Finger Lakes winery numbers growing

JULIE SHERWOOD/MESSENGER POST

Michael Johnson hosts a wine tasting at Imagine Moore Winery in Naples on Saturday for John and Nancy Cuer of Rochester. The couple was celebrating their 28th wedding anniversary by visiting wineries throughout the Finger Lakes region.

Canandaigua, N.Y. —  About a dozen new wineries are scheduled to open this summer statewide, according to the New York Wine & Grape Foundation, as wine sales sold directly from wineries to consumers continues to grow.

“Consumer direct sales are increasingly important to the vast majority of wineries in New York and across the country, generating the largest profit while simplifying the transaction and building brand awareness and loyalty in the incredibly cluttered wine market,” said Jim Trezise, president of New York Wine & Grape Foundation. “That’s why 99 percent of U.S. wineries reported selling directly to consumers in 2011.”

Memorial Day weekend is typically the start of the busiest season for wineries, and this year was no exception. Visitors were packing the door at Imagine Moore Winery in Naples Saturday, where John and Nancy Cuer of Rochester were among those sampling the variety of wines.

“Sales have been awesome,” said Michael Johnson, an Imagine Moore employee.

Nationally, sales of wine directly to consumers grew 12 percent to a record $3.4 billion in 2010 and winery sales managers project equal or even stronger growth in 2011, according to a survey just released by marketing group, VinterActive, said Trezise. The survey included responses from 290 wineries in 34 states, including many in New York, he said.