LI wine tops Eastern Seaboard test

The winning wine's label.

HAYMARKET, VA -- Long Island's Martha Clara Vineyards won "best of show" honors at the 7th annual Atlantic Seaboard Wine Association (ASWA) competition here.

Its 2010 Estate Reserve Riesling began with top honors in the Riesling category, which put it in the running for the show's top prize. Given the fact that championsip New York Rieslings usually come from the Finger Lakes, this Long Island victory is particularly noteworthy.

The ASWA event covers the 17 states from Maine to Florida that border the Atlantic, plus Vermont, West Virginia and Pennsylvania.

The number of entries this year again increased as did the number of wineries. The number of wineries increased from 110 (2010) to 118 (2011) with Vermont and Maine wineries participating for the first time. In the 118 there were 27 new wineries (23% of total ) participating. The number of wines also increased from 538 to 564.

The winning Martha Clara wine is available online for $19.99, limit six bottles per wine club member or three bottles for all other customers. Martha Clara is located on the North Fork at 6025 Sound Avenue in Riverhead.

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