Upstate wineries get federal grants

Hosmer Winery has received a "value-added producer grant" of nearly $50,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture – Rural Development.

The $49,990 grant, announced Friday by U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY),  will be used to improve Hosmer Winery’s marketing and distribution of a new wine to the Boston and New England markets.

Meanwhile, Schumer's colleague Kirsten Gillibrand got to announce $394,499 in federal funding for three Western New York entities to help revamp their marketing strategies and develop new products. The funding was allocated through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) program.

They are Olde Chautauqua Vineyards in Portland ($299,999), Spring Lake Winery ($49,500) in Lockport and the Growers Cooperative Grape Juice Co. ($45,000).

The VAPG program is designed to boost farms' income and productivity by increasing access to capital, providing technical assistance, and developing new marketing strategies for independent producers to increase exposure and broaden their customer base.