Finger Lakes grapes still earn the prize

The Governor's Cup has finally been wrested from the Finger Lakes. But it took some really good Finger Lakes grapes to do it.

JEFF RICHARDS/Star-Gazette Rivendell Winery earned the Governor's Cup for the best wine in this year's Wine and Food Classic for its 2003 Finger Lakes Dry Riesling. The wine is paired above with poached Silverbrite salmon, served with with rice pilaf and steamed green beans sprinkled with romano cheese.

Rivendell Winery, located in the Hudson Valley, used grapes provided by Chateau Lafayette Reneau in Hector to create its 2003 Dry Riesling. That entry won the award for the best wine entered in the New York Wine and Food Classic held on Long Island last week.

"Rieslings from the Finger Lakes are amazing. We luck out with the grapes we get from Chateau Lafayette Reneau," says Melanie Neucall, Rivendell's winemaker for the last eight years.

The Governor's Cup-winning Riesling has lots of mineral characteristics when first poured, leading to a crisp, clean, bone-dry mineral finish. As the wine warms a little in your glass, more fruit flavors, such as tart apple, citrus and pineapple, greet the taster. It is a very complex wine, with lots of intriguing nuances to explore in each glass.

Chateau Lafayette Reneau owner Dick Reno is happy for Rivendell's success.

"It's always nice to see grapes from southeast Seneca shore win. I am proud to have grown the grapes. I feel like a winner (too)," Dick says. His vineyards are no strangers to the Governor's Cup. Even though the cup has vacated the Finger Lakes this year, the fruit for the 2004 winner came from the same vineyard that has helped earn four of the last seven Governor's Cups.

Chateau Lafayette Reneau's winemaker Tim Miller earned the cup with their Rieslings in 1998 and again in 2000. Red Newt Cellars' winemaker Dave Whiting used Chateau Lafayette Reneau as one of the sources of grapes for his 2001 Governor's Cup winner.

As good as this individual site is for producing award-winning Rieslings, the rest of the Finger Lakes region also has a lot to crow about.

Sixty-three medals of gold or better, including double gold, best of class, and best of category awards were earned by area wineries. It is little surprise that the Finger Lakes wineries scored 17 of those awards with Riesling wines. Add Rivendell's awards for the best Riesling, the best white wine and the Governor's Cup for its Finger Lakes Riesling, and it leaves little doubt that this is an ideal place in which to grow Riesling grapes.

On a trip up the east side of Keuka Lake last weekend, my wife and I got to taste some of the recent winners. McGregor Vineyard Winery in Dundee earned a gold for its 2003 Riesling. It has a pronounced mineral nose and taste with a clean crisp finish. We also tried the 2003 Semi-Dry Riesling while we were there. As a silver medal winner, it is bursting with lots of citrus and apricot fruit flavors. It makes quite a nice summer sipper.

As long as we were sampling Rieslings, we could not leave until we tried McGregor's 2002 Sparkling Riesling. It has a bright Riesling taste with a crisp finish that I would not have expected from a sparkling wine with 2 percent residual sugar. It is quite refreshing.

During our jaunt, we stopped by Rooster Hill Vineyards in Penn Yan and had the opportunity to talk with co-owner Amy Hoffman.

"It's kind of exciting -- it's our first double gold," Amy says. The sign down by the road left no doubt that they were proud to have earned the award for their 2003 Cayuga White. Not only was it a double gold winner, it won as best in its class.

What a wonderful tasting wine it turned out to be. It has flavors of pineapple and peach with a crisp citrus finish. At $7.99 per bottle, it is a great wine at a great price.

At our next stop, we got to taste another double gold winner, Keuka Spring Vineyards 2003 Riesling. It has soft citrus flavor and the taste of peaches in a lighter-bodied Riesling.

Their 2003 Celebrate, a very popular blend of Riesling and Vidal, earned a gold medal for the very fruity semi-sweet summer sipper. It comes in a cobalt blue bottle and would probably sell even if the wine were not as good as it Regardless of the direction you take to get to the Finger Lakes this summer, you will find pockets of gold wherever you go.

Jeff Richards' wine column appears Saturdays. For comments or questions, he can be reached at 607/271-8279 or 800/836-8970, ext. 279, or e-mail: jrichards