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Long island creates fine wine
http://www.sina.com.cn 2004/11/29 11:48  Shanghai Daily

  Once rich with potato farms and Christmas tree nurseries, New York's Long Island is fast becoming legitimate wine country and some believe the region could one day rival California's famous Napa Valley.

  Nestled along the United States' eastern seaboard about a two-hour drive from bustling Manhattan, Long Island has seen the number of its vineyards blossom from just one in 1973 to 52 today, according to the Long Island Wine Council.

  "The region has an enormous amount of potential and has already made very exciting wines and continues to get better," said Karen MacNeil, author of "The Wine Bible" and head of the famed Culinary Institute of America's wine program in Napa, California.

  Local vintners produce wines from bold and spicy cabernet francs and pinot noirs to fruity merlots and creamy chardonnays with hints of apple and honey.

  Emulating napa is no small task, MacNeil said, but there's no reason to believe that it won't happen for Long Island wines, which range from US$8 to US$125 a bottle, she said.

  Long island generates a modest US$65 million in wine sales a year compared with the US$4 billion economic impact Napa enjoys from wine making and related industries.

  But long Island's emerging wine business already employs more than 4,000 people and continues to attract wine makers.

  "It's the soil, it's the climate, it's the technique being used and the drive to make a better wine," said Ben Coutts, marketing director at Martha Clara Vineyards in Jamesport, New York.

  "We're even at the same latitude as Bordeaux," he added, referring to France's famed wine region.

  While many here would like to see Long Island emulate Napa's success, not everybody welcomes the comparison.

  "Napa is a four letter word around here," said Christine Nowak, who manages the tasting room at Martha Clara vineyard and is among those who believe that Long Island wine makers can surpass their California counterparts.

  Napa valley, which has been producing wine for more than 150 years, lies 80 kilometers north of San Francisco and has some 284 wineries, which ship wine around the world.

  The region attracted 3 million tourists in 2002, against an annual 500,000 for Long Island.

  "In the 1990s, dot-comers flocked to Napa Valley and started making these cult wines," Coutts said. "Now you're starting to see that on Long Island."

  While local vintners expect a temperate summer should make for a good 2004 vintage, Long Island has more maturing ahead.

  "No region is instantaneously great," said MacNeil. "For most regions in California, it has taken 25 years or more to establish their reputation. Long Island is right on track."

  (Reuters)


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