would, by the logic of the reasoning in that case, be nearly impossible to put up a winery anywhere, because you can't farm grapes on residentially zoned property, and you can't process them on agricultural land. The New Paltz zoning interpretation essentially makes it impossible to have a winery in their jurisdiction and that can not be the law now can it?

See also the comment about this matter at Hudson River Valley Wineries.

Thankfully, the Finger Lakes District presents us with a much more positive picture of the New York State wine world. There are several websites online devoted specifically to the wines of this region:

Finger Lakes Wine Festival (July 17-19, 2009)
FingerLakesWineCountry.com is an excellently designed website about the wines of this region and more.
Finger Lakes Wine Alliance
Finger Lakes Wine Guild
FingerLakes.org is the official site of NY Tourism & Travel.
Finger Lakes Wineries & Tours
The Seneca Lake Wine Trail
The Canandaigua Wine Trail
The Cayuga Trail
The Keuka Lake Wine Trail
Finger Lakes Wineries
Finger Lakes Winery Tours
The Middle Finger Lakes Wine Guide
Finger Lakes Wine Tour Trolley

If you want to get straight to reviews of New York Finger Lakes wines, one place to go is LennDevours: New York Vines, Dines and Wines. See also things such as e.g. the March 11, 2009 posting by By Melissa Dobson, Finger Lakes News Correspondent, First Social Media Basics Workshop Held in Finger Lakes Wine Country. If you can not find what you want there, take a look at the large list of wine blogs linked at LennDevours.

The Wikipedia writes:

"The Finger Lakes is New York's largest wine producing region. Numerous wineries and vineyards are located in the region, prinicipally centered around Seneca, Cayuga, Canandaigua, and Keuka Lakes. Because of the lakes' great depth, they provide a lake effect to the lush vineyards that flank their shores. Retaining residual summer warmth in the winter, and winter's cold in the spring, the grapes are protected from disastrous spring frost during grape formation, and early frost before the harvest. With the passage of the Farm Winery Act in 1978, countless numbers of wineries have opened their doors to visitors from all over the world."

As written there further about New York:

"New York is the nation's third-largest grape-producing state, behind California, and second largest wine producer by volume. In 2004, New York's wine and grape industry brought US$6 billion into the state economy. The state has 30,000 acres (120 km²) of vineyards, 212 wineries, and produced 200 million bottles of wine in 2004."

We were also substantially surprised to read that New York State ranks among the top five states in America in agricultural production generally:

"New York State is an agricultural leader, ranking within the top five states for agricultural products including dairy, apples, cherries, cabbages, potatoes, onions, maple syrup and many others. The state is the largest producer of cabbage in the U.S. The state has about a quarter of its land in farms and produced US$3.4 billion in agricultural products in 2001. The south shore of Lake Ontario provides the right mix of soils and microclimate for many apple, cherry, plum, pear and peach orchards. Apples are also grown in the Hudson Valley and near Lake Champlain. The south shore of Lake Erie and the southern Finger Lakes hillsides have many vineyards."

The glacial Finger Lakes when viewed on a map look like long fingers of a hand, whence their name. There are numerous lakes counted to the Finger Lakes (see map and list of lakes), of which the largest are Cayuga Lake and Seneca Lake, both of which are also quite deep, with Seneca Lake reaching a maximum of 618 feet. Mysterious are the booming sounds which periodically come from the lakes and are called the Guns of Seneca.

Interesting is the history of this region, which has made some substantial contributions to US life (quoted from the Wikipedia):

"On the northern end of the Finger Lakes is also Seneca Falls, the birthplace of the Women's suffrage movement, Waterloo, the birthplace of Memorial Day, and Palmyra, the birthplace of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as the Mormon Church."

The 1788 Phelps and Gorham Land Purchase (the 6 million acre tract was later also known as The Holland Purchase) west of the Finger Lakes District was in its day the largest such land transaction in the world. The land was later purchased in part by Robert Morris, known as the "financier" of the American Revolution and at that time the wealthiest man in the United States, and later from him by the Pulteney Association and the Pulteney Estate, (see also here), which gave rise to substantial land problems in New York State.

In subsequent years, Morris lost his fortune and was even imprisoned for three years for his debts, which, in view of his contributions to the formation of the United States, was scandalous. Indeed, "Morris and Roger Sherman were the only two people to sign the three significant founding documents of the United States, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the U.S. Constitution."

A study of Morris's life shows that it is money - more than anything - that drives revolutions and guides politics.

In vino veritas. There is truth in wine, but usually less elsewhere.