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New York Wine Classic 2022
Organized annually by the New York Wine & Grape Foundation, the New York Wine Classic celebrates a diverse selection of world-class wines from producers within the State. Judging for this year’s competition took place from April 15th – June 15th, 2022 and included 694 entries from 101 wineries from across the state. A total of 7 Platinum, 234 Gold, 324 Silver, and 110 Bronze medals were awarded.
For the second year, NYWGF has partnered with the Beverage Testing Institute (BTI) to judge wines submitted. Scores were awarded by BTI’s trained sensory panel comprised of beverage directors, sommeliers, top bartenders, retail buyers and educators.
The Governor’s Cup was presented to two wineries in a surprise tie for the competition’s most esteemed award. The Governor’s Cup recognizes the “Best of Show” in the New York Wine Classic and was presented to Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards’ Solera Sherry from the Finger Lakes region and Wölffer Estate Vineyard’s 2020 Diosa Late-Harvest from Long Island.
In addition, Weis Vineyards from the Finger Lakes was presented with the “Winery of the Year” award. This award is presented to the winery with the best overall showing based on the level and number of awards in relation to entries.
2022 New York Wine Classic Awards Presentation
Presentation of the awards took place during a live virtual event, hosted by Master of Ceremonies, Karen MacNeil, author of the award-winning book, THE WINE BIBLE and creator/editor-in-chief of WineSpeed, the leading digital wine newsletter in the U.S.
Governor’s Cup (Tie)
Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards Solera Sherry Wölffer Estate Vineyard 2020 Diosa Late-Harvest
Winery of the Year
Weis Vineyards Hammondsport, NY(Finger Lakes Region)
The New York Wine & Grape Foundation is proud to announce the following “Best of Category” winners:
Best White Wine
Weis Vineyards 2020 Winzer Select Riesling A
Best Sparkling Wine
Dr. Konstantin Frank 2017 Blanc De Blanc
Best Red Wine
Keuka Lake Vineyards 2020 Leon Millot
Best Pink Wine
Weis Vineyards 2021 Dry Rosé
Best Dessert Wine (Tie)
Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards Solera Sherry Wölffer Estate Vineyard 2020 Diosa Late-Harvest
Best Specialty Wine
Winery of Ellicottville Red Raspberry Wine
Scroll down for the list of “Best in Class” winners, and a link to download the full list of competition results.
“The New York Wine Classic celebrates the very best of New York’s wine and grape industries, and this year’s winners are stellar examples of the high-quality wine we’ve come to know and love in our State. I congratulate Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards, Wölffer Estate Vineyard, and Weis Vineyards on receiving these prestigious awards. The wine industry is an essential part of New York’s agricultural economy and I’m proud to work hard in support of the continued innovation, growth, and success of our wineries and farmers.”
Governor Kathy HochulNew York State 
“Thanks to our partners at the New York Wine & Grape Foundation, the New York Wine Classic is an annual opportunity to raise a glass to New York’s innovative, world-class wine industry. I congratulate all of the winners for their dedication to quality, and thank Governor Hochul for her continued support of New York’s many craft beverage producers.”
Commissioner Richard A. Ball New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets 
"We wish to extend our congratulations to all the winners, and recognize the two historic and important wineries that tied for the Governor's Cup trophy this year. They, along with the Winery of the Year, Weis Vineyards, are perfect examples of the breadth and depth of quality New York can produce. From Long Island to the Finger Lakes, from dry wines to dessert wines, New York truly does have something for every wine enthusiast. What an adventure it would be to visit the winners of the New York Wine Classic this summer and fall. We suggest it is a perfect way to explore New York wines from corner to corner!"
