NEW YORK, NY – February 24, 2021 —The New York Wine & Grape Foundation (NYWGF) today announced the “Best of Class” winners of the 35th Annual New York Wine Classic. Judging for The New York Wine Classic was conducted over a 4-month period, from November 1, 2020 – February 15, 2021 and included 607 entries from 96 wineries from across the state.
Known as “The Oscars®” of New York wine competitions, the Classic is organized by the New York Wine & Grape Foundation. New this year, NYWGF partnered with the Beverage Testing Institute (BTI) to judge wines submitted from across New York state. A total of 1 Platinum, 138 Gold, 355 Silver, and 104 Bronze medals were awarded by BTI’s trained sensory panel comprised of beverage directors, sommeliers, top bartenders, retail buyers and educators.
As a New York Corporation founded in Ithaca in 1981, Beverage Testing Institute has deep roots with the great state of New York and its wines. Over the last few months we have been privileged to deepen those connections through our partnership with the New York Wine & Grape Foundation and our execution of the 2021 New York Wine Classic. It’s difficult to describe the excitement and fulfillment of being a contributing part of this year’s Classic. We’re proud to have been able to implement processes that are compliant with best practices for labs operating in the COVID-19 era and combine them with our industry-leading methodology to offer a safe evaluation and marketing option for New York’s wineries.
– Jerald O’Kennard, Executive Director, Beverage Testing Institute
Our panelists were thrilled to have had the opportunity to get up close and personal with so many New York wines and discover wineries they were not yet familiar with. And for the wineries that they have known for years, our panelists were delighted to see (and taste!) the progress that young wineries had made and that established wineries had maintained. Though they’re lamenting that this year’s New York panels are over, they’ve all expressed interest in stocking their on-and-off premise accounts with more robust New York offerings. Cheers!
“Best of Category” winners, as well as the prestigious Governor’s Cup and Winery of the Year awards will be announced on March 18, 2021 via Zoom, and broadcast live on the Foundation’s Facebook page. The Governor’s Cup, a large silver chalice, recognizes the “Best of Show” or top prize in the New York Wine Classic. The “Winery of the Year” award is presented to the winery with the best overall showing based on the level and number of awards in relation to entries.
“The New York Wine Classic is our largest annual event honoring the best of New York Wines. The pandemic threw us a curveball this year, but thanks to our partnership with BTI, The Classic continues to help New York shine as a truly exciting and innovative wine region,” said Sam Filler, Executive Director, New York Wine & Grape Foundation.
New York Wine Classic winners will be featured at additional virtual events through the rest of the year. More information can be found at newyorkwines.org/classic.
The New York Wine & Grape Foundation is proud to announce the following “Best of Class” winners:
| Best Cabernet Franc | Lamoreaux Landing 2019 T23 Unoaked, Cabernet Franc, Finger Lakes. |
| Best Ice Wine (frozen on the vine) | Boundary Breaks 2019 Ice Wine, Riesling, Finger Lakes. |
| Best Lemberger/Blaufränkisch | Adirondack Winery 2018 Stargazer, Lemberger, New York State. |
| Best Merlot | Goose Watch 2015 Merlot, Finger Lakes. |
| Best Pétillant Naturel (Pét-Nat) | Fossenvue Winery 2018 Eighteen Forty-Eight Pétillant Naturel, Diamond, Finger Lakes. |
| Best Riesling (Medium Dry) | Rooftop Reds 2017 Riesling, New York State. |
| Best Riesling (Medium Sweet) | Wagner Vineyards 2019 Select, Riesling, Finger Lakes. |
| Best Riesling (Sweet) | Penguin Bay 2019 Sweet, Riesling, Finger Lakes. |
| Best Cabernet Sauvignon | Brotherhood 2017 New York Premium Selection, Cabernet Sauvignon, New York State. |
| Best Chardonnay (Oaked) | Millbrook 2019 Proprietor’s Special Reserve, Chardonnay, Hudson River Region. |
| Best Force Carbonation/Transfer Method | Stony Lonesome 2019 Sec, Chardonnay, Finger Lakes. |
| Best Gewurztraminer | Pindar Vineyards 2019 Dr. Dan’s Signature Collection, Gewurztraminer, North Fork of Long Island. |
| Best Gruner Veltliner | Dr. Konstantin Frank 2019 Gruner Veltliner, Finger Lakes. |
| Best Other Red Hybrid Varietal | Northern Cross Vineyard 2018 Estate, Frontenac, Upper Hudson. |
| Best Other Red Vinifera Varietal | Dr. Konstantin Frank 2018 Saperavi, Finger Lakes. |
| Best Pinot Gris | Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards 2019 Pinot Gris, Finger Lakes. |
| Best Pinot Noir | McCall Wines 2014 Reserve Corchaug Estate, Pinot Noir, North Fork of Long Island. |
| Best Red Blend (Vinifera & Non-Vinifera) | Atwater 2019 Stone Bridge Red Blend, Finger Lakes. |
| Best Red Blend (Vinifera) | Paumanok 2015 Assemblage Red Blend, North Fork of Long Island. |
| Best Riesling (Dry) | Anthony Road 2019 Dry, Riesling, Finger Lakes. |
| Best Rosé (0 to 2% RS) | Ryan William Vineyard 2019 Rosé, Pinot Noir, Seneca Lake. |
| Best Sauvignon Blanc | Paumanok 2019 Sauvignon Blanc, North Fork of Long Island. |
| Best Traditional Method | Paumanok 2016 Blanc De Blancs, Chardonnay, North Fork of Long Island. |
| Best Traminette | Johnson Estate 2018 Estate Grown, Traminette, Lake Erie. |
| Best White Blend (Vinifera) | Pindar Vineyards 2019 Dr. Dan’s Signature Collection White Blend, North Fork of Long Island. |
*The full list of competition results will be released after the Virtual Awards Ceremony on March 18, 2021.
About The New York Wine Classic
The New York Wine Classic was created and is annually hosted by The New York Wine & Grape Foundation. Open to all New York State wineries, categories include vinifera wines like Riesling and Cabernet Franc, and hybrid wines like Traminette and Maréchal Foch. The contest also includes categories for wines made from labrusca grapes, other fruits, and honey. Learn more at newyorkwines.org/classic.
