Steven Spurrier 1941-2021

A Remembrance from Richard Leahy
March 10, 2021

Steven Spurrier, a leading British wine writer, gentleman, author, art collector and wine expert, passed away on March 9th. He was most famous for engineering the 1976 “Judgment of Paris” blind tasting in which top Napa Valley Chardonnays and Cabernet Sauvignons soundly out-performed their French counterparts, giving Napa Valley wines (and by extension, others from California) instant respectability on the world wine stage. 

Interestingly, the same wines were tasted again a decade later with much the same result, and again, 30 years later, with little change.

Steven bought his Paris wine shop, the Cave du Madeleine, in 1970, and established a wine school there, the Acadamie du Vin, in 1973. The Academie became influential in training a generation of wine professionals whose careers rose together with the increasing consumer culture of wine in the 1980s. He also designed and ran the wine course for the British auction house Christie’s.

Steven was a member of the prestigious Circle of Wine Writers, which he also chaired at one time. For many years he was a regular columnist for the British consumer wine magazine Decanter, where he was described as “a renowned taster.” Spurrier wrote several wine books; The Wine Cellar Book (1986); The Académie Du Vin Wine Course (2nd edition; 1990); The Académie Du Vin Guide to French Wines (2nd edition; 1991); Clarke & Spurrier’s Fine Wine Guide (2nd edition; 2001).

After fifty years in the wine trade, he and his wife Bella became winegrowers and members of the very new English wine trade with Bride Valley, a vineyard and winery making fine sparkling wine in the champagne method. Located in the English countryside of Dorset, the vineyard is south-facing, and as he pointed out to me, the soil is not only limestone, as with many fine French wine regions, but specifically Kimmeridgian limestone, which is found in the southern Aube region of Champagne. Bride Valley’s first vintage of 2011 was released after three years on the lees, and sold out promptly. 

His last book, A Life in Wine, was published in 2020. One remarkable feature of the book is “A few words about Steven;” it runs to 39 pages (!) and has entries from 24 colleagues. They include international winemakers, Masters of Wine, fellow wine writers and friends. All testify to his personal generosity, his passion for wine and for helping others to learn about it, his graciousness, and his consistently impeccable taste in dress. I never saw him in shirtsleeves or without a pocket handkerchief.

I first met Steven when he attended the Virginia Wine Experience in London which brought 64 curated Virginia wines to London for a tasting in 2007 (disclosure: I was Executive Director of the event). “I can remember Hugh Johnson, Jancis Robinson and Andrew Jefford remarking how good the wines were and (this is important) how nice the people were presenting them,” he wrote in the foreword to the third edition of my book Beyond Jefferson’s Vines: the Evolution of Quality Wine in Virginia (2020).

Steven concluded his address at the Wine Summit by telling the audience, “Virginia is my favorite North American wine region today, because it makes the kinds of wines I like to have a second glass of.” He went on to join me as a judge in the annual Virginia Wine Governor’s Cup competition from 2015-20. 

Tassie Pippert of James Madison University and Shari Pennington of Virginia Public Media have been producing a public television program called “Un-Wine’d” about Virginia wine and the people making it. I was honored to be included in an episode discussing Thomas Jefferson and his vision for Virginia wine. I put them in touch with Steven who agreed to be interviewed via Zoom, which thankfully took place just a few weeks ago and will be featured in the upcoming season.

I am grateful to Steven for agreeing to write the foreword to my new third edition of Beyond Jefferson’s Vines, and for his willingness to taste the wines of an unknown region with an open mind and palate. He then gave his blessing to the winemakers and grape growers who have worked diligently for decades to put Virginia wine on the map of quality wine, where it now belongs. 

He concluded his foreword to my book by writing “For me, quality wine is the 3 “P”s: P1 is the Place, P2 are the people, and P3 is the product, which should always reflect the truth and honesty of the first two. All recognized wine regions across the world are a mirror of this and, as Richard Leahy will tell you in this third edition, so is Virginia.”

Bartholomew Broadbent, a wine importer and distributor based in Richmond, son of the late Michael Broadbent MW, noted in a Facebook post that Steven was a huge influence on his life. “Steven has always been incredibly kind to me… Over the years, my friendship with Steven grew. It is not easy transitioning from knowing someone as a friend of your father’s to accepting that a genuine friendship of your own has grown. I find it hard to look up to someone like Steven [and Jancis Robinson] and not see them as friends of my parents but I never get the sense from Steven that he ever looks at me as anything but a friend in my own right.” 

The wine world has lost a giant, but one who touched many people (including myself) with his politeness, his generosity, his interest in new things in wine, and his example as a gentleman. His influence on Virginia wine as a new category of quality wine will be hard to measure.

