What a great year here on the Cayuga Wine Trail, located in the heart of Finger Lakes Wine Country. In fact it was a fantastic year, with the 2007 vintage producing an outstanding quantity of grapes, with superb quality, one of the best in years.

“Due to the longer and warmer growing season the red wines next year will be more intense in both fruit and flavor,” said Gene Pierce of Knapp Winery and Vineyard Restaurant. The weather was the key factor and absolutely ideal in every season, a docile winter, frost free spring, sunny summer and balmy fall produced grapes guaranteed to make fine wines.

In 2007 Thirsty Owl Wine Co. won the Governor's Cup for their Dry Riesling, a prestigious award known as the Oscars of New York wines. In fact three other wineries have won this award over the years, Swedish Hill Vineyard for their Blanc de Blanc Champagne, Hosmer Winery for their Dry Riesling and Knapp Winery for their Late Harvest Vignoles.

Over the past 25 years, the wineries combined have taken 4,906 national and international medals. In 2007 alone we took over 200 medals in numerous different competitions. We received 13 medals for Best of Class or Category, 31 Double Gold, 48 Gold medals and an outstanding amount of Silver and Bronze medals.

Next year the Cayuga Wine Trail will celebrate its 25th anniversary as a wine trail so how perfect for the 2007 wines released in 2008 to be fabulous. The Cayuga Wine Trail is the first organized and longest running Wine Trail in New York and one of the first in the United States. The vision began in the early 1980s when a few wineries along Cayuga Lake had a dream of working together to bring more visitors to their doors to taste the fruits of their labors. In the beginning there were 4 wineries, today we have 15 wineries, one cidery, one meadery and four distilleries.

We'll start the year off by selling special commemorative items to celebrate our 25 years. In January we'll have available our 25th Anniversary glasses with our special 25th logo to be sold in four different colors one for each season. Additionally we'll be selling T-shirts, corkscrews and wine pullers.

In January the events we have lined up start with our Between the Lakes Party, where both the wineries of the west side of Cayuga Lake and the east side of Seneca Lake come together to offer you fine wine and food pairings. Join us for some festive winter fun.

Swedish Hill Vineyard and Goose Watch Winery both ask you to visit them for their January White Sale. Stock up your wine racks for those long winter days and Super Bowl Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.

Six Mile Creek Vineyard is hosting its Winter Wine-Speak at the Creek event. Improve your palate, vocabulary, and overall wine knowledge from noon to 1 p.m. Classes are suited for both seasoned and the novice wine lover. Call to reserve.

From all of us on the Cayuga Wine Trail we wish you a healthy and prosperous New Year.

Cathy Millspaugh is the executive director of the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail. To learn more, visit www.cayugawinetrail.com