Inaugural Wine Expo set for Big Apple

The New York Wine Expo, which its organizers say will be an annual event, debuts Friday, March 7, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in Manhattan.

The three-day event, co-located with the International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of New York, is an exposition that will cater to both the general public and the trade. Visitors will be able to sample from among 600 different wines from more than 150 winemakers, as well as take in demonstrations, panel discussions and seminars.

For consumers, the event will be open from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday and 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday. Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. will be dedicated to the trade. Ticket prices change after Feb. 29. Full details are available on the Web site.

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ON THE WEB
• International Foodservice & Restaurant Show
• The Javits Center
• Dowd's Guides

NY brewery gets grant for 'green' project

Brewery Ommegang, located in the small Central New York town of Milford, has been awarded a $4,000 grant to help plan an environmentally responsible expansion project.

The money, awarded by the Southern Tier Regional Planning and Development Board and the local soil and water district, will be used to minimize the project's environmental impact. The expansion will incorporate a water-permeable parking lot and a sod, or "green'' roof to minimize runoff. The roof also will conserve energy, and an on-site power plant that uses brewing byproducts will help reduce the use of other fuels.

As I reported in earlier postings, the green movement is growing among breweries, such as in Oregon and Massachusetts.

The Ommegang microbrewery was opened in the fall of 1997 five miles south of Cooperstown, home of the Baseball Hall of Fame, and near Oneonta, home of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Its architecture is based on traditional Belgian farmhouse architecture, and set on a former hop farm. The company brews five Belgian-style ales.

The facility is open to the public year-round, for daily tours and tastings. Hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Memorial Day to Labor Day, and noon to 5 p.m. otherwise.

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ON THE WEB
• Cooperstown Visitors Guide
• Baseball Hall of Fame
• National Soccer Hall of Fame
• Dowd's Guides

Drink calorie listing nears in NYC

Food calories have been getting most of the coverage in news about New York City's new regulation requiring chain restaurants to display calorie information. However, the rule includes cocktails, sodas and other beverages that appear on menus as well.

The law is scheduled to go into effect March 31, in place of a different version that was struck down last year by a judge.

However, the New York State Restaurant Association has filed a federal lawsuit challenging the latest regulation which would require restaurants with more than 15 outlets across the country to be in compliance.

Giving consumers information about the calories in what they're drinking can help them make better choices, Margo Wootan, director of nutrition policy at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, told Business Week.

"We've gotten to the point in our food culture where people expect to have a sweetened beverage with their meal," she said. "People end up drinking a lot more calories than they think."

An 8-ounce margarita on the rocks has 290 calories. That size is the equivalent of a cup, but in many restaurants, drinks come in much larger sizes.

"It's really a shock to see a drink is 500, 600 calories," Nonas said. "That's almost a third of what you should eat for the day."

New York City, which banned trans-fat-laden cooking oils from all restaurants last year, is the first U.S. city to enact a regulation requiring calories on menus.

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ON THE WEB
• Dowd's Guides