Photo: Steven & Richard judging the 2020 VA Wine Governor’s Cup

January 20, 2021
by Press Release

The fifth-annual Rich Smith Distinguished Service Award for outstanding contributions to the American grape and wine industry was conferred yesterday upon Donniella “Donnie” Winchell, Executive Director of the Ohio Wine Producers Association (OWPA). The award was given in a surprise presentation by the Smith Family, the National Grape Research Alliance, WineAmerica and Winegrape Growers of America–organizations for which the late Richard “Rich” Smith was a founding member and guiding force. Donnie is the first woman to receive the award.

Donnie has served the OWPA since its founding in 1978, making her the longest-serving leader of a wine trade association in the U.S. She is past chair of the WineAmerica State and Regional Associations Advisory Council. The award was presented during a virtual meeting of this group by her brother, Tony Debevc, founding chair of WineAmerica, who surprised her on location.

Donnie’s efforts are widely credited for the growth of the $6 billion* Ohio wine industry. She created the first wine promotions (“Ohio Wines–From the Heartland”), catalyzed the creation of tourism-focused wine trails, and organized “Vintage Ohio,” one of the nation’s first wine festivals. Beyond Ohio, her “License to Steal” initiative, at first a one-day informal chat she initiated among a few trade association colleagues, has become a national wine marketing conference. Donniella Winchell was elected to the Ohio Wine Hall of Fame in 2002 and was named one of Wine Business Monthly’s Wine Industry Leaders in 2020.

Although OWPA’s focus is primarily promotion, Donnie also has been instrumental in the public policy and research/extension arenas. She has made frequent lobbying trips to her state capital, Columbus, organized themed wine tastings for the state legislature, and has worked closely with WineAmerica in getting support from Ohio lawmakers for initiatives to support the wine industry at the federal level. In the area of research/extension, she has organized many winter meetings with Ohio State University scientists to help educate the industry. 

Donnie has served on the Board of Directors of Winegrape Growers of America, the Ashtabula County Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Ohio Travel Association and the Ohio Division of Travel and Tourism Advisory Committee as well as on several other travel and economic development councils. She speaks regularly at regional and national wine and tourism conferences, and is an Adjunct Professor at Kent State Ashtabula, teaching marketing and wine industry-related courses.

In presenting the award, Claudia Smith, Rich Smith’s wife, said, “When I first met Donnie in the late 80’s, we were just beginning to make our own wine in Monterey County (as little known a wine region then as Ohio). At a WineAmerica meeting, she was like a blast of balmy air on a snowy day in Washington, D.C. As we shared state by state what we were doing to promote our wines, she listed all kinds of brilliant grassroots-type projects she was rocking Ohio with. There was no end to her enthusiasm, energy and success. Years later, when we had a WineAmerica meeting in Ashtabula, we experienced first-hand the awesome hospitality of Ohio wine country and its incredible wines. Donnie epitomizes the collaboration, passion and commitment that so defined Rich in all he did.”

“Donnie Winchell is the spiritual sister of Rich Smith in terms of the passion, commitment and collaboration that has made them both such valuable and inspiring leaders in the American grape and wine industry, “said Jim Trezise, President of WineAmerica and 2020 Rich Smith Award recipient. “For more than 40 years, she has tirelessly built and promoted the Ohio wine industry, created the popular License to Steal conference, held leadership roles in several industry organizations like WineAmerica, and brought incredible energy and infectious enthusiasm to everything she does. She is my hero.”

Donnell Brown, President of the National Grape Research Alliance, said, “Donnie works closely with her state’s viticulture and enology scientists to ensure research helps advance the quality and competitiveness of Ohio’s wine industry. And she proudly pours the Ohio wines made from newly developed cold-hardy varieties at national conferences, where they rival the wines of any other region.”

“It is fitting that Donnie Winchell is the first woman to receive the Rich Smith Award,” said Vicky Scharlau, Executive Director of Winegrape Growers of America. “She has put heart and soul into building Ohio’s wine industry for more than four decades. She is a role model for all wine industry leaders, male or female.”

Peter Bell of Fox Run Vineyards Named to EWE Conference Advisory Board

September 3, 2020

Richard Leahy, EWE Conference Manager, has appointed Peter Bell, Winemaker of Fox Run Vineyards in New York’s Finger Lakes wine region, to the Conference Advisory Board. Bell has been the winemaker at Fox Run Vineyards since 1995. He holds degrees in Enology from Charles Sturt University in Wagga Wagga, Australia and in Anthropology from Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. He worked as a winemaker in Australia and New Zealand before coming to the Finger Lakes region of New York in 1990 as head winemaker at Dr. Frank’s. Peter was also an adjunct lecturer in the Department of Food Science at Cornell University for many years.

