“When you love what you do, it becomes even more special when other people in the industry recognize the passion and hard work that you’ve put in year over year,” said Cameron Hosmer on receiving the Jim Trezise Lifetime Achievement Award. “To receive the Lifetime Achievement Award is an honor, yet we can’t help but say that there’s more work to be done!” 

“It’s nice to have your career recognized, especially by your peers,” said Cesar Baeza.

“Winning a Unity award is not only a great honor, it is a tremendous validation of the work we do to preserve and celebrate the rich history of our region, and particularly the efforts we have made over the past 15 years to collect and preserve the incredible history of the Chautauqua-Erie Grape Belt and the resurgence of its wine industry.” Said Douglas DeCroix, Executive Director, Western New York Heritage. “Likewise, I feel it serves as a great recognition of the significance and importance of the Chautauqua-Erie Grape Belt, its growers, workers, and winemakers, past and present, and I am thrilled that the New York Wine & Grape Foundation has opted to recognize our efforts to share that significant story.” 

“As the author, this award represents a new level of validation outside the Grape Belt community of the 12 years of research by my study group and contributors that created the Lake Erie Grape Belt Archive which, in turn, served as the foundation for the book’s text and illustrations,” said John Thomas Slater, Retired Proprietor at Slater Associates. “It is my hope that a State-wide awareness of the evolution of the grape culture along the South Shore of Lake Erie will focus attention on the region’s many family-owned wineries and their fine-quality, award-winning wines instead of solely its reputation as the oldest and largest Concord grape-growing region in the world and a major producer of grape juice.”

“We are incredibly honored and grateful to receive the ‘Winery’ Unity Award from the New York Wine & Grape Foundation. This prestigious recognition is a testament to the dedication and passion of our entire team at Macari Vineyards,” said Gabriella Macari of Macari Vineyards. “This award is not just a validation of our viticultural and winemaking efforts but also a celebration of the vibrant community that supports us. It reinforces our belief that unity in the wine industry is key to achieving excellence. We share this award with our loyal Wine Club Members, frequent visitors, our hardworking staff, and the North Fork community that has been our home for decades. Thank you for this incredible honor, which only motivates us to strive for even greater heights in the future.” 

“We are immensely grateful to learn that we have been selected as the recipient of the John Brahm III Growers Award and we would like to express our sincere gratitude to our peers who nominated us for this generous award,” said Dawn Betts, Partner at Betts Farm LLC. “As concord grape farmers with National Grape/Welch’s, we have focused our careers to move the local viticulture industry from the “old school” mindset into the next generation. We have historically collaborated with the Lake Erie Regional Grape Program and been hands-on stewards of our own land. Thank you so much for recognizing our hard work and the passion that we have for our farm.” 

“I am honored to be recognized by the New York Wine & Grape Foundation with the Unity Research Award,” said Katie Gold, Assistant Professor of Grape Pathology at Cornell University. “Being a grape pathologist at Cornell is truly my dream job and it has been such a pleasure to engage with and learn from NY grape growers over the past 4 years in this position. I love being a part of the NY wine and grape industry and am grateful for the acknowledgment of the value of the research the Gold Lab conducts.” 

“Winning this award is very special to me as it validates all the efforts of not just myself, but of dozens of dedicated winegrowers in New York striving to become more sustainable and steward our land into the future,” said Richard Olsen-Harbich, Director of Winemaking at Bedell Cellars.

“It is an honor to win a Unity Award,” said Melissa Heath, Administrative Specialist in the Division of Plant Industry at the NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets. “My husband and I have seen many of the wine families grow and expand. It is so wonderful to see the area grow and prosper. Winning the award is very special.”

“Winning the Unity Award allows us to strengthen our vision and mission to bring focus to the New York State wine regions,” said Mary Pino, Owner of The Gilded Grape. “Our goal is to be a premier NYS wine & spirit boutique for the consumers that love New York State and want to support local. This award validates all our hard work.”

We invite you to celebrate this year’s Unity Award recipients at a special luncheon during the B.E.V. NY Conference on March 5, 2024, in Canandaigua, NY. The Jim Trezise Lifetime Achievement, The Phyllis Feder Unity Award, and the Jim Finkle Industry Award will be accepted live, with the remaining award winners recognized immediately following. 

For all B.E.V. NY 2024 conference attendees, admission to the luncheon is included. For those that would like to attend the luncheon ONLY, tickets are available HERE. 

NYWGF will be featuring the stories of the honorees and the programs they support throughout the year at www.newyorkwines.org.