ROCHESTER - The fruit of the vine is lifting New York's economic spirits.

The global wine-and-grape industry sent $6 billion flowing through the state economy last year, and homegrown vineyards were the biggest contributors, a California research firm said in a report Tuesday.

With 31,000 acres of vineyards, 212 wineries and 1,384 grape farms, New York is the nation's second largest wine producer after California and the third biggest grape grower behind California and Washington.

Wineries, grape producers and related businesses in New York, from liquor stores to makers of bottles, glasses and labels, account for almost 36,000 jobs and a $1.3 billion payroll, Napa Valley-based MKF Research said.

Wine sales alone generate $420 million in sales, but the state industry's multiplier impact on the economy came to $3.4 billion in 2004, the state-sponsored study found. That was topped off with $2.6 billion in economic benefits from the wine-and-grape industry in other states and countries.

Wineries recorded 4.14 million “person visits” in 2003, up from 1.4 million in 1993 and 384,000 in 1985. The actual number of tourists is less since most of those people visited more than one winery, but should exceed 3 million this year.