Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Whitecliff 2009 Riesling Wins Best White Wine

Whitecliff Vineyard, one of the Hudson Valley’s premier small family wineries, just took home a Double Gold and the Best In Show - White Wine award at this weekend’s San Francisco International Wine Competition. This is the largest, most influential international wine competition in America, judged blind by a prestigious panel of nationally recognized wine experts. With almost 4,000 wines entered this year from all over the world, Best White is a significant honor for Whitecliff, and for Hudson Valley winemaking.

The honor went to Whitecliff’s 2009 Riesling. We are proud to note that as Best in Show it was chosen over a huge selection of well-known and highly respected wines, such as Chardonnays from Napa Valley and France, New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs, and Rieslings from Germany.

The Riesling was produced at Whitecliff from our own Hudson Valley Riesling grapes, combined with grapes from the Finger Lakes and Long Island, to balance the strengths offered by each of these different New York regions. The end result is a truly New York wine. And as many in the wine world know, New York is increasingly recognized as a world-class region for Riesling production.

This year marks the 30th year of the San Francisco International Wine Competition, making it one of the oldest in the nation. Further information is available at www.sfwinecomp.com.

As a small, artisanal winery, Whitecliff produces a total of about 3,000 cases of wine a year, with wines regularly selling out. Less than 200 cases of our award-winning Riesling were originally produced, and at this time we have a little over 100 cases still available for sale. It is medium dry, with 2% residual sugar, a ph of 3.0, and acidity of 8.25 g/l.

With 26 acres of vineyard, and its roots in a passion for farming, Whitecliff is one of the leading vineyard-based wineries in New York’s Hudson Valley. The winery is located at 331 McKinstry Road, in Gardiner, NY. It offers a line of primarily dry, European style wines, from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, to its award-winning Awosting White, and Gamay Noir. Our wines have been featured at many respected restaurants, including the Culinary Institute of America, the Gramercy Tavern, and Xaviers.