Long Point Winery owner Gary Barletta believes New York's wine industry is experiencing a trend similar to what California's wine industry saw during the 1960s.
Jason Rearick / The Citizen
Steve Zellers, a wine pourer for Long Point Winery, replaces the bottles on display after a few customers took home their choices.
Steve Zellers, a wine pourer for Long Point Winery, replaces the bottles on display after a few customers took home their choices.
“We have a tremendous boom here,” Barletta said. “I think the Finger Lakes are finally getting recognition for quality wines.”
A recent economic-impact study commissioned by the New York Wine & Grape Foundation seems to support that statement.
One significant indicator from the report is the doubling of the growth rate in the number of wineries in the 1990s and in the 2000s.
During the 1990s, 63 wineries opened in the state. An additional 63 wineries opened during the first five years of the 2000s, according to the study.
“I think it's growing more rapidly now than it ever has,” said Jim Trezise, president of the foundation. “I expect that to continue.”
Part of that can be attributed to increased quality of the wines produced here, Trezise said. While New York wine makers once used only native American and French hybrid grapes, there has been a trend in the past decade toward using vinifera grapes, Barletta said.
Barletta also believes the natural beauty of the area offers a unique aspect to the New York wine country. Many outside visitors to his winery come to the area to visit family members at the various colleges in the area and end up discovering the beauty of the area, he said.
“(They say) ‘Boy we had a great time in the Finger Lakes, let's go back to those wineries,'” Barletta said. “This is a beautiful area.”
The study found that 23 percent of the visitors at New York's wineries in 2003 were from out of state.
Meg Vanek, director of the Cayuga County Office of Tourism, said people listed the wineries as one of the top reasons for visiting the county in a survey the tourism office performed three years ago.
“I really can only see it going up,” Vanek said, regarding wine-related tourism.
While the number of wineries on the west side of Cayuga Lake, in Seneca County, far exceeds the number of wineries in Cayuga County, Vanek guessed many visitors stayed in the county and commuted to the other side.
Thus, the winery owners aren't the only ones benefiting from growth in the wine industry.
The economic-impact study concluded the grape, grape juice and wine industry contributed $6 billion in economic benefits to the state's economy, whether through jobs, wages paid, sales, tourism or taxes paid.
Charles Allen, owner of World About Us in Auburn, a company that organizes wine tours, recognized and capitalized on the region's industry growth a few years ago.
“(The wine industry) has been growing and it will continue to do so. We're seeing a lot of growth in the tourism sector as a result,” Allen said. “There was a need for someone to do this in the area.”
Allen said specific wines, most notably, Riesling, have put upstate New York on the map as a respected wine-producing state.
“(New York Riesling) can compete with anything California can offer,” Allen said.
The recent direct-shipping legislation that now allows New York wine makers to ship their wine to other states will only contribute to growth in the industry, according to the report, because it will increase spending at the state's wineries and will allow the wines to reach a broader audience.
“We're able to compete more on a national and international level,” Barletta said. “Now we're getting more reviews in some of the wine magazines.”
Currently, there are 212 wineries in New York.
If the growth trend continues, Trezise is predicting that number will be around 300 by the end of the decade, as the state's wine industry continues to gather steam.
“People view the wine business as very attractive and romantic, but the reality is that it's very hard work and it's risky,” Trezise said. “But people are seeing that this can be done.”
Staff writer Anne Gleason can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 248 or at anne.gleason@lee.net
A recent economic-impact study commissioned by the New York Wine & Grape Foundation seems to support that statement.
One significant indicator from the report is the doubling of the growth rate in the number of wineries in the 1990s and in the 2000s.
During the 1990s, 63 wineries opened in the state. An additional 63 wineries opened during the first five years of the 2000s, according to the study.
“I think it's growing more rapidly now than it ever has,” said Jim Trezise, president of the foundation. “I expect that to continue.”
Part of that can be attributed to increased quality of the wines produced here, Trezise said. While New York wine makers once used only native American and French hybrid grapes, there has been a trend in the past decade toward using vinifera grapes, Barletta said.
Barletta also believes the natural beauty of the area offers a unique aspect to the New York wine country. Many outside visitors to his winery come to the area to visit family members at the various colleges in the area and end up discovering the beauty of the area, he said.
“(They say) ‘Boy we had a great time in the Finger Lakes, let's go back to those wineries,'” Barletta said. “This is a beautiful area.”
The study found that 23 percent of the visitors at New York's wineries in 2003 were from out of state.
Meg Vanek, director of the Cayuga County Office of Tourism, said people listed the wineries as one of the top reasons for visiting the county in a survey the tourism office performed three years ago.
“I really can only see it going up,” Vanek said, regarding wine-related tourism.
While the number of wineries on the west side of Cayuga Lake, in Seneca County, far exceeds the number of wineries in Cayuga County, Vanek guessed many visitors stayed in the county and commuted to the other side.
Thus, the winery owners aren't the only ones benefiting from growth in the wine industry.
The economic-impact study concluded the grape, grape juice and wine industry contributed $6 billion in economic benefits to the state's economy, whether through jobs, wages paid, sales, tourism or taxes paid.
Charles Allen, owner of World About Us in Auburn, a company that organizes wine tours, recognized and capitalized on the region's industry growth a few years ago.
“(The wine industry) has been growing and it will continue to do so. We're seeing a lot of growth in the tourism sector as a result,” Allen said. “There was a need for someone to do this in the area.”
Allen said specific wines, most notably, Riesling, have put upstate New York on the map as a respected wine-producing state.
“(New York Riesling) can compete with anything California can offer,” Allen said.
The recent direct-shipping legislation that now allows New York wine makers to ship their wine to other states will only contribute to growth in the industry, according to the report, because it will increase spending at the state's wineries and will allow the wines to reach a broader audience.
“We're able to compete more on a national and international level,” Barletta said. “Now we're getting more reviews in some of the wine magazines.”
Currently, there are 212 wineries in New York.
If the growth trend continues, Trezise is predicting that number will be around 300 by the end of the decade, as the state's wine industry continues to gather steam.
“People view the wine business as very attractive and romantic, but the reality is that it's very hard work and it's risky,” Trezise said. “But people are seeing that this can be done.”
Staff writer Anne Gleason can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 248 or at anne.gleason@lee.net
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