Wineries promote Finger Lakes Riesling

FINGER LAKES—May has been selected by many wineries as a month to focus on and promote area Rieslings, a wine that has brought the Finger Lakes region a world class prominence.
May 1 is also being marked by some wineries as National Riesling Day, a promotional event new to 2013 to encourage people to visit a local winery, wine shop, or store and make a purchase of at least one bottle of Riesling.
For the Seneca Lake Wine Trail, May is the second month of Riesling to Visit Passport event.  The passport is a small booklet that can be used to visit each of the participating wineries, one time each, and enjoy wine samples.  The only charge is the $18 cost to purchase the passport.  The event runs from April through July 31.  People who purchase at least one bottle of wine at 13 or more participating wineries will also receive a complimentary ticket to the January 2014 Pasta and Wine weekend.
Individual wineries are also hosting different Riesling tastings, either May 1 or during the month.  In addition to events hosted by wineries, Finger Lakes Wine Country is continuing its digital push of area wines with Riesling Rocks.
It is a digital campaign on Facebook and Twitter to connect and share stories.  The group asks Riesling fans visitors to become #TeamRiesling members by simply posting a tweet with the #TeamRiesling hashtag.  The group’s Facebook account also promotes Finger Lakes Rieslings and events.
Many wineries also mark May as Finger Lakes Wine Month.  Another new promotion is the first ever National Wine Tourism Day set for Saturday, May 11.  The focus for participating wineries will be not only on Riesling, but all wines produced in this area.