SOURCING GRAPES TO NEW YORK STATE

MOTHER NATURE has wreaked havoc here in the US – impacting wine production in New York State. The state Department of Agriculture and Markets recently announced that it will let New York wineries use out-of-state grapes for their products because last year’s harsh winter heavily damaged crops. State law allows the department to authorize a farm winery to manufacture or sell wine from out-of-state grapes if weather conditions destroyed more than 4O percent of a grape variety. They haven’t permitted the use of out-of-state grapes since 2OO5. Cornell Cooperative Extension assessed the damage from last winter and determined that 15 grape varieties had more than a 4O percent loss. State law requires that all wine produced by a New York winery must be made from grapes, fruits or products grown there. The waiver changes that, but federal law requires all wines to be labeled with the origin of their grapes. So to get the label as a New York wine, at least 75 percent of grape contents must have been grown in New York. It’s too soon to know how much of the wine produced this year will still have the New York label. Grape varieties covered under the declaration include: Riesling, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Merlot, Pinot Gris, Cabernet Sauvignon, Lemberger, Syrah, Gamay Noir, Brianna, Frontenac, La Crescent, and Noiret.