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The New York state wine industry has now spread to 53 of the state's 62 counties, with an estimated economic impact of $4.8 billion a year. These Lemberger grapes were harvested at Fox Run Vineyards on Seneca Lake in 2013.

(Mike Greenlar / Post-Standard file photo)

If you think New York's wine industry is limited to the Finger Lakes, or Lake Erie, or the North Fork of Long Island, think again.

A new set of maps (below right) produced for the New York Wine & Grape Foundation shows the enormous increase in the number of wineries since 1976, and, perhaps even more remarkably, how they've spread across the state.

Four maps produced for the New York Wine & Grape Foundation show the spread of wineries across the state since 1976.

There were 14 New York wineries in just 9 counties in 1976. By 2013, there were 416 wineries or associated satellite branches in 53 of the state's 62 counties.

The maps start with 1976 because that's the year the state approved the New York Farm Winery Act. That law offered incentives and reduced regulations to make it financially feasible for small boutique wineries to use New York grapes, produce wine and sell it in their own tasting rooms. Before then, wine in New York was primarily the business of a few large companies like Taylor, Great Western and Canandaigua Wine Co. (now Constellation Brands).



Since then, many of these boutique farm wineries have grown quite large, and others have set up in perhaps unexpected places. In Onondaga County, for example, the Lakeland Winery operates in Geddes and the Greenwood Winery and Bistro opened last year in DeWitt. Owera Vineyards opened last year in Cazenovia.

Wine trails are now to be found in places like the Thousand Islands and the southern Adirondacks.

At the same time, the reputation that Finger Lakes wines are building among critics nationally and internationally continues to grow. Some Finger Lakes winemakers are even selling their products in Europe. The Finger Lakes is home to more than 100 wineries.

A new study prepared for the wine and grape foundation estimates the annual economic impact of the state's wine industry to be $4.8 billion per year. That includes payroll, taxes, investment and tourism.

The study, according to foundation director Jim Trezise, confirms "that wine is the ultimate value-added product and a major economic engine."

Highlights cited by the study include nearly 25,000 full-time equivalent jobs, $1.14 billion in wages paid, 5.29 million tourist visits, $401.5 in wine-related tourism expenditures, and $408 million in New York State and local taxes paid.

The study was conducted by Stonebridge Research of Napa, Calif. on behalf of the wine and grape foundation. The foundation, headquartered in Canandaigua, promotes and advocates for the state's wine and grape industry.

Previous studies by Stonebridge found the impact of the state's wine industry to be

$3.14 billion in 2005 and $3.76 billion in 2008.

Like all farming operations, the business of grape-growing and wine-making can be severely affected by the weather. Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a federal disaster declaration for many Upstate counties, making some wineries eligible to receive loans and other aid to cope with damage caused by the unusually frigid and prolonged winter.

On the other hand, the 2013 season was one of the best and most bountiful in recent memory for the Finger Lakes.