Sam FillerExecutive Director, New York Wine & Grape Foundation 
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The New York Wine & Grape Foundation is proud to announce the following “Best of Class” winners:
| CLASS | WINE | SCORE |
| Best Cabernet Franc | Osprey’s Dominion 2015 Cabernet Franc, North Fork of Long Island, $27 | 96 |
| Best Cabernet Sauvignon | Fox Run Vineyards 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon, Seneca Lake $25 | 95 |
| Best Chardonnay (Oaked)Best Overall Chardonnay | Milea Estate Vineyard 2020 Estate Vineyard Reserve, Chardonnay, New York State. $28 | 94 |
| Best Chardonnay (Unoaked) | Glenora Wine Cellars 2021 Chardonnay, Finger Lakes. $13 | 92 |
| Best Dry Riesling | Château LaFayette Reneau 2019 Dry, Riesling, Seneca Lake 1.5% rs. $15 | 93 |
| Best Force Carbonation/Transfer Method Sparkling | Sheldrake Point Winery 2020 Riesling Bubbles, Finger Lakes 1.4% rs. $20 | 93 |
| Best Fortified Port-Like | Damiani Wine Cellars 2013 Gem Dessert Wine, Gewürztraminer, Finger Lakes, 18.05% rs. $38/500ml | 95 |
| Best Fruit Wine | Winery of Ellicottville NV Red Raspberry Wine, New York State 9% rs. $18/375 ml | 94 |
| Best Gewürztraminer | Prejean Winery 2020 Semi-Dry, Gewürztraminer, Finger Lakes 2% rs. $17 | 92 |
| Best Lemberger/Blaufränkisch | Knapp Winery 2020 Blaufränkisch, Cayuga Lake, $21 | 95 |
| Best Medium-Dry Riesling | Three Brothers Wineries & Estates 2020 First Degree Off-Dry, Riesling, Finger Lakes 1.2% rs. $17 | 93 |
| Best Medium-Sweet Riesling | Bravery Wines 2020 Riesling, Finger Lakes 2% rs. $28 | 94 |
| Best Merlot | Harbes Vineyard 2014 Barrel Fermented, Merlot, North Fork of Long Island, $55 | 95 |
| Best Other Red Vinifera Varietal | Suhru Wines 2020 Teroldego, North Fork of Long Island. $30 | 95 |
| Best Other Vinifera White Varietal | Dr. Konstantin Frank 2021 Rkatsiteli, Finger Lakes 1.05% rs. $18 | 94 |
| Best Overall Riesling | Weis Vineyards 2020 Winzer Select A, Riesling, Finger Lakes $26 | 95 |
| Best Pétillant Naturel | Atwater Estate Vineyards 2021 Pétillant Naturel, Finger Lakes. $26 | 92 |
| Best Pinot Gris | Hector Wine Company 2020 Pinot Gris, Seneca Lake. $19 | 93 |
| Best Pinot Noir | McCall Wines 2014 Corchaug Estate Reserve, Pinot Noir, North Fork of Long Island. $69 | 93 |
| Best Red Blend Vinifera | Osprey’s Dominion 2015 Flight Meritage, North Fork of Long Island $39 | 95 |
| Best Rosé (0 to 2% RS) | Weis Vineyards 2021 Dry Rosé, Finger Lakes. $19 | 96 |
| Best Sauvignon Blanc | Bravery Wines 2020 Bébé, Sauvignon Blanc, Finger Lakes. $22 | 93 |
| Best Syrah | Château LaFayette Reneau 2017 Syrah, Seneca Lake. $21 | 93 |
| Best Traditional Method Sparkling | Dr. Konstantin Frank 2017 Blanc De Blanc, Finger Lakes $39 | 95 |
| Best White Blend Non-Vinifera | Keuka Spring Vineyards NV Crooked Lake White Blend, Finger Lakes 1.75% rs. $14 | 92 |
| Best White Blend Vinifera | Hector Wine Company 2020 Sauvling White Blend, Seneca Lake. $22 | 92 |
Competition Rules
The competition is open to any wine produced in and bearing an approved New York AVA as established by the TTB.
A complete listing of New York AVAs can be found here: https://www.ttb.gov/wine/established-avas#New-York
- Finger Lakes/Cayuga/Seneca
- Hudson River/Upper Hudson River
- Lake Champlain
- Lake Erie
- Long Island/North Fork/Hamptons
- New York/New York State
- Niagara Escarpment OR a New York County
The competition is also open to specialty wines (non-grape wines) and mead produced in New York State.
Non-grape wines and mead will have their own award and are not eligible for the Governor’s Cup round.
- All entries must be commercially available in New York state at the time of entry
- All bottles must have a government-approved label attached
- Varietal wines must contain 75% of the labeled grape variety, otherwise it must be entered as a blend
- In order to be eligible for the Winery of the Year Award, a winery must enter seven (7) or more grape wines
- There will only be a Best of Class winner for a given class if there are 7 or more entries in the class and at least one entry achieves a gold medal.
FAQs
BTI’s Points-to-Medals conversion scale:
- 96-100 – Superlative (Platinum Medal)
- 90-95 – Exceptional (Gold Medal)
- 85-89 – Highly Recommended (Silver Medal)
- 80-84 – Recommended (Bronze Medal)
- 79/NR – Not Recommended (No Medal)
For this engagement, BTI’s Platinum medal would be equivalent to a Double Gold medal.
You can read more about BTI’s methodology and judging panel at: https://bevtest.com/lab/
Top award winners will be announced live during the 2022 Classic Virtual Awards Ceremony on July 12th. The complete list of individual wine results will be released following the event and published on our website.
Still have questions?
If you are a winery with questions regarding submissions reach out to BTI’s Client Marketing Manager via e-mail Diana@bevtest.com or call 773-930-4080.
If you have any questions regarding this year’s competition, reach out to Jennifer Cooper, Membership & Events Manager at: jennifercooper@nywgf.org or call 315-924-3706.