Legislators pledge to serve New York Wines A show of support for the industry by Carol Doolittle

Transcription

1 Summer 2013 Volume 2 Issue 2 Legislators pledge to serve New York Wines A show of support for the industry by Carol Doolittle Last fall, after discovering that a caterer in one of the main restaurants at the New York State Fair offered only one New York wine on its menu, while offering an ample selection of Californiaproduced wines, the New York Wine Industry Association (NYWIA) sought assistance from Governor Andrew Cuomo to ensure that New York wines would be highlighted not only at our state's fair, but also at other government-sponsored venues and events. What Took Place We met directly with New York's Lt. Governor Duffy. NYWIA President Scott Osborn walked away from that meeting confident that the Cuomo administration now fully supports our industry. NYWIA also brought the issue to the attention of New York State Senator Thomas O'Mara (R-C-I 58th district). As a result, Senator O'Mara unveiled "A Pledge to Support New York Wineries" at the 4th Annual Winestock NY held on June 29 (see related article) at Three Brothers Wineries and Estates in Geneva, N.Y. The simple but powerful statement making the rounds from the Statehouse through the Senate and Assembly promises that at all official functions where wine is served, New Yorkproduced wine will be offered. To date, 18 members of the Assembly and Senate have joined O'Mara by signing the pledge. Many more already serve New York wines, but there are still many who do not. The Next Step NYWIA is following up on what Senator O'Mara initiated with a mailing to legislators who have not yet signed the pledge. Our mailing will ask that signed pledge be returned to us by a specified date in a return envelope that we'll provide. We'll then issue press releases thanking legislators who support the New York wine industry by pledging to proudly serve our wines. "We also plan to bring this to our federal and local representatives," said Ted Marks, NYWIA board member. The Pledge 1/5

2 2/3/2014 New York Legislators Pledge to Serve New York Wines To quote the pledge, "The New York State wine and grape industry has fully earned and justified this Legislature's ongoing commitment and support. As elected officials in the great State of New York, we enjoy unique opportunities to promote an industry's quality, to assist its continued growth and vitality here at home, as well as to strengthen its competitive standing across the nation and around the world for generations to come. (Therefore I) will fully stand behind the New York State grape and wine industry by agreeing, at any and all events and functions sanctioned by my legislative office or campaign organization at which wine will be served to serve New York Stateproduced wines." Says Suzy Hayes, NYWIA vice president, "We need more consumers to be aware of New York wines. So rather than simply telling them our wines are award winners, if consumers taste our wines at a legislator's or governor's reception, or a meeting held by a state agency, they may later buy those wonderful wines for themselves." Above: (l-r) Jane Miles, Suzy Hayes, Tina Hazlitt & N.Y. State Senator Tom O'Mara unveiled "A Pledge to Support New York Wineries" at the 4th Annual Winestock NY. NYWIA congratulates LEADNY Class 14 grads Suzy Hayes, one of NYWIA founding members, recently graduated from Cornell's LEADNY program. The program offers two years of intense training to build leadership skills focused on agriculture and ag businesses. Participants meet monthly and classes take place in many different regions of New York where 2/5

3 2/3/2014 New York Legislators Pledge to Serve New York Wines they focus on a variety of agricultural aspects and challenges. LEAD class members travel to Albany and Washington, D.C. to learn about the legislative process. In addition to a trip to Ottawa, Canada, to see how our neighbors balance agriculture with government, the group traveled to Turkey in February which Suzy describes as an "unforgettable trip that offered exposure to all kinds of agriculture, retailers and finance professionals who specialize in farm loans." Though it was an intense and exhausting two years, Suzy is glad to have participated in the program and is sure that her experience and the skills she acquired can be used to the benefit of NWYIA. We wish to To LEAD is to serve as evidenced by Class congratulate Suzy and her fellow LEADNY 14 grads who volunteered to help at classmates. Winestock NY. Standing Scott Keyes & Stacey Deebe. Seated (l-r) Brian Hall, Julia Robbins & Suzy Hayes Winestock NY Even Mother Nature couldn't put a damper on this year's event by Charlene Ryder, editor June 29 brought close to 3,000 revelers to Three Brothers Winery in Geneva, N.Y. Even though the weather was less than ideal (cool and really rainy), the spirit among attendees was jovial and sunny and it was beyond Mother Nature's power to squelch the fun. This year's attendance was a far cry from the 800 who came to Winestock NY's 2010 inaugural event. There were "brides-to-be" and their wedding parties celebrating upcoming nuptials, limos full of partyseekers, and bus loads of people who all came to enjoy the day sampling the best New York has to offer while listening to good solid rock music or mellow guitars. Also there showing support for the industry were New York State Senator Tom O'Mara (see related Pledge article) and New York State Lieutenant Governor Robert Duffy. While the sound of popping corks mingled with falling rain, people went from tasting and purchasing their favorite wines to buying food and listening to music with smiles that never faded thanks in part to the great job our friends at Three Brothers did in organizing the day. Participating wineries were kept busy pouring from start to finish. Says Sayre Fulkerson of Seneca Lake's Fulkerson Winery, "Winestock NY gets better each year with larger crowds than the year before. My sales for the day were a reflection of the enthusiastic crowd of sweet wine drinkers. It really rained, but the crowd was unaffected, instead choosing to enjoy a fun afternoon where everyone had a great time, which is one of the neatest things about Winestock NY. Coming to Winestock NY is well worth my time, Three Brothers is a great venue, and I'm happy that this event supports NYWIA. I plan on being there again next year." 3/5

4 Adds Cayuga Lake Wine Trail member Joe Gober of Americana Vineyards, "I can certainly say that we nearly doubled our sales over last year's event. And participating in events like this provides an opportunity to market and promote our wines and tell our story. Very often the folks we meet will come to the winery to visit, do a tasting and eat at our cafe." Winestock NY is the annual fundraising event for NYWIA, which advocates for the New York wine industry. Next year's event is scheduled for June 24, 2014, and participation is free for wineries that are NYWIA members. Geneva Experiment Station hosts Lt. Governor Above: Dr. Tom Burr, Jane Miles & Lt. Governor Robert Duffy Director of the NYS Agricultural Experiment Station at Geneva Dr. Thomas Burr (left) hosted Lt. Governor Robert Duffy and Albany officials involved in the farm and alcohol business at an industry-wide meeting in July. Jane Miles, daughter of Suzy Hayes and Doug Miles, owners of Miles Wine Cellars, joined the men. Suzy is vice president of the New York Wine Industry Association (NYWIA). She and President of NYWIA, Scott Osborn, worked with Burr, Jim Trezise (New York Wine and Grape Foundation) and the Lt. Governor's office to arrange the meeting. 4/5

5 Officers: President - Scott Osborn - scott.osborn@foxrunvineyards.com Vice President - Suzy Hayes - Mileswincellars@msn.com Treasurer - Dave Mansfield - threebrothersm@yahoo.com Secretary - Tina Hazlitt - smcvineyard@htva.net Send comments & questions to editor: Charlene Ryder - cryder@roadrunner.com STAY CONNECTED Forward this This was sent to nywineindustryassociation@gmail.com by nywineindustryassociation@gmail.com Update Profile/ Address Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe Privacy Policy. NYWIA PO Box 147 Dresden NY /5