Want to know where to find a great glass of New York State wine this summer? 

The 2013 Great New York State Fair, of course.

State Agriculture Commissioner Darrel J. Aubertine today announced a number of initiatives taking place at the 2013 Great New York State Fair to promote the state’s growing wine industry.  The annual competition for New York’s amateur and professional wine makers, along with free public wine tastings in the International Building, highlights an exciting effort to display the vitality of one of New York’s signature industries.

“There is no better place to market New York State agricultural products than the 12-day Great New York State Fair,” said Commissioner Aubertine.  “Where else but the Fair can New York State businesses mass market their products to a million people?  This is an exciting time to be in the wine business and the Fair is proud of its role in helping this growing New York industry market itself as a world class enterprise for fairgoers.”  

New York’s wineries provide both quantity and quality.  The state is the third largest producer of wine and grape juices.  At the same time, New York wines are winning more fans and more gold medals at competitions around the world.

The Fair’s effort to promote New York wines is visible in the twin annual competitions for professional wineries and amateur winemakers.  Commercial wines will be judged on July 13 and amateur wines on July 16.  Wines must be received by July 5 for the commercial wine competition and by July 10 for the amateur competition. 

In 2012, 61 professional wineries submitted 365 bottles of their best creations for judging.  Harvey Reissig, the Cornell University scientist and wine expert who chairs the professional competition says that the number of entries was an all-time high last year.  Judges also awarded a record number of gold medals and double gold medals at the event.  “This indicates that the quality of New York wines is exceedingly high,” he said.

In the amateur competition, 144 exhibitors turned in bottles of 494 wines in various categories.

For full details on how to enter both competitions, please visit the following link:

http://www.nysfair.org/competitions/how-to-enter/ 

Fairgoers can judge the quality of professional wines for themselves in the International Building, where the winemakers man a booth that provides free samples of the wines submitted to the competition  The winemakers use the booth to reach new customers and provide education to people about the different types and tastes of wine.

The State Fair hosts 49 competitions covering everything from crops and flowers to animals, classic cars and talent.  You do not need to have won a local competition in order to enter a State Fair competition.

In addition to the annual New York State Fair, the Fairgrounds host dozens of agricultural events throughout the year, including some of the Northeast’s most prestigious horse and livestock shows.

The home of the Great New York State Fair is a 375-acre exhibit and entertainment complex that operates all year. A year-round schedule of events is available on the Fair’s website.  Find The Great New York State Fair on Facebook or follow NYS Fair on Twitter. Also, New Yorkers are invited to send their ideas on the Great New York State Fair at statefairideas@agriculture.ny.gov.