“I’m pleased to name Peter to the EWE Conference Advisory Board,” says Leahy. “His long-standing expertise in making fine wines in the Finger Lakes is augmented by his degree and winemaking experience in Australia and New Zealand. He has presented as a speaker at the Eastern Winery Exposition over the years, and he is highly respected both at EWE and in the industry at large.”

Leahy added that Bell will be speaking in four sessions at the 2021 Eastern Winery Exposition in Syracuse, and that Bell has a reputation for expertise in fortified wines and Riesling, topics he will be addressing at that time. Also, says Leahy, “he plays a mean banjo.”

Eastern Winery Exposition Held in Lancaster, PA – Just in Time

by Linda Jones McKee
March 17, 2020

The 2020 Eastern Winery Exposition (EWE) took place in Lancaster, PA from March 10 to 12. This year there were no snowstorms or icy roads; instead, the weather for EWE was mild, temperatures were warm and the daffodils were blooming. While the threat of the coronavirus increased as the number of cases of COVID-19 rose in the United States, almost 1,100 people attended EWE, a record high for the conference. The trade show was sold out months in advance, only a few vendors dropped out at the last minute, and many exhibitors reported record sales at the event.

At this website https://www.goodearthshop.co.uk/ you will find a wide selection of the finest European organic wines.

A few of the speakers could not attend or were not permitted to travel to the conference for the final day. However, their powerpoint presentations were in place, and the speakers were able to call or skype into their sessions and present their talks.

A number of sessions during the conference addressed different aspects of sustainability, from land use and viticulture to the options for packaging the final product, wine.

EWE Workshops

Two of the three workshops on Tuesday, March 10 covered a variety of sustainability issues. Greg Jones, professor and research climatologist at Linfield College in McMinnville, OR set the stage for the workshop on “Climate Change and Sustainable Viticulture.” As a climatologist, he looked at temperature and precipitation trends across the country and the world, noting that temperatures have warmed significantly, but not at the same rate in every region. He mentioned one example of the rise in temperatures: there is now a vineyard in Norway at 61° latitude, which is much farther north than grapes have grown in the past.

While in general, winter temperatures have warmed, reducing the cold hardiness of grapevines, climates don’t change on the average. “Winter freezes don’t go away,” Jones said, “We’re just not as prepared for them.” He commented that warmer soil temperatures and spring air temperatures may result in earlier bud break in vineyards, but spring freezes still occur. Flowering may be affected by cloud cover and rainfall; veraison and harvest may occur earlier and with more variability. In other words, grapevine phenology is showing compressed phases, with each beginning four to eight days earlier than in the past.

While the amount of precipitation varies from year to year, Jones noted that a warmer world atmosphere holds more moisture. The Eastern United States has been wetter since 2000, and temperature trends in Pennsylvania show more days above 32° F and more days above 50° F. Both the season for heatwaves and the length of heatwaves have increased. As the planet warms, a 2° F increase in average temperature will shift where we can practice cool climate viticulture and also affects the varieties of grapes that can be grown in warm climates.

Bryan Hed, a research technologist at Penn State University, and Mizuho Nita, assistant professor and extension grape pathologist at Virginia Tech, discussed disease management in a wet season and looked at the tools available to combat these diseases, including a review of the conventional and organic/low impact fungicides. Two other sessions covered the challenges of applying organic production methods at Ankida Ridge in Amherst, VA, and Carolina Heritage Vineyard and Winery in Elkin, NC.

During the workshop’s final session, Lucie Morton, internationally-known viticulturist from Charlottesville, VA, and Dennis Rak, owner of Double A Vineyards in Fredonia, NY, reviewed the status of the National Clean Plant program and New York’s certification program for virus-free materials, as well as other factors that growers should be aware of, such as graft union integrity and fungal infections.

At a second workshop on “Eco-Friendly Packaging Options,” speakers included the following:

George Hall, sales manager at Waterloo Container, described the company’s line of lightweight glass bottles, and Phil Plummer, winemaker at Montezuma Winery in Seneca Falls, NY explained why he uses those bottles and their environmental and other benefits;

Michael Mitchell, winemaker at Cape May Winery and Vineyard in Cape May, NJ, talked about the winery’s growler program that uses their tasting room wines-on-tap, and Lee Hartman, winemaker/vineyard manager at Bluestone Vineyard in Bridgewater, VA, discussed the use of growlers at Bluestone Vineyards;

Steve DiFrancesco, winemaker at Glenora Wine Cellars, explained the “green” benefits of the AstraPouch®; and Justin Rose, winemaker at Rosemont of Virginia in La Crosse, VA, spoke about why he uses 1.5 liter BIB packaging;

Tim Benedict and Roger Kissling discussed the use of cans for wine and cider; Justin Rose talked about the environmental and other benefits of PlantCorc, a new natural cork made from sugarcane, and Peter Weber of the Cork Quality Council presented current developments in the cork industry.

