“I think it is also about price,” adds Rebeca Palmer at Corney & Barrow. Where bottle aged Rieslings really come into their own is with restaurants that have a bigger list and are looking to specialise and offer a wider range that can be used with pairing menus, says Fong. “It’s rare to find someone who has an aged Riesling as it is guzzled long before it has fully matured,” he says. The UK wine market after all, says Richard Ellison at Wanderlust Wine, has been built on the back of drinking German Rieslings. The bottled aged Rieslings certainly hit the mark with the UK buyers who felt that could be a real point of difference for the region. Mario Mazza at Mazza Chautauqua Cellars says there is certainly more interest within the US for more bottle aged, complex Rieslings from New York, but it is still more of a niche part of the market. It has that nice edge of having acidity, whilst still maintaining balance, and lemon, lime characteristics as well.” “Dry Riesling is an extremely versatile wine and it does not need to be laden with residual sugar to be an enjoyable wine. “That is something we have always pushed,” he adds. In 2018 it made 662 cases of its dry Riesling style, in 2019 that went up to 1,300 cases and in 2020 that was 3,000 cases. Which is reflected in its own production. Alex Jankowski of Wagner Vineyards says he is pleased to see the return in demand for dry RieslingsĪlex Jankowski at Wagner Vineyards says there has been a clear switch away from sweet, semi sweet styles to a demand for dry Rieslings. He says you can always identify a Finger Lakes Riesling by its “solid backbone of acidity” backed up by “crystalline bright fruits and floral aromas” and the winemakers biggest challenge is dealing with phenolics and ripeness levels that can be managed with levels of skin contact. Particularly for the more aged styles that Ravines specialises in. It is also what the markets it works in both in the US and overseas (Denmark and Japan) are looking for. The trend, however, is very much towards drier styles, says Morten Hallgren, owner of Ravines Wine Cellars in the Finger Lakes, which is where it has chosen to be from when it first started out in 2000. But it would be hard to pigeon hole the exact New York style of Riesling as there are so many to choose from, many of which were showcased during our debate. Riesling is the backbone, the DNA if you like, of so much of what New York State produces. Wagner Vineyards Estate Winery: Alex Jankowski The New York State Producers taking part included:īuttonwood Grove Winery: Carmela Barbagallo The buyers taking part in the live session were: A chance for producers to showcase what they and the state can do, and an opportunity for busy buyers to get a clear, concise insight into what sort of styles of wine might be right for them and their import needs. With the wines tasted and the pitches done it was time for the UK buyers and New York State producers to come together to discuss the main themes to come out of the event. (To watch the full video of our New York debate and pitch project click the link below) Click here to read Part 1 in our New York Pitch project. If you do not know the wines of New York State very well here’s a quick overview of what UK buyers think have the most to offer the UK market.
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