Cornell University, New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, Geneva, NY


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 5, 2003

Contact: Linda McCandless, llm3@cornell.edu, 315-787-2417

Premier Wine Country Auction to Benefit Cornell's Vinification and Brewing Lab, April 4 

by Linda McCandless

FAIRPORT, NY: Celebrate a marriage of fine food and wine and bid on some of New York's best at Casa Larga Vineyards in Fairport, NY, during the Sixth Annual Gala Dinner and Wine Country Auction, on April 4, 2003. The event benefits the Cornell Vinification and Brewing Technology Laboratory that opened at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, on March 31, 2000.

The gourmet dinner is preceded by a reception at 6:30 p.m. that features fine New York State sparkling wines and specialty beers. More than 20 different wines and 10 beers are available throughout the evening. After dinner, auctioneer Harris Wilcox puts cases of premium New York State wine, delectable comestibles from local restaurants, and overnight B&B packages from Finger Lakes establishments to the gavel. Susan A. Henry, Ronald A. Lynch Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, is the master of ceremonies for what has proved to be a fun-filled evening in the past.

"The gala is our main fundraising event of the year," said Thomas Henick-Kling, enology program leader at the Agricultural Experiment Station. "The goal of the lab is economic development through applied science and technology combined with training programs for the wine and brewing industries. The result is higher quality wine and beer for consumers, and increased viability for New York State wineries and breweries."

The Lab is a university/industry partnership on the part of Cornell University and the Experiment Station. Funding comes from Cornell, the state legislature, industry and local wine trails. The 2,000 sq. ft. laboratory builds on the Station's well-established programs in viticulture, enology, and fermentation science.

Currently, the V&B Lab is used by faculty and staff, as well as wineries, breweries, suppliers, equipment manufacturers, educators, consumers, national associations, and students testing new technologies and piloting procedures. Workshops, experimental research projects, and certification programs at the Lab help integrate the brewers' and winemakers' experiences.

Dinner is $100 per reservation ($50 is tax deductible). Black tie is optional. Entrees include a choice of: chargrilled Asian tenderloing of beef with spieced aioli and chantrelles, noisettes of venison with cranberries and polenta, filet of trout with macademia nuts and fried capers, or baked portebello mushrooms stuffed with spinach frittata and polenta. Dessert will be fresh blueberry crème brulee. Overnight accommodations are available at the premier WoodCliff Lodge nearby. Bus transportation will be provided to Casa Larga from Woodcliff throughout the evening. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact Nancy Long, at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, Dept. of FS&T, Geneva, NY 14456, by calling 315-787-2288, or emailing npl1@cornell.edu 

The related web site is linked at http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/fst/vb/

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