The third workshop reviewed the gamut of fortified wines, from high-proof fortification choices and quality control practices to Madeira-style wines. Included were white port, Vin Doux Naturel wine, ruby and vintage character port-style wine, tawny port, and classic solera-system sherry wines. Speakers included Peter Bell, winemaker at Fox Run Vineyards, Penn Yan, NY; Damien Blanchon, winemaker, Afton Mountain Vineyards, Afton, VA; Chris Pearmund, managing partner, Pearmund Cellars, Broad Run, VA; Tiffany Farrell, winemaker, Haak Vineyards and Winery, Santa Fe, TX; Conor Quilty, winemaker, Unionville Vineyards, Ringoes, NJ; and Carlo DeVito, owner, Hudson-Chatham Winery, Ghent, NY.

The EWE Conference Program

The EWE conference program included multiple sessions on three tracks: viticulture, enology and money/marketing/management. In addition to the workshop on sustainable viticulture, two sessions during the conference focused on other aspects of sustainability.

One of the Money and Management sessions featured a discussion by Scott Scarfone, a landscape architect with Kimley-Horn in Baltimore, MD, who said that as a landscape architect, he “cares about what this looks like, and its ecological aspects.” He suggested that parking lots at wineries have pervious pavement, with bio-swales between the parking rows. These bio-swales are not wetlands but should drain water within 48 hours and be lined with plants that can tolerate living in water for 24 to 48 hours. The swales should have overflow drains that carry the excess water to a rainwater containment basin or lake.

Scarfone stressed that diversity of long-lived, low-water tolerant native plants should be matched to the soil type and their exposure to wind and sunshine. He also suggested that wind direction should be considered, with an evergreen screen planted to break the impact of the wind; that low mow turf should be considered; and that the orientation of the building layout should take into consideration the amount of the building facing the sun, and when the sun rises and sets.

In discussing the sustainable features of a winery building, Melanie Friedman, owner of FMD Architects in Fairlawn, OH, talked about the importance of considering water and energy efficiency, indoor air quality and the materials used in construction. She also mentioned that the comfort of the building’s occupants should not be forgotten. The acoustics and sound control should be addressed, and it helps to maintain a connection to the view outdoors that creates a more pleasant experience for tasting room guests.

The viticulture session “Revisiting American Heritage Varieties” began with viticulturist Lucie Morton talking about American heritage varieties in the light of sustainability. She shared some of her recent experiences visiting French producers growing American heritage varieties that remain important to these “rebel” winemakers who embrace them in spite of their legal status as “prohibited” in France. Nathan Held of Stone Hill Wine Co. in Hermann, MO, discussed and poured samples of the winery’s Ozark Hellbender wine, a three-grape blend of heritage varieties in Missouri that is named after the endangered Ozark Hellbender salamander. A portion of the proceeds from every bottle of Ozark Hellbender sold is donated to the Saint Louis Zoo for conservation of the Hellbender salamander. Held believes a winery can craft a great wine using American heritage varieties and, with a great story, achieve market success. The wine is currently Stone Hill’s best-selling wine. Tiffany Farrell, winemaker at Haak Winery in Santa Fe, TX, talked about and poured samples of two of the winery’s Blanc du Bois, a complex vinifera hybrid that is fungal and Pierce’s Disease-resistant.

After their session on “Getting and Keeping Fruit Forward,” Peter Bell, winemaker at Fox Run Vineyards in Penn Yan, NY and Howard Bursen, winemaker at Sharpe Hill Vineyard in Pomfret, CT, played their banjos as extra entertainment for the audience. P.S: they’re good!

License to Steal Wine Marketing Conference

The License to Steal (LTS) conference is designed to attract winery owners, general managers, marketers, tasting room staff and event planners and offered three days of programming dedicated to wine marketing issues and ideas. Chaired by Donniella Winchell, executive director of the Ohio Wine Producers Association, LTS included “steal sessions” where attendees shared ideas on various topics such as marketing strategies and the impact of seltzer products. The LTS program began on Tuesday with a workshop that addressed topics such as basic insurance issues, TTB rules and regulations, how to develop a successful marketing plan and how to create a sense of place that will help make a winery a destination.

EWE’s Lifetime Achievement Award

Richard Leahy, EWE’s conference program director, presented the conference’s lifetime achievement award to Robert B. Deford, president and owner of Boordy Vineyards in Hydes, MD. Deford studied viticulture and enology at the University of California, Davis, and became the president and winemaker of the winery when his family purchased Boordy Vineyards in 1980. The winery’s original owners were Philip and Jocelyn Wagner, who first planted French hybrid grapes in 1937, established a nursery, and founded the winery in 1945.

