What do Hudson Valley vintners do while waiting for the spring thaw? Besides hoping that 2011”™s weather will be kind to the region”™s grape growers and making plans for the year”™s harvest, winemaker Michael Migliore is putting his natural winemaking instincts and his knowledge of chemistry together to come up with new creations for Whitecliff Vineyard and Winery in Gardiner.
The former engineer was already living on a 70-acre farm while working for IBM, keeping a hand in his family”™s winemaking efforts when he wasn”™t commuting to work in East Fishkill. When retirement rolled around, Migliore turned his attention full-time to the art he learned from his maternal and paternal grandfathers, bringing a combination of German-Italian winemaking to a new height.
Whitecliff Vineyard has been a labor of love for Migliore and his wife of 25 years, Yancey Stanforth; he for his ability to experiment with grapes and hybrids to create new tastes and she for her ability to market and promote the fruits of her husband”™s labor. Together, the husband-and-wife team has built Whitecliff into a year-round destination and given the world of wine connoisseurs something to talk about: its 2009 Riesling won Best White in Show in San Francisco International Wine Competition last June, beating out 1,300 other wines from 27 countries and 28 states.
“It was a huge win for us, not just in terms of being chosen best in show, but a win for a Hudson Valley winery,” Stanforth said. “Many wine aficionados scoff at hybrid grapes, but here in the Hudson Valley and in New York state, they do much better because of our climate. The award got the region and the state the kind of recognition it deserves. There are many fine grapes grown here and great local wineries. The award highlights the fact that New York, where the oldest winery in the United States is located, is a place where great wines can be made.”
The couple, like many of their fellow artisan vintners, do it all themselves ”“ from bottling and labeling their harvest and getting it to market and local restaurants. Whitecliff has a growing wine club, where members sample the offerings and either pick up or have delivered a case or half-case. “This really helps us during the winter season,” Stanforth said, “because tourism is down considerably, especially when we have a winter like this one. Even though our tasting room is open all year, it”™s difficult for people to get out when they are dealing with one storm after the other.”
A Feb. 13 Valentine”™s Day event, which included chocolatier Lagusta”™s Luscious of Rosendale, attracted visitors for a wine and chocolate truffles tasting event. “We had nice turnout, about 100 people during the course of the day, which is good for this time of year,” Stanforth said.
Sculptor Robert Breur and painter Vince Natale also joined in the event, giving wine lovers a “taste” of their art show, which will debut at a fundraiser for Tarrytown”™s Lyndhurst on May 20 and 21. “It was great having them here,” said Stanforth, “and we hope to have them return before the fundraiser.”
The couple is already planning for their first spring event. “Michael goes trout fishing up in the Finger Lakes, we”™ll have a ”˜fresh fish in the vineyard”™ tasting on May 14 and 15. Then the tourism season will really start rolling as more people come out and enjoy the wineries and the weather, which we”™re all hoping will be wonderful.”
