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Seneca Lake winery takes Governor's Cup
PENN YAN—Anthony Road Wine Co. has carried  away Gold and Double Gold medals before, but this is the first year the winery has won the Governor’s Cup at the New York Wine and Food Classic Competition, in Watkins Glen, Aug. 18.
“I’m a happy ole sappy guy. It brought tears to me eyes,” said John Martini, one of the owners of Anthony Road Wine Co. The winery has vied for the chance at the Governor’s Cup several times before.
The Penn Yan winery beat 804 other entries with a 2008 Semi-Dry Riesling. He said that the winery has come close to winning the cup before, with second place seven years ago. Martini said their Riesling was picked on the first day of judges’ tastings, Monday, Aug. 17, to make it into the next round. Six panels, of four judges each, made the decisions on the first day.
He explained judges pick wines to go up for the Governor’s Cup that won Double Golds, and in some cases just Golds. Martini explained that on the following day, all judges tasted the wines for the second round of the competition. That narrowed down the competition to 45 wines. Of that group, 12 were Rieslings. The competition also featured dessert, fruit, and red wines. One thing he said he was surprised to see was no sparkling wines in the final round.
“I think it had the perfect balance of sweetness and acidity,” said Martini about the semi-dry Riesling. However, he added that people have different palettes. “The best wines are the ones you like best.”
Martini commented about one quarter of the finalist wines being Rieslings. He said that like people look to Oregon for Pinot Noir, people are also starting to seek Rieslings from the Finger Lakes region.
This is also the fourth consecutive year the Governor’s Cup will remain in the Finger Lakes. In 2008 Swedish Hill in Vineyard won it. Thirsty Owl in Ovid took it home in 2007. Dundee’s Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard received it in 2006. |
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Published August 27, 2009
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