The Rushville resident spent January conducting a Field Period internship with the New York Wine & Grape Foundation, a non-profit agency that advocates for New York grape growers, wine-makers, and wineries of all sizes. The foundation offices are housed in the New York Wine & Culinary Center in Canandaigua, and its “Uncork New York!” motto is becoming familiar to wine-lovers statewide.
“I know a lot about wine production and grape-growing because of my degree in viticulture and wine technology from Finger Lakes Community College (FLCC), so it’s interesting to see the other side of it, how to actually market the wine and reach out to customers,” said Green, who transferred to Keuka to pursue a bachelor’s degree in marketing.
To that end, Green worked primarily with foundation staffers on a new campaign, “New York Drinks New York,” promoting Finger Lakes wines to New York City restaurant owners and sommeliers, the credentialed wine experts at restaurants or winery tasting rooms who manage the wine inventory and recommend food and wine pairings.For example, one group of New York City restaurateurs was hosted at the culinary center for a Sunday dinner where foundation staffers learned more about each restaurant. From there, the group went to Fox Run Vineyards in Torrey, along Seneca Lake, for a tour and tasting, she said.
“They were in town for three days but another group was coming in March to do the same thing,” she explained.
In addition to the Finger Lakes tours and tastings, the campaign was capped with a sold-out “grand tasting” event March 12 at the Astor Center in New York City, featuring 35 wineries from across the state, including local vintners such as Heron Hill, Knapp, Dr. Konstantin Frank, Atwater Estate, Glenora, Fox Run, and Inspire Moore.
In keeping with the nature of the promotional campaign, the foundation found a creative way to advertise – using the signs on top of taxicabs, she said.
Green also worked to build and enhance the Foundation’s social media presence on Facebook and Twitter, compiled membership packages for growers and other industry specialists, and assisted with direct mail campaigns.
Given that Green’s marketing work for the Field Period did not require her to consume alcohol, how did the underage student obtain a degree in viticulture when she was too young to legally drink?
“We could taste, but we had to spit it out. That was the trick,” explained Green, adding that students were required to be 18 to participate in FLCC’s program.
Keuka students in an entrepreneurship class sell specially labeled bottles of wine for a class project. Mock-ups for the 2012 labels are featured on these bottles.
Reisling is now a favorite, Green said, referring to the region’s most popular varietal. While she favors a semi-dry Reisling, she has tasted multiple Reislings, from extremely dry to ice wine versions.
Students also tasted grape juice strains as part of the course of study, which included “pretty much everything involved in the wine-making process,” Green said.
“I was going to go into education, but the likelihood of finding a job in that field these days is not very good with the way things are,” Green said. “Wine is a growing industry and [this is] a great area for wine, with a lot of different career opportunities.”
Green said she’d love to work at a large winery in the Finger Lakes or California for her next Field Period. If California was an option, that experience could help her learn how Napa Valley wine production differs from New York, she said.
“Definitely, my end goal is a career in the wine industry, in wine marketing, either with a bigger winery or a company like Constellation Brands,” she said.
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