Living in the U.S.A. - Masako's New York A trip to the wineries By Masako Yamada	フレームで見る  英文をプリントする  脚注をプリントする
ワイナリーめぐり アメリカでワインの産地といえばカリフォルニアが有名ですが、実は雅子さんの住むニューヨーク州でもワインが作られています。そこで先日、雅子さんは同僚たちと州西部の湖岸地域のワイナリーめぐりに参加。訪れた先のワイナリーで詳しい説明を受け、ワインへの造けいが深まったようです。

今回のワイナリーめぐりで購入したワインの数々

I learned during our wine-tasting tour that in the '70s, New York State actively tried to promote wine-making by passing an act giving farmers a financial incentive to produce wine. The campaign seems to have worked, since we visited many wineries during our half-day trip.

Most of the wineries in the Finger Lakes region are small in size, perhaps even family-owned, and cater primarily to local restaurants and visitors to the wineries. We tried about five to 10 wines at each stop. At many of the wineries, we got a detailed explanation of each of the wines.

I expected to see vast fields of grapes stretching out to the horizon, but what I in fact saw were rather modest plots of land. Most were situated along the shores of the finger-shaped lakes of the region, producing some very charming scenes. Apparently, the gentle slope leading down toward the lakes creates a microclimate that is well-suited for growing grapes.

At each winery, we heard large explosions coming from the fields. These machines are high-tech scarecrows: The explosions are harmless but drive away the pesky birds. One of the most interesting things I learned during the tour is that the machines go off at random times so the birds don't get used to the frequency of the explosions. The machines have to trick them constantly.

The vast majority of the grapes in the fields were European in origin, since those varieties produce the most popular wines. However, since the grapes are not native to upstate New York, their roots cannot flourish in the cold climate. Thus, the European grape vines must be grafted onto native grape stock. I felt sorry for those poor, transplanted vines so I decided that I would buy only wine made with grapes that were native to the region.

I bought wines made with Concord and Niagara grapes, as well as a wine made with grapes especially developed by nearby Cornell University to flourish in the Finger Lakes climate. I also bought wines made with local pears, apples or honey. I must admit that most of these wines were too sweet and one-dimensional. But then again, most of the "sophisticated" European-style wines we tried didn't quite meet world-class standards either, so I was happy to have at least supported truly American products.

Another thing that really surprised me was how long it took for us to get to the wineries. From my home, it takes three hours to drive to Boston, three hours to drive to Montreal, Canada, and three hours to drive to New York City: Now I know it also takes three hours to drive to our "local" New York wineries! The organizer of the trip was kind enough to bring some movies for us to watch in our video-equipped bus, which I appreciated, but I tried to enjoy the passing scenery as the bus rolled past many towns in upstate New York.

The best part of the trip is that I was able to become friends with the people sitting around me. This, of course, is one of the primary reasons people participate in such events. The bus took us back home in the evening, and a group of us decided to go out for dinner together. We got along so well that we watched a movie together the following day, too. I have invited these new friends over for dinner a number of times already, and there is still plenty of wine left over. I hope there will be many more parties to come.

Shukan ST: Dec. 6, 2002

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