Under Deford’s leadership, the winery grown to be the largest in Maryland and produces 55,000 cases each year, according to Wines Vines Analytics. The original vineyard in Hydes is planted with white wine varieties including both French hybrid and vinifera grapes and a second vineyard on South Mountain near Burkittsville, MD is planted with red vinifera varieties.

Boordy wines have won many awards for their vinifera and French hybrid wines. The 2017 Albariño won gold and best in class for white vinifera at the Atlantic Seaboard Wine Competition two years in a row and the 2016 Albariño won gold medals in the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition and San Francisco International Wine Competition. Their 2014 Cabernet Franc Reserve won a Double Gold Medal in the San Francisco International Wine Competition.

Leahy commented that “The honoree has made a successful and model Eastern family farm winery business. Dr. Joe Fiola, Maryland’s grape extension agent, says ‘The transition of this winery to a world class operation under his ownership has been amazing to follow and is glowing example for wineries in the Eastern U.S. He is tireless supporter of on-farm research to continually improve the quality of grapes and wine produced in the state and openly shares the results with others in the industry.’”

Atlantic Seaboard Wine Association – 2019 Monteith Bowl Trophy

The Monteith Bowl Trophy is presented annually to individuals or organizations that have made “exceptional contributions to the development and sustainability of the American wine industry” by the Atlantic Seaboard Wine Association (ASWA). The trophy for 2019 was presented to Dr. Joseph A. Fiola, specialist in viticulture and small fruit at the University of Maryland Extension by David Barber, secretary of ASWA before the afternoon sessions of EWE on March 11.

Fiola was recognized for his more than 30 years of academic experience in viticulture and enology research and extension. He is responsible for the statewide viticulture extension program and works with experienced growers to maximize fruit and wine quality as well as with new growers on site evaluation, determining the best suited varieties and establishing their new vineyards. His research program includes both cultivar testing and clonal comparisons of new and imported varieties as well as cultural practices. He also conducts small batch winemaking studies of experimental enological treatments of those varieties. Fiola produces a newsletter, “Timely Viticulture,” on a regular basis and recently published a workbook on Sustainable Practices for Wine Grape Growing in Maryland.

The Monteith Bowl Trophy was created by Tiffany & Co. of New York for the Vinifera Wine Growers Association (VWGA) and was first awarded in 1980 to Dr. Konstantin Frank, founder of Dr. Frank’s Vinifera Wine Cellars in Hammondsport, NY. The VWGA was renamed in 2008 to reflect the organization’s expanded regional focus and the ASWA now promotes American wine produced in the 17 Eastern states, including all those that touch the Atlantic Ocean, plus Pennsylvania, Vermont and West Virginia. The organization holds a wine competition annually and the awards are presented at a ceremony on Capitol Hill under the auspices of the Congressional Wine Caucus.

ASEV-Eastern Section’s Auctions for Scholarships

The Industry Celebration Dinner on the evening of March 11 was followed by the ASEV-Eastern Section’s live auction of winemaking equipment, tasting room supplies and wine-related items. According to Renee Threlfall, Section Administrator for ASEV-Eastern Section, the live auction, combined with the proceeds raised at the Section’s silent auction near the tradeshow, raised more than $10,000 in scholarship funds for enology and viticulture students east of the Rocky Mountains. Last year’s live and silent auctions at EWE contributed to scholarships for seven students at four universities.

Next Year’s EWE

The Eastern Winery Exposition will return to the Oncenter Convention Center in Syracuse, NY on March 16-18, 2021. More information will be available at www.easternwineryexposition.com.

“EWE 101” from WineSplash Blogger, Rick Fillmore  

Rick Fillmore provides a rundown of his time spent at the 2020 EWE in Lancaster. This is a great read if you’ve never attended EWE, but also a big help for those who did but simply couldn’t get to everything while they were there.

For the complete story with photos and links, visit https://winesplashing.com/2020/03/24/how-to-live-the-winery-lifestyle/.

The wine business has a culture all its own. Long days in the vineyard, weekends tending wine in the cellar, bottling, marketing, promoting, wine tastings, tours, wine education…the list never ends. Working with wine is a career that takes no holidays since every customer wants wine for their holidays! You must have incredible patience, passion, and the ability to take risks when developing your wines while in the cellar. It’s hard work but the benefits, in the end, are just as incredible! And if you develop award-winning wines, you will feel like a rock star! You will need to buy some acreage, plant the grapevines, tend the soil, take care of the vines as they mature, pick the grapes, tend the cellar (usually for years), bottle the wines, design a tasting room and winery, market and open the winery, and build up your loyal clientele who adore your wines and can’t stay away from your beautiful property. It could take years to find the right people and supplies to get your winery started!

