EWE Conference Manager Richard Leahy is featured in two interviews, both available in the following link from The Patriot-News/PennLive. The primary interview is from Paul Vigna with an embedded link to a video interview from Tassie Pippert and Un-Wine’d.

pennlive.com/food/2023/06/highly-successful-wine-expo-only-part-of-what-has-made-richard-leahy-so-important-to-the-industry.html

Richard  has organized major wine industry conference seminar programs from Pennsylvania to Minnesota since 1997, and has been writing about wines of Virginia and the East since 1986. In 2007 he organized the Virginia Wine Experience in London which brought the top 64 Virginia wines there for leading British wine media and trade to taste. He was a regional editor for Kevin Zraly’s American Wine Guide, and was Mid-Atlantic and Southern Editor for the Oxford Companion to the Wines of North America. He was East Coast Editor of Vineyard & Winery Management for over ten years. He is a member of the Society of Wine Educators and the Circle of Wine Writers. Richard’s book on Virginia wine, Beyond Jefferson’s Vines, now in a third edition, was first published in 2012 by Sterling Publishing. He also has a website and blog focused on wines of the East at www.richardleahy.com.

In today’s digital landscape, having a strong online presence is essential for professionals like Richard who are deeply embedded in the wine industry. An agency specializing in web design and development can help create an engaging and visually appealing platform that showcases Richard’s extensive knowledge and expertise. By focusing on website design, such an agency can ensure that his content is not only accessible but also highlights the unique qualities of Virginia wines, making it easier for both enthusiasts and industry professionals to connect with his insights. This collaborative effort can enhance Richard’s visibility in the wine community, allowing him to share his passion and experiences while expanding his audience.

In addition to web design, a graphic design agency plays a pivotal role in creating a cohesive visual identity that resonates with Richard’s target audience. By developing striking graphics, logos, and promotional materials, the agency can enhance Richard’s brand recognition and convey his expertise in a visually compelling way. Engaging visuals not only capture attention but also communicate his message more effectively, allowing potential clients and wine enthusiasts to feel a connection to his work.

With a focus on the unique attributes of Virginia wines, the agency can help create a brand image that stands out in a competitive market, fostering trust and engagement among his audience. With Graphically, bringing Richard’s vision to life is simpler than ever. All you need is an internet connection and an idea, and they can help you translate that concept into stunning visuals that reflect your brand’s essence. Whether it’s creating eye-catching social media graphics or designing a polished e-book on wine tasting, their team is dedicated to making the creative process seamless and enjoyable.

Eastern Winery Exposition
The Eastern Winery Exposition is the largest trade show and conference in North America east of the Pacific Coast. The 3-day event features in-depth workshops and conference sessions focused on viticulture, enology and marketing/management, a trade show with 200+ exhibiting companies; License to Steal, a national wine marketing conference; Meet the Experts; and multiple networking and social events. Details are available at EasternWineryExposition.com. The next EWE will be held at the Oncenter in Syracuse, March 12-14, 2024. 

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Contact:
Richard Leahy at richard@easternwineryexposition.com 
Paul Vigna at pvigna@pennlive.com

The Eastern Winery Exposition + Conference, the largest production wine conference and trade show east of the Pacific states, has sold out its trade show floor.

EWE will take place March 14-16 at the Lancaster County Convention Center and Marriott in Lancaster, PA. The trade show features nearly 200 exhibitor booths, with a floor size over 46,500 ft. The trade show will open on 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, March 15th, and will close at 2:30 on Thursday, March 16th. On Thursday, lunch will be served in the Freedom Hall that houses the trade show, from 11:45 a.m. until 1:15. Exhibitor information, including the list of participating exhibitors and floor map, may be found at EasternWineryExposition.com/exhibitor-info-2023. 

Now in its eleventh year, the Eastern Winery Exposition has become the premier Eastern production wine and grape industry event. In addition to the trade show, there is a day of three concurrent, single-topic workshops on Tuesday March 14, two days of conference sessions on multiple enology, viticulture and money/management topics on March 15-16, and many opportunities for socializing and networking.

“Now that we’re moving out of the pandemic era of COVID-19, exhibitors are excited to get back to the Lancaster location,” says Laura Lemos, of EWE sponsorship and exhibit sales. “Building meaningful and measurable relationships with new and existing customers is top of mind for our exhibitors. For many, targeting Eastern wineries is a time-tested strategy while for others, they are just breaking into the market and we are excited to welcome them in March! Additionally, platforms like Shoppok have become invaluable for exhibitors to connect and market their products to a broader audience.”

