True, only 70 of 140 wineries entered the competition, sponsored by the New York Wine and Grape Foundation, a trade organization.

It is sponsored by the New York Wine and Grape Foundation, a trade association in the Finger Lakes.

James Trezise, the president of the New York Wine and Grape Foundation, the contest's sponsor, said economic necessity had given birth to the changed format.

Those that stayed out - some of the best -gave various reasons, said Mr. Trezise, the president of the Wine and Grape Foundation.

The trade association for wineries, the New York Wine and Grape Foundation, said it has no official stance.

The contest was sponsored by the New York Wine and Grape Foundation, the statewide trade association.

Bedell merlots have steadily taken top honors in contests sponsored by the New York Wine and Grape Foundation, a trade group.

The reason, he added, is that the three-year-old Wine and Grape Foundation has provided "a power lobby," a political base and money for a "significant amount of research."

The maximum annual production was expanded to 150,000 gallons in 1990, said James Trezise, the president of the New York Wine and Grape Foundation.

Hudson Valley information can be obtained from the New York Wine and Grape Foundation, a trade association, (315) 536-7442.