Hudson River

New York Wine & Grape Foundation Unity Awards Announced, Winners to be Honored at B.E.V. NY Conference in Canandaigua, NY

February 20, 2024 – The New York Wine & Grape Foundation (NYWGF) is pleased to announce the winners of the prestigious 2024 Unity Awards. The Unity Awards were created in 1990 for the community to recognize, encourage, and celebrate cooperation among grape growers, wineries, researchers, retailers, and others to advance the entire industry.  Honoring the longstanding and bold spirit of our community members and their numerous achievements, NYWGF is proud

How New York Wineries Stoke Bottom Lines By Building Relationships

With more than 11,500 wineries to choose from in the U.S. alone, beverage enthusiasts could drink a bottle of wine from a different winery every day, and not run out of new options for several years. Exciting for thirsty, novelty-loving wine lovers, less so for vintners eager to establish a loyal base of supporters. These days, that entails a tightrope walk: wineries have to establish personal relationships with people who

How Wine Clubs Help Producers Boost Their Bottom Line and Build Community

Direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales are increasingly becoming important for small and medium-sized wineries; in many cases, wine clubs are foundational to sustained DTC success. The classic distribution model, amid widespread consolidation, is no longer viable for most wineries. Distributors have been merging and consolidating for decades now. Currently, two distributors account for more than half of all wine sales in the U.S. Meanwhile, the number of wineries across the country are

Why New York Winemakers Are Excited About These Hybrids

Hybrid grapes are seen by many as the store-brand version of real-deal grapes. Sure, they have some notable benefits: they’re generally less expensive, and in many ways just as good as the name brand versions. But they don’t have the cache, street cred and long history of their Vitis vinifera counterparts. But in New York—and other regions of the Northeast and Midwest where real-life growing conditions often fail to be

Annual Holiday Wine Tasting event returns to the Hudson Valley

Mid-Hudson Valley Region, New York – Tickets are on sale now! Break out your favorite fun holiday attire or that ugly seasonal sweater and get ready for the Shawangunk Wine Trail’s ultimate holiday wine tasting event, Holiday Fineries at the Wineries, formerly known as Wreath Fineries at the Wineries, returns to the wineries on November 18-19, December 2-3, and December 9-10 from 11am-5pm on all dates. This event is a

New York Wine & Grape Foundation Unveils New Logos, Resources to Promote State’s Unique Wine Regions and Commitment to Sustainable Winegrowing

September 20th, 2023 – Penn Yan, NY — The New York Wine & Grape Foundation (NYWGF) is pleased to announce the culmination of its Brand Expansion project in partnership with Born Collective. The goal of this initiative, which began in April 2022, was to create tools and resources designed to increase the recognition of the New York wine and grape industry to global trade, media, and consumer audiences. NYWGF is

New York Wine & Grape Foundation Releases 2022-2023 Research Reports

In the ever-evolving world of wine and grape production, research plays a crucial role in advancing knowledge, improving practices, and ensuring the sustainability of the industry. The New York Wine & Grape Foundation (NYWGF), since its inception in 1985, has been sponsoring an ambitious and comprehensive viticulture and enology research program in close coordination with industry and academia. We are happy to announce the release of the research reports for

three wine glasses against black background. Red wine is being poured into the center glass.

Governor Hochul Announces Winners of the 2023 New York Wine Classic

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the winners of the 37th Annual New York Wine Classic, a nationally recognized competition highlighting the best of New York’s wine industry. The competition’s 2023 Governor’s Cup was presented to Paumanok Vineyards 2019 Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc from Long Island. In addition, Paumanok Vineyards was also honored with the Winery of the Year award. The Governor made the announcement this evening during a special live virtual

New York Sustainable Winegrowing Program Certifies First Set of Vineyards

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Valerie Venezia-RossPhone: 1 (518) 229-3765Email: [email protected] PENN YAN, NY, June 28, 2023 – The New York Wine & Grape Foundation is proud to announce the certification of the first set of vineyards from the New York Sustainable Winegrowing program, marking a significant milestone in promoting environmental, social, and economic sustainability in the New York wine industry. This voluntary third-party certification program recognizes vineyards that adhere to

2023 New York Wine Classic Awards Ceremony to be Hosted By Karen MacNeil

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Valerie Venezia-RossPhone: 1 (518) 229-3765Email: [email protected] PENN YAN NY, June 12, 2023 –  The New York Wine & Grape Foundation (NYWGF) is pleased to announce that the 2023 New York Wine Classic Award winners will be honored on July 13th at 6:00PM EST in a live virtual ceremony hosted by Karen MacNeil. The New York Wine Classic Awards Ceremony will reveal and celebrate the prestigious “Governor’s Cup” (Best Wine), “Winery

Matthew Spaccarelli Earns the John H. Brahm III Grower Award for Dedication and Contributions to the New York Grape Industry

When Matthew Spaccarelli and his partner Casey Erdmann opened Milton’s Fjord Vineyards in 2013, Spaccarelli was already steeped in the Hudson Valley wine industry. He’d taken the leap into all things winegrowing and winemaking in 2006, when his family purchased Benmarl Winery in Marlboro—believed to be America’s oldest vineyard—from the Miller family who started it in the 1960s. Benmarl’s property has grown grapes for around 300 years. Matthew, who had

New York Wine Reference Guide Cover Image

New York Wine Reference Guide – Seminar Series Launched!

