Across the Empire State, the buzz on the 2025 harvest was excellent.
Most reports pointed to a cool spring, followed by a warm and dry summer, and a drama-free harvest season. Add those conditions to the lack of zero widespread early or late frost incidents, and you get long, interrupted hang times for the fruit, which results in steady ripening and concentrated flavors in the glass.
It’s the type of harvest, in fact, that can almost make vintners want to look over their shoulder.
“2025 has the potential to be a banner year,” says Stephen Taylor, sales manager at Bully Hill Vineyards in the Finger Lakes. “However, it feels like tempting fate to call it now before it’s in the bottle.”
2025 Threw a Few Curveballs
In general, last year’s vintage was drama-free. But there were a few moments that put vintners on edge.
Kick-off at bud break was tense.
“The cool start was the worst,” says Duncan Ross, owner of Arrowhead Spring Vineyards in Lockport. “The cool and wetter-than-normal beginning cleared up a few weeks earlier here than the eastern parts of the state.”
Overall, Ross says it was less stressful than previous years, with a noticeable decline in disease pressure.
Dorothy-Dean Thomas, VP of sales and operations at Lenz Winery in Long Island’s North Fork, says that the late rain “was a bit of a nerve-racker.”
Luckily, Lenz’s vineyard team got all of the grapes in without incident, and Thomas adds that the “ideal conditions throughout the majority of the season allowed us to harvest grapes early at amazing brix levels.”
At Wagner Vineyards Estate Winery, VP of brand development Alex Jankowski says that while “the fruit is beautiful and it looks to be a great vintage, yields are below average due to small berry size.”
What Should Wine Enthusiasts Seek Out?
But vintners and wine enthusiasts alike can work with small and beautiful.
“The Cabernets and Syrahs really loved the heat this year,” Ross reports. “For the first time in a few years, the Syrah will be available in stores and restaurants. The Cabernet Franc is outstanding, similar to our 2012, which was a 96-point wine.”
Visitors to the Arrowhead Spring Vineyards tasting room should seek out the small-batch Syrah-Viognier co-ferment, made in a French oak tank.
“My favorites this year are the Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc, and I’m hopeful to get another vintage of Pinot Noir from this harvest,” says Thomas. “A few years ago we added some Albariño and Syrah to our vineyards. These wines should make a showing pretty soon!”
Jankowski teases a few new releases from previous vintages hitting markets now.
“We recently released our 2022 Lone Oak Vineyard Cabernet Franc, and our 2024 Caywood West Vineyard Late Harvest Riesling,” Jankowski says. “Consumers love our drier Caywood East Vineyard Riesling, and we’re excited to showcase this adjacent plot, albeit in a sweeter style.”
Wagner’s freshly planted Saparavi, meanwhile, will land in wine lovers’ glasses in a few years.
Right now, the vines are sleeping under blankets of snow and ice, but before we know it, buds will be breaking, 2025 will be far in the rearview, and we’ll all be looking ahead to what unfolds in the vines in 2026.
For now, get a taste of previous glories, and stay tuned for the fermented fruit of 2025’s vintage. Whites and rosés will begin to make their debut in the coming months, while most of the reds will rest in tank and barrel for at least one more year.
