Why aren’t more NYC restaurants pouring New York wines?

A lack of consumer awareness colliding with small-production wineries means many New York City restaurants are missing out on world-class local wines. Sarah Neish finds out more.

“There’s a really big disconnect,” Casey Erdmann, co-founder of Fjord Vineyards in New York State’s Hudson River AVA told db at a recent tasting in London. “New York City restaurants love to say ‘we’re all local’ but what they really mean is the food is local, not the wine. It makes zero sense that our food-friendly wines from New York are not on these lists.”

Instead, many of the Big Apple’s restaurants list international wines “and a lot of California”, which Erdmann concedes is “due to consumer demand”.

Echoing Erdmann’s concerns about the lack of representation in the NYC on-trade is Jenny Menges, director of strategic development & sales for Hermann J Wiemer Vineyards (HJW) in the Finger Lakes. “I think the reality is that collectively there are not enough New York State wines in New York City restaurants…yet,” she said. “Some NYC restaurants are incredibly supportive, but there could be more.”

Indeed, as Erdmann points out, sommelier reactions to New York State wines at trade tastings have been overwhelmingly positive, and she nods to one NYC restaurant – The Marshal – which exclusively stocks wines from the state and stages wine dinners to help New Yorkers discover “the flavours and communities that make New York food and wine so special” as one example of the on-trade championing local producers.

However, the city is still a long way off from every NYC restaurant listing at least one New York wine. The situation, it appears, is more complex than establishments simply being closed-minded.

Consumer tumbleweed

Firstly, there is a deep lack of domestic consumer awareness relating to wines from New York State, which only came to light for some producers in the last few years. Ironically it was the Covid-19 pandemic that highlighted the issue.

When Covid lockdown restrictions began to lift, New Yorkers found themselves permitted to travel again, but in the Tri-State Area only (New York State, New Jersey, and Connecticut). “Suddenly, New York State wineries got this influx of domestic tourism,” Menges told db. “Prior to this, these visitors had no idea we [wineries] existed. Their minds were blown. My mind was blown! You know where Niagara Fall is, how do you not know that we grow grapes and make wine here?”

If local wine drinkers aren’t aware of the producers right on their doorstep then that issue is compounded by a slight tumbleweed blowing in some international markets. Does the New York wine community need to communicate a sense of place more strongly?

“Everyone has heard about New York City but fewer are familiar with the wider New York State,” said Meg Hopkins, communications manager for the New York Wine & Grape Foundation. “There’s a preconception that New Yorkers are quick, fast-paced people, who don’t slow down, and are kind of rude. But in New York State you’re surrounded by all this beautiful nature – untouched greenery, lakes, mountains – and you can just relax and ‘be’. We’re only a couple of hours drive from the city but there’s much more of a small town vibe in New York State. Everyone is so welcoming, warm and open, and that’s across the board, not only in the wine world.”

She pointed out that access, too, is easy and convenient with the New York subway system “running from New York City all the way to Albany.”

Tipping point

In addition to a lack of consumer awareness, many New York State wineries are modestly sized with limited production, and may not be able to increase their production to serve the on-trade, even if the orders are there. Fjord Vineyards in Hudson River, for instance, produces just 2,000 twelve-bottle cases per year. Other New York State AVAs such as Long Island are “maxed out” in terms of planting, said Erdmann. “You can’t plant any more vines in Long Island, not because the appellation forbids it, but because you’d struggle to find the space.”

For these reasons, she said, “until recently, a lot of New York wineries have been comfortable selling DTC and cellar door” and have not exactly been proactive about expanding their offer. However, that may be about to change as Erdmann believes the decline in global wine consumption could present an opportunity for New York State wineries. “Consumers are becoming more thoughtful about their choices – they want farm-to-table and we have that in spades.”

Speaking about her own Fjord Vineyards, she reveals: “We’ve always been 100% estate grown, but we’re at a tipping point now as to whether we should start buying grapes from other growers” in order to expand their presence in the on-trade. That change must come with some trepidation? “I feel good about it. New York State winemakers are such a tight network and community so I know the grapes we’d be getting would be great,” she said.

Whichever way you look at it, small producers are going to have to work together as New York State enters the next phase in its journey. “We need to get out into the international markets,” Erdmann said. “This issue is at the forefront of the next year coming up. How do we improve these relationships with the on-trade? We are seeing growth in this sector but like all growth at the moment it’s slow. It requires a constant push from producers and trade organisations alike.”

“We need to get our shit together”

Outside of the domestic market, New York State producers currently export to Western Europe, Canada, Vietnam, South Korea and Japan, and Meg Hopkins of the New York Wine & Grape Foundation revealed that a sixth market – the Caribbean – has just been added to the line-up. “We’ve done the market research and people want it,” she said.

Or, as Edrmann, corroborated: “People want New York wines. We just need to get our shit together.”

Menges of HJW, which produces around 25,000-35,000 cases of wine each year, believes the secret to cracking New York City could lie in building long-term relationships with neighbourhood eateries. She speaks proudly of a new partnership with Laut, one of the first Malaysian restaurants to have been awarded a Michelin star in the city. As well as pairing the joint’s South East Asian dishes with international wines (New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, white Burgundy, Californian Chenin Blanc) diners can also now choose a bottle of Finger Lakes Riesling to accompany crispy soft-shell chili crab, or one of HJW’s Cabernet Francs to complement a beef Massaman curry.

“20 years ago, NYC wanted nothing to do with us,” Erdmann said. “They assumed all New York State wines would be sweet and made from hybrid varieties”. But this is patently no longer the case. As well as wines made from the state’s two signature varieties, Riesling and Cab Franc, HJW, which is the only biodynamic-certified winery on the East Coast, also produces single-varietal Chardonnays, Gruner Veltliners and Gewurztraminers. Meanwhile, Fjord Vineyards makes a beautiful single estate Albariño and a single estate Pinot Noir.

The quality of New York State Wines has shot up, now the same needs to happen for its on-trade presence.

To discover why Cabernet Franc is on track to become the official grape variety of New York State, read this exclusive piece by the drinks business.

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