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Medal time! At the Finger Lakes Wine Competition, Spring Lake Steuben won a silver medal! Bronze went to Adams Appleberry, Lord of the Manor, 100 Windows and Starlight.

Marjim Manor won a few medals at the last American Wine Society competition held November 8-12, 2011. Silver medals to: 50 Windows, Applely Ever After, Jewel in the Crown, and Spring Lake Steuben. Bronze medals to: Lord of the Manor, Cranberry Crescendo, Gift from the Vine, and Pear Made in Heaven.

Thank you to Bernadette Logozar, a rural and ag economic development specialist with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Franklin County, who wrote this article about the Manor called, "Telling Your Story to Sell Your Product," published in Lancaster Farming.

You can read the article here.

Niagara County, NY - The Niagara Wine Trail is proud to donate over sixty trays of herb and vegetable plants to the Grassroots Gardens of Buffalo. These plants will be used in over 70 community gardens that are planted in previously vacant lots in the City of Buffalo

Please read Press Release issued 5-13-11.

All of our Winery at Marjim Manor wines submitted received medals at the 2011 International Finger Lakes Wine Festival Competition!

Results: Cat's Meow received a Silver. Bronze went to Carondelet, Cherry Serenade, Cordially Yours, Legacy and Plum Dandy.

Click here for winning photos!

Margo Bittner, 51, makes 35 kinds of wine at The Winery at Marjim Manor in Appleton in Niagara County. Down the road from the winery, her husband, Jim Bittner, runs Singer Farms, a 500-acre farm that supplies the fruit for her wine. A former member of the Niagara County Industrial Development Agency and a 12-year member of the Barker Board of Education, Bittner takes her life down many roads. As you will see, she is spiritual -- in more ways than one.

People Talk: Do you believe in spirits?

Margo Bittner: Well, according to Jason [Hawes] and Grant [Wilson] from "Ghost Hunters," we have a number of spirits here. Our episode [in October 2008] was called "Bottled Spirits." Things move on occasion. The cats look like they're playing with somebody who isn't there. I have spirits who love this house and who just want to see what we are doing.

Read full article here.

SENATOR SCHUMER FIGHTS AGAINST CUTTING PROGRAMS THAT PROMOTE NYS WINE SALES ABROAD

Proposed Elimination of Substitution Drawback Program
Undermines Global Competitiveness of NYS Wine Exports
Schumer also Secures Pledge to Push Canada to Remove Duties
That Discourage Virtually Any Wine Purchases by Canadians Visiting New York

The Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) have proposed changes that would repeal a program currently providing a rebate for wine producers who export NYS wine. Under the program, any federal tax or duty that an American winery pays on wine imported from another country is refunded when that same entity exports American-made wine of roughly the same value. This incentive program is known as “substitution drawback” because wineries are “substituting” a US-produced bottle of wine for an imported bottle of wine.

The CBP and TTB have proposed eliminating this program which Schumer said will greatly hurt New York wineries, an important source of economic activity in many parts of upstate and on Long Island. Schumer has asked Treasury and DHS, the federal parent agencies of CBP and TTB, to withdraw these proposals.

Another issue having a huge negative impact on New York’s wine industry: New York wineries are faced with an overwhelming disadvantage when Canadian tourists come to our wineries. Canada’s border tax policies ensure that virtually no Canadian tourists will want to buy NY wine. Specifically, Canadian day trippers are hit with duties and taxes of 80-100 percent of the cost of the bottle of NY wine. The result -- Canadian tourists visit NY wineries and enjoy tasting NY wines, but they never buy. The US does not impose the same onerous taxes on its returning tourists — US tourists returning from Canada are entitled to bring in 2 bottles of Canadian wine duty free.

Schumer urged United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk to raise the issue with his foreign counterparts to ensure a fair shake for New York’s wineries. Kirk pledged to raise the issue with Canada. “Removing the duty that Canada places on its citizens will help fuel explosive growth in the New York industry and I will pursue this until it is done,” said Schumer.

“We appreciate Senator Schumer’s dedication to the agricultural industry,” said Margo Bittner, owner of The Winery at Marjim Manor in Appleton, NY. “As a winery owner close to the Canadian border, this is an issue I deal with regularly. We frequently have Canadian tourists who do not purchase wine because of the onerous duty. I am participating in Bi-National Tourism’s Open Doors Niagara. While people interested in architecture and history will visit, purchases are negligible. Other businesses participating anticipate wonderful sales. I look forward to the day when we have parity and can partner, not compete, with wineries across the border.”

The state’s wine industry has proved to be one of New York’s most resilient. This industry has a particularly powerful impact on New York’s rural economy by increasing tourism at a rate of 4.1 million people annually and adding a $6B boost to the state’s economy every year. Overall, the industry directly employs 36,000 people in New York.

Margo Sue Bittner, owner of The Winery at Marjim Manor, has been invited to the 2009 Cornell Strategic Marketing Conference to be held at the Henry A Wallace Visitor & education Center in Hyde Park, NY on November 2nd and 3rd.

Appropriately, the conference theme this year is Story Telling—Marketing the Unique Story of Your Business for Success, and will feature successful producers, processors, and other agri-businesses showcasing their unique business story, the ways they use it as a marketing tool, and methods to utilize and evaluate the success of various marketing activities.

The 75 conference attendees are small- to medium-size agricultural producers and food processors, educators, state agencies, economic development specialists, and agri-service providers from around the Northeast. The ultimate goal is to provide productive marketing information and tools for the region’s agri-based businesses.

On Day One of the two-day conference, Ms Bittner will be presenting Once Upon a Time . . . Building & Telling Your Story along with Jeanine Laverty, a professional Story Teller from Saratoga Springs, NY. For those who have visited The Winery at Marjim Manor, it is well-known that story telling is a significant draw. The quality of her wine selections and attention to service account for her overall success however, based on repeat business. And the chief ingredients for her wines come almost exclusively from locally-grown produce. Ms Laverty will focus on how to think about story telling when developing a business plan. Both presenters have been asked to feature key practices or skills critical to successful marketing.

A surprise marriage proposal at the Manor! We received this recent email: "A group of us were at your winery last weekend (12/6/08) where my friend Julie's boyfriend, Brian, proposed to her. The girl who did our tastings was very nice and helped in the planning of the proposal."
We were glad to help! Congratulations!

On May 12, 2008, Governor David A. Paterson and U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer met with more than 100 farmers in Western New York to discuss issues of critical importance to New York's 36,000 farms.
Read full article here.

Photo: Margo Sue Bittner, representing the Niagara Wine Trail, presents a gift basket. The NWT is the fastest growing wine trail in the country!

You can watch our commercial here...

Marjim Manor 2008 commercial

November 2007: Margo Sue Bittner, owner of the Winery at Marjim Manor has been appointed to the New York State Wine Grape Task Force.

Read the complete article in the
Lockport Union Sun & Journal.

Niagara Wineries Trail: Grapes, tastings and ghosts
USA Today article by LARRY PRICE Associated Press Writer, September 4 2007

APPLETON, N.Y. Standing behind the long wooden bar in one of two elegant tasting rooms at The Winery at Marjim Manor, Margo Sue Bittner proudly shows off her 28 wines. The complete article can be viewed here.