O’Mara and Palmesano raise a glass to regional voters: We did it again! Finger Lakes Wine Festival at The Glen named ‘America's Best' ~ Chosen No. 1 among festivals nationwide in USA Today Readers' Choice contest

Watkins Glen, N.Y., August 19—State Senator Tom O’Mara (R,C,I-Big Flats) and Assemblyman Phil Palmesano (R,C,I-Corning) today congratulated the Finger Lakes Wine Festival at The Glen, presented annually by Yancey's Fancy New York's Artisan Cheese, for being named “America’s Best Wine Festival” in the latest USA Today 10Best Readers' Choice contest and praised Finger Lakes and Southern Tier voters for their ongoing support of regional attractions.

In a joint statement, O’Mara and Palmesano said, “We did it again! Right behind a great victory for the Watkins Glen Harbor Hotel, Finger Lakes and Southern Tier regional voters have once again put us on the national map!  The Finger Lakes Wine Festival at The Glen has been named ‘America’s Best’ in a competition against many of the nation’s most well-known wine and food festivals.  It’s another fantastic victory and another outstanding demonstration of our pride in all that the Finger Lakes region offers to national and worldwide tourists!”

The contest closed on Monday, August 15, at 12:00 noon.  The Hawai'i Food & Wine Festival and the BottleRock Napa Valley festival in Napa, California, respectively, rounded out the top 3.  See the Top 10 list here: http://www.10best.com/awards/travel/best-wine-festival/

O’Mara and Palmesano said that the “America’s Best Wine Festival” designation would be yet another effective marketing tool for local leaders to help boost tourism throughout the Finger Lakes and Southern Tier regions.

According to USA Today, the nation’s 20 finalists in the wine festival contest were selected by a panel of wine and travel experts together with USA Today’s 10Best editors.

Finger Lakes attractions have fared well over the past year in USA Today’s Readers’ Choice competitions.  In addition to this victory and the recent designation of the Watkins Glen Harbor Hotel as “America’s Best Waterfront Hotel,” last March Watkins Glen State Park was selected as the 3rd Best State Park in America and, last June, Watkins Glen International (WGI) was chosen as “America’s Best NASCAR Track.”