Drink Wine for Gluten-Free enjoyment

Our lakes are old and natural, none man made. Native American legend explains the Finger Lakes this way: the Creator looked upon this land with special favor and reached down to bless it, leaving the imprint of His hand, hence, the Finger Lakes. Geology tells a different story, as the last ice age ended, the final glaciers covering what is now the northern reaches of the United States receded. The incredible grinding pressures of the receding glaciers gouged enormous holes in what is now the Finger Lakes region. These became not only our Finger Lakes, but also the magnificent geologic anomalies throughout the region that include our incredible gorges and numerous waterfalls.

There are eleven Finger Lakes ranging from 40 miles in length to an incredible 618 feet in depth. They lie within an imaginary triangle between Syracuse, Rochester and Elmira-Corning. Despite their huge presence, the lakes are only a part of our waters.

Across our northern tier lies a great lake, Lake Ontario, and the historic Erie Canal. The Canal enters the region at Syracuse and extends through Rochester. Once the lifeblood of a young nation, much of the Canal is still open for recreational use. The lock system, the engineering marvel of its day, still operates and the Canal System is lined with museums, biking and hiking paths, by-ways and a host of attractions celebrating a bygone era that will captivate your imagination.

Protecting our lakes and water quality is an important priority in the Finger Lakes Region. The Finger Lakes-Lake Ontario Watershed Protection Alliance fosters local stewardship of water resources through education, research and water quality monitoring, and implementation of pollution control measures in Finger Lakes counties. And don't forget these all need seasonal employees for those over 55 looking for an encore career.

The largest showcase of New York State wines, the Finger Lakes Wine Festival, presented by Yancey's Fancy New York's Artisan Cheese, is excited to announced the Festival dates for 2009. The Festival, entering its thirteenth season at the Watkins Glen International, is slated for the weekend of July 17-19, 2009.

The 2008 event hosted a record number of 89 New York State Wineries, which was eleven more than 2007. Wineries from Long Island to Lake Erie were in attendance, including America's Oldest Winery, Brotherhood and Four Chimneys, the first organic winery (in North America). Festival goers were given a souvenir wine glass and an official Tasters Guide to help navigate them through the 500+ wines poured at the weekend wine tasting event. The Guide also offered recipes to pair with festival wines as well as information on all of the attending wineries.

Many enhancements to this year's festival had been added including the addition of a new food court, larger seating areas and more designated driver stations located throughout the Festival's grounds. Not all of the improvements were limited to the immediate festival area. Campers were also treated to additional showers, a concessions stand and the new Town Hall; with ice, information, paramedic and security services available the entire event weekend. Many of these are persons enjoying an encore career in hosptality management.

Culinary Classes captivated 'sold out' audiences, as master Chefs from Cargill created culinary delights such as Triple Chocolate in Salt Bark, Salt Sweet Cocoa Rub and EZ Chocolate Caramel Truffles. Festival goers also had the opportunity to learn the Seven S's of wine tasting during a wine seminar hosted by the New York Wine and Grape Foundation, while many were entertained with seminars focusing on specific varietals such as Riesling Heaven or Blush & Rose.

Festival organizers look to improve upon the weekend experience even more in 2009, promising to continue to strive for excellence in customer service.

Once a year, Watkins Glen International, considered The Soul of American Road Racing, is transformed into the Finger Lake's largest tasting room, where over 500 New York wines will be sampled. The celebration kicks-off Friday evening, July 17th, with fireworks, wine, and togas at "Yancey's Fancy Cheese Launch of the Lakes". Saturday and Sunday the Festival will open at 10:00 am until 5:00 pm, featuring a variety of wine and food from across the state, culinary classes, cooking demos, wine seminars, live entertainment and much more. Camping on Festival grounds, shuttle service to area hotels, and plenty of free parking are also available.

For information, please contact the Watkins Glen ticket office, toll free, at 866-461-7223, or log into the official website at www.flwinefest.com.

The largest showcase of New York State wines, the Finger Lakes Wine Festival, presented by Yancey's Fancy New York's Artisan Cheese, is excited to announced the Festival dates for 2009. The Festival, entering its thirteenth season at the Watkins Glen International, is slated for the weekend of July 17-19, 2009.

The 2008 event hosted a record number of 89 New York State Wineries, which was eleven more than 2007. Wineries from Long Island to Lake Erie were in attendance, including America's Oldest Winery, Brotherhood and Four Chimneys, the first organic winery (in North America). Festival goers were given a souvenir wine glass and an official Tasters Guide to help navigate them through the 500+ wines poured at the weekend wine tasting event. The Guide also offered recipes to pair with festival wines as well as information on all of the attending wineries.

Many enhancements to this year's festival had been added including the addition of a new food court, larger seating areas and more designated driver stations located throughout the Festival's grounds. Not all of the improvements were limited to the immediate festival area. Campers were also treated to additional showers, a concessions stand and the new Town Hall; with ice, information, paramedic and security services available the entire event weekend.

Culinary Classes captivated 'sold out' audiences, as master Chefs from Cargill created culinary delights such as Triple Chocolate in Salt Bark, Salt Sweet Cocoa Rub and EZ Chocolate Caramel Truffles. Festival goers also had the opportunity to learn the Seven S's of wine tasting during a wine seminar hosted by the New York Wine and Grape Foundation, while many were entertained with seminars focusing on specific varietals such as Riesling Heaven or Blush & Rose.

Festival organizers look to improve upon the weekend experience even more in 2009, promising to continue to strive for excellence in customer service.

Once a year, Watkins Glen International, considered The Soul of American Road Racing, is transformed into the Finger Lake's largest tasting room, where over 500 New York wines will be sampled. The celebration kicks-off Friday evening with fireworks, wine, and togas at "Yancey's Fancy Cheese Launch of the Lakes". Saturday and Sunday the Festival will open at 10:00 am until 5:00 pm, featuring a variety of wine and food from across the state, culinary classes, cooking demos, wine seminars, live entertainment and much more. Camping on Festival grounds, shuttle service to area hotels, and plenty of free parking are also available.

Our Vision
As an integral part of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell
University, the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station will
advance a sustainable agriculture and food system through innovative research, education, and extension programs that improve human health,
protect the environment, and support economic development to address state and global needs.

Our Values
The New York State Agricultural Experiment Station is committed to a work environment that fosters and honors:

Excellence,Achievement,Innovation,Agility
Collaboration,Vital Statistics

Four academic units:
Entomology
Food Science & Technology
Horticultural Sciences
Plant Pathology
Field Research Unit

914-acre campus, including:

864 acres of farm land for research

1 acre of greenhouse space

623,000 square feet of buildings

I only know of a few schools in the USA which offer oenology degrees: UC Davis, Cal State University Fresno, and Cornell Univesity in Ithica,NY...but none of these offer long distance degrees.

However, many winemakers enter the field initially with a degree in food science--the biochemistry, biology, and processing fields are all very similar, and then it takes only a few courses specific to grapes, perhaps at Napa Valley College, a community college in Napa.

My experience with long-distance learning of wine is limited; however, I have generally seen more courses and degrees offered in business or the humanities than in science, in general, so you may have to be a little flexible on this one. Then again, if you really wanted to pursue the food science degree, you might be able to do that nearer to home. At least many of the courses would also be applicable to the study of oenology, and you could apply for credit for those courses at a place like Fresno or Davis.