And, in two years, he says we will be enjoying the first of the great sparkling wines from 2000. Winemaking is an art and a science. Other important factors are the flavor maturity at harvest and winemaking techniques. To help the over 140 New York wineries make the most of each year's crop, Henick-Kling distributes a electronic newsletters during the fall. This year, he is focusing on enhancing fruit flavor and suppressing unripe, grassy flavors.
High acidity can be okay in white wines, but is very disrupting in red wines.
He advises wine makers to make sure the acidity in the red wine is in balance with the flavors and the tannins. He also says not to leave under-ripe red grapes in contact with the skin for a long time. Instead, consider pressing them off before completion of alcoholic fermentation. Henick-Kling also suggests using flavor enhancing enzymes and yeasts to enhance varietal fruit flavors. The 2000 New York grape crop is expected to be 168,000 tons, down 18 percent from last year's record crop of 191,000 tons.