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The Wines of the Finger Lakes
EAGLE CREST VINEYARDS 2009 DRY RIESLING
There was a bit of a surprise at this year’s International Eastern Wine Competition, held May 19–21 in Watkins Glen, New York. Sponsored by Vineyard and Winery Management magazine, this competition is one of the oldest and largest in the U.S. Thousands of wines from more than thirty states and a dozen countries were evaluated by a large team of judges.
Typically, Finger Lakes wineries do quite well in the Riesling categories. So it was no surprise that Dr. Frank won this year’s award for best sweet Riesling, or that Chateau Lafayette Reneau was judged to have the best semi-sweet Riesling. The top honors for dry Riesling, however,went to Eagle Crest Vineyards, a much less wellknown
Eagle Crest began its life as O-Neh-Da winery in 1872. The only winery on Hemlock Lake, thirty miles south of Rochester, it was founded by Bishop Bernard McQuaid to produce sacramental wine for the Catholic church. Now owned by Eagle Crest Vineyards, O-Neh-Da continues to make 15,000 cases of sacramental wine per year.
Under its own name, Eagle Crest has annual production of approximately 3,500 cases of non-sacramental table wines. The award-winning 2009 Dry Riesling was made from grapes purchased from two growers, one located on the southeast side of Seneca Lake, the other on the northwest side of Cayuga Lake. It has a solid core of peachy Riesling character and a lingering finish that ends on a distinctive gingery note. Try it with pork dishes, roasted vegetables, roast duck, or spicy Thai curries.
Eagle Crest wines are sold at the winery and in stores in the Finger Lakes region. They may also be purchased on the winery’s website, www.eaglecrestvineyards.com.
— Dave Pohl
Dave Pohl, MA ’79, is a wine buyer at Northside Wine & Spirits in Ithaca.
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