I spent most of this week escorting people from New York City around the Niagara and Finger Lakes wine regions, which proved to be a real eye-opener (and palate pleaser) for our guests.

This "Vineyard Visit" is an important part of our overall New York City promotion program orchestrated by our colleagues Michael Gitter and Kayt Mathers of First Press Public Relations.  The group of 10 flew into Buffalo Sunday morning and visited the five participating wineries in the Niagara region; went to the New York Wine & Culinary Center for a tasting of wines from Thousand Islands Winery and 21 Brix (Lake Erie region); and enjoyed a superb "New York" dinner by Executive Chef Mike Sokolski created around four Finger Lakes wines before retiring at the Inn on the Lake in Canandaigua.  That long day was just the beginning!

For the next two and a half days, the four retailers, three sommeliers, and three wine writers visited over 20 Finger Lakes wineries, worked half a day in the vineyards and cellars to get a "hands-on" experience, and enjoyed more great "local" food at Veraisons (Glenora), Red Newt Bistro, and Knapp Restaurant--a great illustration of how the wineries have driven the locavore revolution in the Finger Lakes.  The group also took a boat trip on Seneca Lake and was pampered at the fabulous Watkins Glen Harbor Hotel.

This was an important and enjoyable group of young professionals in the wine world representing restaurants (Craft, Flatbush Farm, and Maslow6 wine bar), retailers (Flatiron Wines, Columbus Wines & Spirits, Union Square Wines, and Fermented Grapes), and media (Zagat.com/BlackBook, Metro--daily newspaper in NYC, Boston and Philadelphia--and Cravings).  None had previously been to either the Niagara or Finger Lakes regions!
              

At the end of the visit while lunching at Knapp, I asked what their take-home impressions were in terms of the regions, the wines, the people, or anything else.  One prominent retailer said the trip made him realize that he needs to immediately create a new section in his store, a restaurateur told me privately that he ordered several wines that he sampled, and virtually everyone commented on the natural beauty of the Finger Lakes and the spirit of cooperation in the industry.
             

A similar trip with a different group will take place in the Hudson River Region in late August, and another on Long Island in late October.  And there are lots of other plans and activities all the way through March of next year.  Getting attention in the world's most competitive wine market takes time, effort, and money, and we are grateful to the Department of Agriculture & Markets for securing the funding that makes it possible.