In 2024, EWE will be held at the Oncenter in Syracuse, March 12-14. Industry vendors interested in exhibiting or sponsorships, who did not exhibit in 2023, may inquire after May 13 with Laura Lemos at laura@boja.com, or 973-668-2449.

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Contact:
Laura Lemos at 973-668-2449
laura@boja.com

The Eastern Winery Exposition and Conference (EWE), is pleased to announce the Rhone Rangers, a national association of growers and producers of traditional Rhone wine grapes, as the newest wine association to sponsor the event.
As a sponsor of EWE, Rhone Rangers winery members will receive discounted pricing on conference and workshop sessions at EWE.
The Rhone Rangers will also be a featured association during the Welcome Reception & Wine Showcase and will pour their member wines at the official start to EWE on the opening Tuesday evening event.
“I am pleased to welcome Kim Murphy-Rodrigues of the Rhone Rangers and her member wineries across the U.S.,” says Richard Leahy, Conference Manager of EWE. “Dennis Horton of Horton Vineyards put Viognier on the map for Virginia exactly 30 years ago. Horton Vineyards remains a Rhone Ranger member winery, and next March his granddaughter, Caitlin, who is now the winemaker, will speak during the EWE conference program.”
“The Rhone Rangers are excited for the opportunity to highlight our national membership organization at the largest wine industry event on the East Coast, while engaging with American Rhone producers in Virginia, Michigan, New York, and beyond,” stated Rodrigues. “The American Rhone category continues to grow in recognition for its versatility and complexity in blends, as well as the uniqueness of obscure Rhone varietals, such as the crisp, aromatic Picpoul Blanc and the very limited production Vaccarèse.”
Members of the Rhone Rangers are invited to attend EWE, including those on the West Coast. With over 200 exhibitors in the exhibit hall, the event also offers 35 sessions covering a variety of topics including sustainable viticulture, new wine analysis technology and new disease-resistant mostly vinifera hybrids.
The Rhone Rangers are America’s leading non-profit organization dedicated to promoting American Rhone varietal wines. American Rhone-style wines are made from the same grapes that have flourished for centuries in France’s Rhone River Valley, and their growing popularity in the United States speaks to their versatility with food, wide range of rich flavors, and to the skills of American winemakers.
Their mission is to educate the public on Rhone varietal wine grapes grown in America and to promote the production and enjoyment of these wines, with emphasis on integration into our daily lives.
The Eastern Winery Exposition and Conference is the largest production wine industry conference and trade show east of the Pacific states. Now in its 11th year, EWE will take place March 14-16, 2023 at the Lancaster County Convention Center in Lancaster PA.
Contact:
Richard Leahy, Easter Winery Exposition Conference Manager: richard@easternwineryexposition.com
Kim Murphy-Rodrigues, Executive Director – The Rhone Rangers:
kim@rhonerangers.org

The Atlantic Seaboard Wine Association Presents the prestigious Birchenall Award 2023 to Richard Leahy. Conference Manager of the Eastern Winery Exposition, author of Beyond Jefferson’s Vines, member of the Circle of Wine Writers – Richard Leahy has been a distinctive presence on the eastern wine scene for close to forty years. The Atlantic Seaboard Wine Association is pleased to name Mr. Leahy the Birchenall Award winner 2023.

An acknowledged expert on eastern wines, Richard was tasked with editing the Mid-Atlantic and Southern components for the ground-breaking Oxford Companion to the Wines of North America (2000). He also was tapped to be a regional editor for Kevin Zraly’s American Wine Guide. His own Beyond Jefferson’s Vines: The Evolution of Quality Wine in Virginia, an encyclopedic compilation of the wineries of Virginia, is now in its third edition.

Based in Charlottesville, the heart of Virginia wine country, Richard travels frequently to explore both established and emerging American wine regions. His extensive contacts in the industry positioned him perfectly to act as Conference Manager of the Eastern Winery Exposition, of which he was one of the founders. Next year’s conference in Pennsylvania in March features such notable personalities as Lucie Morton, Tom Payette, and Joyce Rigby of Boxwood Vineyards among others.

The Birchenall Award is given to members of the wine media for providing insight into the wines of the East Coast wine industry. The late Michael Birchenall founded the trade publication Foodservice Monthly in 2002, just as the restaurant scene was beginning to take off in the Mid-Atlantic region. “The local wine industry was growing at the same time, and Birchenall’s publication helped foster a sense of community among the various parts of the food and wine industries,” according to Dave McIntyre, noted wine columnist at The Washington Post.