If your question is What is the easiest way for me to get my vineyard, winery, or tasting room together using the best people and supplies?, the answer would be to attend the next Eastern Winery Exposition since many quality wine companies exhibit their products and services right here in one place! I just attended this annual March event that does bring many of the best wine companies together to provide for your winery needs. This exposition also provides many informative seminars and workshops hosted by expert speakers that are in the wine profession who will answer your questions about a vineyard and winery business. These speakers are winery owners, vineyard managers, winemakers, agriculture professors, and financial experts. There were over 30 wine seminars and workshops in the 2020 exposition!

I spent 2 days at this event and was able to attend some workshops, meet winery owners, tasted some great Eastern United States wines, and met all the suppliers I felt I would possibly need to start a winery or wine business. Wine barrels, bottles, corks, labeling, real estate, marketing, wire fencing, pest control, tractors, stainless steel tanks, wine glasses, tasting bars, bulk wine juice, packaging, trellising, wine travel luggage, sanitizing equipment, grape crushing machinery, winemaking chemicals, and so much more! This was a huge exposition with about 250 different companies all ready to give you knowledge and answer your questions. To give you a better idea of who you may meet should you attend in 2021 are listed below:

You have found some acreage and now it’s time to plant some grapevines. Now the farmer in you can take over and you can grow your grapes and later make your award-winning wine! We came across Inland Desert Nursery who starts the growing process and can get you the grapevines you need. Check out their website and get to know them better! And don’t forget all the vineyard and landscape equipment you will need like tractors, leaf treatment, spraying equipment, mulchers, and more. Check out Clemens Vineyard Equipment and you will find all these and keep your vineyard looking pristine!

Once your vines start to grow, you will need posts and wire to hold the vines so they can reach up to absorb that much-needed sunshine. These wires do break sometimes and that is when you will need repair splices and connectors to fix the problem. We found some excellent ones from Preformed Line Products who would be happy to get you their best line repair kits and show you how to use them.

So, while your grapevines are growing and maturing, you need to think about what to do after you harvest your luscious grapes! You will need grape separation equipment, destemming and sorting tables, stainless steel tanks, pumps, filtering equipment, and everything that goes with it. We met Dominic Bosch from Malbec Supplies who enlightened us on his harvest and cellaring products and how he can get your winery started. Dominic can even get you set up with Bulk Wine so you can make and produce wine while your vineyard is growing and maturing which usually takes 3 years before your grapes will be ready to be used as wine. Dominic also has vast experience in correcting wine faults by using Reverse Osmosis, Ion Exchange, and ultrafiltration to make any problem wines taste much better!

Oak barrels and casks? It’s hard to imagine owning a winery and not having oak barrels to age some of your best wines in to add character and elegance to your wines. We spoke with The Vintner Vault and they can definitely help with your oak barrel needs for your winery, brewery, or distillery. They offer lots of great products so check them out!

After your wine has matured and developed in stainless steel or oak, you need to bottle your wines and get them ready to sell. We talked with Waterloo Container who can do just that and find you the right bottles, corks, and closures to get your wines ready for the shelf and into your customers’ hands. They have been family owned and operated for over 40 years.

If you are looking for just corks, we spoke to Nora Burkel who works for Portocork and she explained everything you could possibly need to know about their corks. Which corks work best for which wines. Which cork or closures work for wines you will age and for the wines that will be drunk within a year or two. I didn’t think corks would be that fascinating to talk about but Nora gave us the knowledge we needed and for anyone going into the winery industry.

Now your wines are ready, your tasting room is immaculate and you soon will be displaying the OPEN sign on your door. You want to impress your loyal customers with some great glassware to pour your wines into. We met Matej from RONA Glassworks and he explained how each variety of wine should be enjoyed in different styles of wine glasses. Rona glasses are used in many tasting rooms and restaurants around the world and you will find all you need in wine glassware here.

There are many companies that work in the Bulk Wine industry and some wineries use these grapes for many reasons. If the vineyard had a bad growing year, the winery can use bulk wine to make good wines to sell, even if it is not their own grapes. Or a small winery has a phenomenal year and needs to buy some outside bulk wine so they can continue to have wine to sell. Or your vineyard is in a climate that doesn’t grow some types of grapes very well. You can buy bulk wine of that variety and sell something fun and flavorful that your customers are requesting. We met Michael from Agajanian Vineyards and Wine Company and Carl from Collinwood Grape Company who primarily deal with bulk wine and juices to help out wineries and the wine tasting room businesses. If you have any questions about bulk wine or grape juice, these are 2 other great companies you can work with.

