The Petersons of Swedish Hill
For my wife Dominique's birthday, my fmily and I assembled in up state New York to fete my wife, whose birthday it was. We had a busy day (more about that later), but we ended up gathered in the kitchen, friends and family, round a lovely cake and to toast my wife we opened a bottle of Swedish Hill Blanc de Blanc. It's not the most expensive wine we've ever bought. Nor the most prestigous. But in fact it hit the spot just right. It was a wonderufl capper to a great day, and a delicious and elegant way to slay our collective thirst.
Family-owned and operated by Dick and Cindy Peterson, Swedish Hill is one of the largest wineries in the region. After 20 years of growing and selling grapes to area wineries, the Petersons crushed their first grapes in 1985 and opened Swedish Hill Winery in 1986. Just 1,300 cases were produced that year; this year we produced over 60,000 cases of award-winning wines and champagnes. Swedish Hill is recognized as one of the top award-winning wineries in New York State, having won state, national and international acclaim. In 1997, the Petersons opened a second winery, Goose Watch, also on Cayuga Lake.
It has a grapey smell, mixed with a touch of yeast. It is a very smooth semi-dry champagne. The of lemons and apples defintely come through. This sparkling wine is made from the Cayuga White grape which was developed by Cornell University for the Finger Lakes Region. It has only 2.5% residual sugar. It was excellent!
The wine has won the following awards, if you don't believe me...
Gold Medal Golden Nose, 2006
Silver Medal Florida State Fair Intl, 2006
Silver Medal Finger Lakes Intl, 2006
Silver Medal San Diego Intl, 2006
Silver Medal NY Wine & Food Classic, 2005
So, Happy Birthday to my wife, Dominique DeVito...
And congratulations to the Petersons...and, if you want to celebrate something, remember, good sparkling wine doesn't always have to be brut...and it doesn't always have to be brutal on your wallet. Enjoy this fine wine whenever you get the chance!
Best wishes
Carlo