US Wine Regions: New York

New York is home to the first bonded winery in the country, Pleasant Valley Wine Company, located in Hammondsport, in addition to America’s oldest commercial winery, Brotherhood Winery in the Hudson Valley. The state has a storied wine history that dates back to the 1860s.

However, over the past 30 years, advances in cold-climate viticulture have catapulted this eastern state’s wines into the spotlight. Today, New York is the fourth largest wine producing state, with 212 wineries, four wine growing regions and eight American Vititcultural Areas. They stretch from Lake Erie to the tip of Long Island, and have earned a reputation for producing austere expressions of Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot and Ice Wine.

The Finger Lakes region is the largest and most established, accounting for 90 percent of the state’s production. Vinifera Wine Cellars in Hammondsport makes world-class Riesling, Gewurztraminer and sparkling wines, and the family operation continues to thrive in the spirit of its pioneering patriarch, Dr. Konstantin Frank. There are three wine trails in the Finger Lakes region in addition to a host of non-wine tasting activities, from auto racing to aviation adventures.

Farther south and just 100 miles from New York City, Long Island is the state’s newest and fastest growing wine region. The island is surrounded by bodies of water on all sides, which help moderate the temperature and encourage a long growing season ideal for growing fruit Merlot and rich Chardonnays. Bedell Cellars in Cutchogue has a reputation for making world-class expressions of both.