Another great product that I have used before is a type of luggage that fits your wine bottles so you can travel with your wine to a vacation destination or bring your priceless bottles home after a memorable wine trip. The company is called Fly With Wine and there are several different types of wine travel luggage that hold different amounts of wine. A good way to bring your wine home without any worries.

These are just a few of the wine companies we met and spoke with! There were almost 250 vendors and exhibitors at the Eastern Winery Exposition and it was impossible to meet everybody. But these were some of the companies we ran into and thought if I was opening a winery, I would contact them for their services. Check out the Eastern Winery Exposition website and you can see the many exhibitors who participated in 2020.

The evening before the exposition opened, there was a wine tasting with a focus on wines from east of the Mississippi River. We were able to taste some wonderful wines and meet some of the people who keep these wineries going. At the exposition, there were a few more wineries from around the country who were doing fun and informative tastings. This is a “Shout Out” to the wineries, staff, and winemakers who excited our palates with their great wines! Thank you to:

Jessie’s Grove Winery in Lodi, California – Winemaker Greg Burns                                      
Left Foot Charley Winery in TC, Michigan – Manager Meridith Lauzon                             
Four Feathers Wine Estates in Washington St – Anthony Neal in Marketing             
Lakewood Vineyards in Watkins Glen, New York – Winemaker Chris Stamp                          
Crazy Cat Winery in Bristol, New Hampshire – Tim and Claudette Smith

Currently, next year’s Eastern Winery Exposition is scheduled to be in Syracuse, New York from March 16-18, 2021. The professionals who host this wonderful event are Bob Mignarri (Show Manager), Marcia Gulino (Operations Director), and author Richard Leahy (Conference Program Director). All 3 of these experts can be contacted through the Eastern Winery Exposition website. This was such a fun, exciting, and informative exposition and it has everything that any winery, vineyard, and tasting room would ever need for their business. Please be safe, stay healthy, and we will see you next year in Syracuse, NY!

Contact: 
Rick Fillmore
winesplashing@gmail.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 23, 2020

Lancaster, PA – The 2020 Eastern Winery Exposition Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Rob Deford of Boordy Vineyards on March 11 at the 9th annual Eastern Winery Exposition. 

Boordy Vineyards, in Maryland’s Long Green Valley, was purchased by Deford in 1980 from Philip and Joyce Wagner who had begun it in 1945 and proven that French hybrids would grow, overwinter and make fine table wine in the Mid-Atlantic.

Over the last 40 years, Deford has made Boordy into Maryland’s oldest and largest winery, with a diverse and segmented product line. While keeping and honoring the French hybrid legacy begun by the Wagners, Deford added a focus on premium vinifera wines that have been winning top awards at national wine competitions like the Finger Lakes International and San Francisco International for Albariño and Cabernet Franc.

Deford has also made Boordy a three-generation family business with a focus on sustainable viticulture, with Lucie Morton as his viticulturist. “Like most farming, winegrowing stems from a profound respect and fascination with the land; indeed, a vineyard is a crop that lasts many decades, so sustainability is foremost on our mind. In keeping with an ethos of stewardship, we have placed our farm in permanent preservation with the Maryland Environmental Trust,” says Deford.

Dr. Joseph Fiola, Maryland’s grape extension agent, said of Deford, “The transition of this winery to a world class operation under his ownership has been amazing to follow and is a glowing example for wineries in the Eastern US. He is a tireless supporter of on-farm research to continually improve the quality of grapes and wine produced in the state and openly shares the results with others in the industry.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 18, 2020

Lancaster, PA – Despite concerns about the COVID-19 virus, the ninth annual Eastern Winery Exposition last week drew over 1,000 attendees and 1,382 total attendance including exhibitors. A record 52 industry experts presented in three full-day Workshops and 20 Conference sessions over the three days of programming.
Show manager Bob Mignarri stated “I am so happy we were still able to put on this event for the eastern industry. The fact that there were so few cancellations is a testament to those in this industry and how they value this once a year industry event. I wish everyone the best during these unsettling times.”
Sustainability was the main theme of the EWE workshops, from a day-long workshop on Climate Change and Sustainable Viticulture, to another day-long workshop on Eco-friendly Packaging. The third workshop offered sessions on Fortified Wines, ranging from white port to sherry and madeira.
The EWE conference on Wednesday and Thursday offered a record number of enology and viticulture sessions, along with management sessions on “master data management”, compliance with the new FDA food regulations for wineries, the vineyard financial calculator, and environmentally-friendly winery and tasting room design. The trade show featured over 190 exhibitors offering supplies and services for all vineyard and winery operations, as well we recommend to all the attendees to check the premium wine coolers uk to find the best fridge for your bottles. 

