Finger Lakes wines fare well in international competition

Finger Lakes wines showed their mettle during the 28th Annual International Eastern Wine Competition last weekend.

More than 2,300 wines were entered from six continents, 16 countries, 34 states and four provinces of Canada, according to coordinator Richard Leahy. One of the most exciting portions of the competition was the World Riesling Championship. In the categories of dry, semi-dry, semi-sweet and sweet, 156 Rieslings were submitted. The entries came from all over the world. France, Germany, Austria, Romania, New Zealand and Australia, as well as Canada and various regions in the United States participated. Of the eight Riesling wines to reach the final elimination round, half came from the Finger Lakes.

Belhurst Winery's 2003 Dry Riesling, Dr. Konstantin Frank's Vinifera Wine Cellars' 2001 Riesling Reserve and Heron Hill's 25th Anniversary 2002 Riesling Reserve completed a sweep for the Finger Lakes region as the only dry Rieslings to qualify for the final tasting. Atwater Estate's less-dry 2002 Riesling was the fourth wine to represent the Finger Lakes in the final judging for the best Riesling.

In less than a month, we will find out which wine won. It will be announced during the Summer Bouquet event, June 18 at the Corning Museum of Glass, during the International Eastern Wine Competition's public tasting and awards ceremony.

Monday afternoon, the competition held sweepstakes rounds to determine the best wines in three categories other than Riesling. We began with several white wines lined up side by side. Some certainly were chardonnays -- the evidence was the butter and oak taste present in several samples.

After tasting all of the wines in the flight, each judge ranked his or her three favorites. We then left the Corning Museum of Glass auditorium so that the competition staff could clear away the empty glasses and set up the next flight of wines.

As we were waiting outside the auditorium, I was surprised to see Fox Run's winemaker Peter Bell pull out his guitar as Red Newt Cellars' winemaker Dave Whiting uncovered his banjo. Canandaigua Wines' assistant winemaker Bonnie Abrams joined in the entertainment as the sounds of "Freight Train," "Shady Grove" and "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" filled the air. The acoustic music went on until it was time to judge the next round.

The second flight was 28 glasses of red wine arranged in two arching rows of 14 glasses each. Pinot noir and Meritage, a blend of at least two specific vinifera varieties grown in France, were among those that qualified for the red sweeps.

The Finger Lakes scored again with Lamoreaux Landing making the sweeps with a double gold for its cabernet franc.

These wines provided a wide range of flavors as the judges explored the nuances of each. Cherry flavor came out in many of the wines. Sometimes it was bright and cheery, at other times it was dark, full and rich. Some wines had hints of strawberry flavor, while a few had tastes of plum. There was also a lot of tannin clinging to my tongue after tasting all 28 wines.

One more break and we were ready to taste dessert wines. One sample had the sweet taste of pear and tangerine mingled. Another tasted like nectar flavored with apricot and melon. A third tasted like a sparkler made with late harvest Riesling wine.

The sweepstakes winners will be announced next month during Summer Bouquet.

Note: The Summer Bouquet event is from 7 to 10 p.m. June 18 at the Corning Museum of Glass. Tickets are $25 per person, $45 per couple. For reservations, call 607/974-4084.

Jeff Richards' wine column appears Saturdays