New York wine refers towine made fromgrapes grown in theU.S. state ofNew York. New York ranks third in grape production by volume afterCalifornia andWashington.[5] 83% of New York's grape area isVitis labrusca varieties (mostlyConcord). The rest is split almost equally betweenVitis vinifera andFrench hybrids.[6]
The state of New York's wine production began in the 17th century withDutch andHuguenot plantings in theHudson Valley region. Commercial production did not begin until the 19th century. New York is home to the first bondedwinery in theUnited States of America,Pleasant Valley Wine Company, located inHammondsport. It is also home to America's oldest continuously operating winery,Brotherhood Winery in the Hudson Valley, which has been making wine for almost 175 years.[4]
In 1951Konstantin Frank emigrated fromUkraine to New York, to work atCornell University's Geneva Experiment Station. Frank went on to become one of the major architects of modern Finger Lakes winemaking industry.[7]
In 1976, when the Farm Winery Act was passed in New York, the state had only 19 wineries, all located in the Finger Lakes and Long Island regions. By 1985, there were 63 wineries in the two regions.[4]
In 2011, the New York wineries were given another boost when GovernorAndrew Cuomo signed the Fine Winery Law (S.4143-a/A.7828-a) into law, allowing each farm winery to operate up to 5 tasting rooms as a single entity, rather than requiring a separatelicense for each. The act also streamlined the paperwork involved in direct shipping wine to customers, and allowed wineries to use custom-crush facilities or rent equipment and space from existing wineries, rather than requiring wineries to own all their equipment.[8]
TheVitis vinifera varieties account for less than 10% of the wine produced in New York. ImportantAmerican hybrid grapes grown in New York includeCatawba,Delaware,Niagara,Elvira,Ives andIsabella. French hybrid grapes grown in New York includeAurore,Baco noir,De Chaunac,Seyval blanc,Cayuga,Vidal andVignoles. Vignoles is particularly used inlate harvest wines andice wines. Of theVitis vinifera varieties, Riesling is noted for the most consistent and best quality wines, while wine made from Chardonnay grown in theFinger Lakes AVA is noted to take on characteristics of leaner styledBurgundy white wine.[6]
The state's principal winemaking regions are theFinger Lakes andLong Island.[9] The Finger Lakes wine region developed in the 19th century; the first commercial vineyard and winery on Long Island was established in 1973.[9]
New York has a total of eleven designatedAmerican Viticultural Areas: Champlain Valley AVA,Long Island AVA,North Fork of Long Island AVA,The Hamptons, Long Island AVA;Hudson River Region AVA;Finger Lakes AVA,Seneca Lake AVA,Cayuga Lake AVA;Niagara Escarpment AVA,Upper Hudson AVA andLake Erie AVA.[10]
The wine regions' soils originated from the lastglacial advance which leftgravel andshale type soils with heavyclay deposits in the Finger Lakes region andsandy soil in the Long Island region. The climate differs amongst the regions based on theAtlantic Gulf Stream and the numerous bodies of water and mountainous regions around the state. The annualprecipitation ranges from 30 inches (76 cm) to 50 inches (127 cm). Thegrowing season in the Lake Erie and Finger Lakes regions ranges from 180 to 200 days a year, while on Long Island, the season extends to 220 days and thehumidity is higher, and the fall precipitation is somewhat higher as well.[6]
Statewide, there were 470 wineries in New York in 2019.[1]
The Adirondack Coast Wine Trail, established in 2014, includes seven small vineyards/wineries (under 15 acres), including one combined apple winery andcider house, along the Adirondack Coast in northeastern New York, betweenMooers andMorrisonville.[11]
A report in 2020, commissioned by the New York Wine & Grape Foundation, estimated that in the preceding year, 35,000 acres in New York states are used for wine cultivation, of which 11,000 acres are for wine grapes, and most of the rest are for juice grapes.[1] The report estimated that in 2019, the state produced approximately 57,000 tons of wine grapes valued at $37.28 million (compared to approximately 128,000 tons of juice grapes valued at $28.80 million).[1] The report estimated that the state's wine and grape industry generated a total in $2.4 billion in federal, state, and local taxes, including business,excise, and sales taxes.[1]
A 2017 report commissioned by the New York Wine & Grape Foundation estimated that the New York wine industry supported 62,000 direct jobs paying $2.4 billion in wages. About 37% of New York produced wine was sold through wholesalers; the rest was sold by wineries in their tasting rooms, or distributed by wineries to restaurants and shops in the state.[1]
Wines andwinemaking | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