Aside from the traditional EWE networking and social events, the week also featured a revamped Meet the Experts forum, auction fundraisers from ASEV-ES, co-location of the License to Steal national wine marketing conference, and award presentations to Rob Deford of Boordy Vineyards and Dr. Joesph Fiola of the University of Maryland for their contributions to the Eastern industry.
The Eastern Winery Exposition returns to the Oncenter in Syracuse, NY, March 16-18, 2021.

Contact: Bob Mignarri, Quality Event Management, 401-885-8788, ext.11, Bob@easternwineryexposition.com, EasternWineryExposition.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 6, 2019

Lancaster, PA — Registration opened today for the Eastern Winery Exposition, the largest industry trade show and conference east of the Pacific coast, taking place March 10-12, 2020 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

The benefits of attendance are plentiful with the opportunity to meet 190 exhibiting companies; attend workshop & conference sessions covering all aspects of the eastern winery and vineyard business; network with 1,000+ other industry professionals; and participate in numerous social & networking events. 

The EWE Conference features tracks on Enology, Viticulture and Money/Management. Show Management has brought in a record 56 industry experts to present 3 full day Workshops and 20 Conference sessions over the three days of programming. The triple Workshop format was so popular in Syracuse this year that the format will debut in Lancaster with three fresh topics. 

Program Highlights:

• One Full Day Workshop on Climate Change and Sustainable Viticulture
• A second Full Day Workshop on all categories of Fortified Wines
• A third Full Day Workshop on Eco-Friendly Packaging Options
• Returning EWE Superstars: Lucie Morton, Tim Benedict, Peter Bell, Maya Hood White, and more!
• Emphasis on grape & wine issues, with more viticulture & enology sessions
• Enology Focus on Lab Analysis, Large Oak Containers, Cap Management Options and Alternatives
• Viticulture Focus on New Technology, Mechanization, and Sustainability
• Money/Management: Compliance with the new Food Safety Modernization Act and Formula Wines
• Co-location of the License to Steal wine marketing conference with three days of programming dedicated to wine marketing issues and ideas

Registering early saves money with the lowest rates available through December 13, but Association, Student and Group discounts are also available.

For press queries, contact Bob Mignarri, Show Manager, Bob@EasternWineryExposition.com, 401.885.8788, ext. 11.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 1, 2019

2019 Eastern Winery Exposition Sets New Attendance Record for Syracuse at nearly 1,000

Lancaster, PA—The 2019 Eastern Winery Exposition (EWE), the largest trade show and conference for the production wine and grape industries east of the Pacific states, set a new attendance record for its Syracuse location during its three-day event from March 19-21 at 916 attendees, and 204 exhibiting vendors. EWE’s motto is “providing everything an eastern vineyard or winery could want.”

This was the third time EWE took place at the Oncenter in Syracuse, and Show Manager Bob Mignarri says by all accounts it was the most successful of the those held in Syracuse NY. “I thank our official supporters Wine Business Monthly and Wines & Vines Analytics, the conference sponsor i3 Verticals Point of Sale as well as the 31 organizations who were supporting sponsors of EWE and the associate sponsors, exhibitors, speakers and attendees for their contributions to this to year’s event,” he says.  

EWE Conference Manager Richard Leahy says he put an emphasis on cool and cold climate grapes and wine for the Syracuse location, including a day-long workshop on cold climate hybrids and wines. “For the first time at the Syracuse location, we had sessions that sold out of available seats weeks in advance of the show,” such Getting (and keeping) Fruit Forward, says Leahy. “I had many attendees including speakers compliment me on the quality of the program and speakers.”

As a surprise reward for attending the sold-out Fruit Forward sessions, the audience was treated to a finale of banjo playing by the multi-talented speakers Peter Bell and Howard Bursen, accompanied on guitar by Bursen’s wife Sally.

The Lifetime Achievement Award for 2019 was given (posthumously) to Dick and Audrey Naylor of Naylor Wine Cellars and Naylor Wine Packaging and was accepted for the winery by their daughter Janey Potter. “My father always said the best thing about the wine industry was the people,” she said to a standing ovation. Richard Naylor began winemaking as a hobby in the late 1960s as a break from his stay at home jobs, then launched Naylor Wine Cellars in 1978. Over his long career in the wine industry, Mr. Naylor had been a Director of Wine America and President of the Pennsylvania Wine Association. Naylor passed away last December and was preceded by his wife Audrey.

The 2020 Eastern Winery Exposition will take place March 11-12 at the Lancaster County Convention Center, preceded by a day of workshops on March 10th. For information, visit www.easternwineryexposition.com.