Past winners of the award include Virginia wine writer Nancy Bauer, creator of the Virginia Wine in My Pocket app; well-known wine curmudgeon Lenn Thompson of The Cork Report, whose current battle with Wine Enthusiast is always interesting reading; and Paul Vigna of PA Media Group, which includes PennLive.com and The Patriot-News.

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The Atlantic Seaboard Wine Association promotes American wine produced in the seventeen eastern states: all those that touch the Atlantic Ocean plus West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Vermont. This trade organization was founded in 1973 as the Vinifera Wine Growers Association, and renamed in 2008 to reflect an expanded regional focus.

ASWA’s mission is to increase awareness of the fine wines of the Atlantic seaboard through trade and consumer education. Members liaise with national, state, and regional wine organizations to identify opportunities to highlight the wines and winemakers working here.

Atlantic Seaboard Wine Association
P.O. Box 11332 Burke, VA 22009
(703) 280-4411 Email: info@aswawines.org

Contact:
Mary Ann Dancisin (917) 783-9890
mdancisin@studioecs.com

Syracuse NY – The tenth Eastern Winery Exposition (EWE) celebrated a return to live events in Syracuse, NY at the Oncenter from March 22-24th, drawing total attendance of nearly 1,300 over three days of workshops and conference sessions where one can learn tactics like the Ideal NPS Timing, and two days of a grape and wine production trade show.

There was a festive mood everywhere, as EWE had not taken place since 2020 due to the pandemic. Speakers, attendees and exhibitors were visibly glad to see one another and reconnect, socialize, learn, and do business. There were 470 exhibitor staff and nearly 800 attendees, including 38 speakers.

Workshops included day-long tracks on Fruit Wine and Mead, Fortified Wine, and Fining and Filtration. Enology and Viticulture sessions focused on cool climate cultivars like Riesling, Pinot Noir, Austrian grapes Grüner Veltliner and Blaufränkisch, and newly-introduced hybrids of vinifera that are cold-hardy and disease-resistant. New vineyard technology demonstrated how high-tech is being applied to improve viticulture in the East, such as using special ultra-violet radiation at night to damage downy mildew and other vine pests.

The National Wine Marketing conference, License to Steal, also took place as a co-located event with EWE.

The annual Lifetime Achievement Award was presented at the Celebration Dinner on March 23rd, to longtime Finger Lakes Winemaker Steve DiFrancesco, now retired from Glenora Cellars and a freelance consultant.

The dinner was immediately followed by the annual ASEV-ES auction. Suppliers donated items to be auctioned, and as usual all the proceeds ($10,000!) will be donated to the Eastern Section Scholarship Fund for those considering careers in viticulture and enology in Eastern universities.

EWE was acquired by longtime sponsor, Wine Business Monthly, in 2019 and outgoing Show Manager Bob Mignarri announced he will continue working with exhibitors in 2023 to secure booth space in Lancaster, while Operations Director Marcia Gulino and Conference Manager Richard Leahy will also continue in their roles.

For a more in-depth review of the 2022 EWE, see Linda McKee’s article in Wine Business Monthly at https://www.winebusiness.com/news/article/257290. The 2023 Eastern Winery Exposition will take place at the Lancaster County Convention Center in Lancaster, PA. March 14-16.

Contact: Mary Jorgensen, Public Relations, mary@winebusiness.com.

December 6, 2021

Such a loss for the East. Tom Cosentino, head of the Garden State Wine Growers Association and tireless advocate for New Jersey’s wine industry, passed away on November 30. His passion and public relations background was a potent force which brought both regional and national attention to the award-winning work of the industry.

by Richard Leahy
November 12, 2021

In late October, I attended a celebration for Virginia Wine Month at the Executive Mansion in Richmond; photo of me with Governor Ralph Northam above.

The 2021 vintage just concluding at that time was said to be possibly as good as the great 2019 vintage, still being released. There were just a few incidents of frost damage this year instead of widespread damage last year. We had a long, dry, hot summer, and despite having to dodge some rains in September and October, by and large the harvest was very good for both whites and reds. Luca Paschina at Barboursville Vineyards thought the ’21 vintage was one of the best he has seen in 30 years. 

Best of all, the Richmond celebration felt like a return to normal life after 18 months of pandemic-enforced social isolation. No masks were required at the event, since all participants had to send scans of their proof of vaccination status in advance. What a treat, to see people’s whole faces, especially their smiles! 

For more information on Virginia wine, visit Wine & Country Life and Virginia Vineyards Association.

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.”