Effort gives boost to New York wineries

Canandaigua, N.Y. —

A campaign launching this month by the New York Wine & Grape Foundation is giving local wineries a leg up in reaching new markets.

The campaign — “New York Drinks New York” — to pump more New York-made wines into New York City launches with visits by industry experts to the Finger Lakes region. It will bring media and trade representatives to all major wine regions of the state beginning Jan. 22 in the Hudson River region, followed by cellars visits in the Finger Lakes Jan. 29 to 31, and again from Feb. 19 to 21.

The visits to 38 participating wineries statewide culminates in a gala tasting event March 12 at Astor Center, a major wine and event center in Manhattan.

“We’re not urging New Yorkers to buy New York wines because they’re local, but because they’re high-quality products at reasonable prices,” said Jim Trezise, president of the New York Wine & Grape Foundation. “But the added benefit of buying really good, affordable New York wine is that these consumers are also supporting their own state economy.”

With competition from wine made overseas and from other states, particularly California, New York wine owners say they need help getting more stores and eating establishments to sell their wines.

The New York Wine & Grape Foundation, based at the New York Wine and Culinary Center in Canandaigua, was created in 1985 to support development of the New York grape and wine industry through programs of promotion and research. Since then, the number of wineries has increased from about 60 to more than 300, with tourist visits rising from 340,000 to more than 5 million, according to the foundation. The wine industry’s economic benefit to the state is estimated to exceed $3.7 billion annually.