Roman Roth, winemaker and partner at Wölffer Estate Vineyard in Sagaponack, has been named the new president of the Long Island Wine Council.
Roth, who was elected to his new position last Wednesday, succeeds Sal Diliberto of Diliberto Winery who will remain on the board as its immediate past president.
“The Long Island Wine Council has a longstanding tradition of supporting the diversity, talent and vision of our North and South Fork wineries, and I’m honored to continue to champion our vineyards in 2016 and beyond,” Roth said in a statement. “We are all producing amazing wines and by working together, we can earn and secure our spot on the world’s wine stage.”
The German-born Roth, one of the region’s best-known winemakers and widely considered one its best, has worked at the South Fork vineyard since 1992 and has received numerous accolades over the years. This summer two Wölffer wines, its 2012 Diosa Late Harvest and its 2012 Descencia Botrytis Chardonnay, both received scores of 94 in Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate. It was the highest score a Lone Island wine had received from a wine critic.
And in November, his 2010 Grapes of Roth Merlot was named one of the top 100 wines in the world by Wine Spectator.
Roth, who is also winemaker for Roanoke Vineyards in Riverhead as well as The Grapes of Roth, has also served as president of the Long Island Merlot Alliance.
In addition to Roth, the wine council board also elected Anthony Sannino owner of Sannino Bella Vita Vineyard as its vice president, Michael Falcetta, general manager of Sparkling Pointe, as its treasurer and Brooklyn Oenology president Alie Shaper as its secretary.
New members of the board elected to their first terms include Alethea Damianos Conroy of Pindar Vineyards, Ami Opisso, general manager of Lieb Cellars, Juan Micieli Martinez, winemaker and general manager of Martha Clara Vineyards and Bedell Cellars winemaker Rich Olsen-Harbich.
