A wine promotion 30,000 miles up

Saw this item on the New York Wine & Grape Foundation's weekly e-newsletter that I wanted to share. I will add to this post later if I can get a response from the director of the foundation. Talk about a great way to promote a state's wines.

VIRGIN ATLANTIC, one of the world’s finest airlines, is offering its international travelers a taste of New York wines, thanks to a special partnership with the I Love NY program and support from the New York Wine & Grape Foundation. This week I’ll be training the Virgin Atlantic staff on the many virtues of New York wine country and wines, which they’ll then be serving to their customers in the Clubhouse at Heathrow Airport in London through August 31. This is one of several initiatives the I Love NY program has launched to expand that program’s reach beyond New York City to other regions and attractions of the State. The intent is to raise awareness that New York is much more than a great city, and to encourage tourists to explore all that the state has to offer—including great wines. Several months ago, we invited any interested New York winery to submit wines for consideration, and ultimately Virgin Atlantic selected six wines from four different regions: Peconic Bay 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon and Wolffer Estate Vineyards 2005 La Ferme Martin Chardonnay from Long Island; Millbrook Vineyards 2005 Cabernet Franc from the Hudson River Region; Dr. Frank 2006 Semi-Dry Riesling and Heron Hill Winery 2006 Cabernet Franc Rosé from the Finger Lakes; and Warm Lake Estate 2006 Pinot Noir from the Niagara Escarpment. The two-month series of daily tastings for Clubhouse visitors is being supplemented by a 30-second TV spot that will run during in-flight announcements, as well as “I Love NY” print ads in “Seatback”, the airline’s in-flight publication. The I Love NY program, part of Empire State Development, has also run a New York wine country ad in Food & Wine magazine, and is helping promote our industry in other ways as well. We’re very grateful for the support. For more information, visit www.iloveny.com/wine.