Building on the success of the recently updated New York Wine Reference Guide, NYWGF is now pleased to bring comprehensive, expertly delivered New York wine education to you each week from April 25th through June 20th, 2023. All are welcome to join writer and educator Dan Belmont as he leads this nine (9) part series designed to help you build essential knowledge about the history, styles, varietals, and exciting innovations

Phyllis Feder on Earning the New York Grape & Wine Foundation’s Lifetime Achievement Award

“This is the culmination of a very, very important time in my life,” says Phyllis Feder, of the Jim Trezise Lifetime Achievement Award she received this year from the New York Wine & Grape Foundation. “I’m very touched and moved by it.” The fact that Feder can say that it’s the culmination of a certain time in her life speaks volumes about the length—she’s 87 years old—and breadth—she’s had two

New York Wine Classic 2023: The Ultimate Celebration of New York Wines

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Valerie Venezia-Ross Phone: 1 (518) 229-3765 Email: [email protected] PENN YAN, NY – March 1, 2023 – The New York Wine & Grape Foundation is thrilled to announce the 2023 New York Wine Classic, the ultimate celebration of New York wines. This annual wine competition, now in its 37th year, recognizes excellence in winemaking, and provides an important platform for New York wineries to showcase their products to a global audience. The

New York Wine & Grape Foundation Unity Awards Announced, Winners to be Honored at B.E.V. NY Conference in Syracuse, NY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Valerie Venezia-Ross Phone: 1 (518) 229-3765 Email: [email protected] PENN YAN NY, March 1, 2023 – The New York Wine & Grape Foundation (NYWGF) is pleased to announce the winners of the prestigious 2023 Unity Awards. The Unity Awards were created in 1990 as a way for the community to recognize, encourage, and celebrate cooperation among grape growers, wineries, researchers, retailers, and others to advance the entire industry. Honoring the longstanding and bold spirit of

A Love Letter to our Wine Industry

There is an old saying that “Life begins at forty.” I think the origin of that was in ancient Greece where the virgins guarding the temple were relieved of their duties at age forty and then permitted to take part in a fuller life. Happily, I was raised in the Bronx and never subjected to these restrictions. But I did have an opportunity to start a new life when at

New York Sustainable Winegrowing Vineyard Certification Enrollment Open Now

The New York Sustainable Winegrowing program is excited to announce that applications are now open for the Vineyard Certification process. Following the success of our pilot in 2022, the program is now open to all wineries in New York. The NYWGF Sustainable Winegrowing program provides a pathway to voluntary third-party certification that verifies vineyards are using the best practices to ensure environmental, social, and economic sustainability of New York Wine.

The Empire State is making waves – Wine Folly Releases New York Wine Region Guide

Wine Folly, the leading digital wine education platform, has announced the launch of the New York State Wine Region Guide, the first comprehensive digital guide to the New York wine region. This 9th wine region guide showcases the state of New York with over 400 wineries. All participating wineries are now directly benefiting from Wine Folly’s consumer reach of over 20 million wine consumers globally. 3500 wineries have been featured

The State of Biodynamics in New York Wine

(Edited May 31, 2022) In parts of the wine world, biodynamic viticulture has become the gold standard for farming grapes and achieving terroir expression in wine. In New York, that is not — yet — the case. Most growers across the state still regard biodynamics warily or dismiss it as irreconcilable with the region’s climate, structure, and labor constraints. Their apprehension may at first be difficult to understand. But getting

Pilot Program for Sustainable Vineyard Certification is a Success!

The New York Wine & Grape Foundation (NYWGF) is thrilled to announce the successful completion of a pilot program for VineBalance sustainable vineyard certification. Participating grape growers from across New York State performed a vineyard self-assessment using the VineBalance 2022 workbook followed by a third-party inspection from a NYWGF Vineyard Inspector. Growers evaluated their vineyard sustainability against 144 action items addressing input reduction, soil health, water protection, resources and waste,

Hudson Valley Wine tasting Passport is here!

Kick-off 2021 with a self-guided wine tasting tour through Hudson Valley wine country. The Shawangunk Wine Trail’s Hudson Valley Wine Tasting Passport is the perfect choice for local and regional wine enthusiasts to enjoy a variety of the finest wines produced in the Hudson River region and to discover new favorite’s along the way!

Hudson Valley wineries continue to offer delivery and curbside pickup

Kingston, NY – Wine enthusiasts can still get their favorite Hudson Valley wines, spirits, and hard ciders from the Shawangunk Wine Trail wineries delivered straight to their door or pickup curbside!

Interview with Linda Pierro, Co-founder/Managing Editor, Hudson Valley Wine Magazine

NYWGF: When was the moment you fell in love with wine/wine industry? LP: It sounds cliché, but being from an Italian family there was always a love of wine. Dinner wasn’t complete without a large jug of homemade wine at the table-simple wines, usually served in a water glass. No label, no frills. I grew up on Long Island when the wine industry was in its infancy, and visiting those early vineyards piqued my interest in the agricultural aspects. Eventually

Field Notes