The Finger Lakes is the Wine Enthusiast’s 2025 Wine Star Award American Wine Region of the Year, honoring two centuries of innovation, sustainability, and cool-climate excellence.
Autumn in New York is a season made for exploration. The air is crisp, the landscapes glow with vibrant color, and vineyards are alive with the energy of harvest. Across the state’s diverse regions, from Long Island’s coastal vineyards to the glacier-carved Finger Lakes and the Hudson Valley’s Shawangunk region, fall offers the perfect opportunity to experience New York wines at their peak. A Destination Rich in History and Innovation
Image courtesy of Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards. Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards is celebrating an extraordinary milestone this year: 40 years of great wines and great times! Founded in 1985 by the late Jerry and Elaine Hazlitt, this family-owned and operated winery on Seneca Lake has grown from humble beginnings into one of the most beloved destinations in the Finger Lakes. At a time when the future of the farming industry was uncertain
In the ever-evolving world of wine and grape production, research plays a crucial role in advancing knowledge, improving practices, and ensuring the sustainability of the industry. NYWGF’s commitment to research is evident in its annual research budget, which typically ranges between $350,000 to $600,000. The NYWGF Board of Directors is proud to share the results of 2024-25 funded research projects through individual reports, articles, and a series of webinars in 2025-26. Image
We’re thrilled to share some exciting news with you: our family has officially acquired Quarry Ridge Winery! This is a meaningful step forward for all of us—and the beginning of a new chapter that we are incredibly proud to start. This partnership felt like a natural fit. Our vineyard management team has been planting and caring for Quarry Ridge’s vines since day one, and we’ve had the honor of supplying
California is the most well-known region for sparkling wine in the U.S. But New York’s sparkling star is rising, thanks to a cool climate that makes it ideal for producing fruit-forward, acid-driven wines, and producers who are eager to experiment with a range of promising varieties and techniques that consumers are responding to. Sparkling wine is no longer just the wine we pop at weddings and New Year’s Eve—it has
The 2025 growing season is here, and 2024’s season may look like specks of dust in the rearview mirror. But there are still things to discover about how New York’s wineries and vineyards fared in 2024. Last October, as the busy season in the vineyards wrapped up, signs pointed to an “epic” harvest season. Wine growers from all of New York State’s major growing regions, who had been adding up
There’s no reason why the wines coming out of New York’s Niagara Escarpment AVA shouldn’t enjoy the same fine reputation that its Canadian contemporaries along the Niagara Escarpment do. New York has the same growing conditions, they just happen to be on the U.S. side of the border between the two countries. But, with just nine wineries currently operating in the American Viticultural Area, the wine region has remained a
Earlier this year, grape growers, winemakers, students, researchers, and business leaders from New York and surrounding states attended B.E.V. NY. This year, the conference was held March 4-5 in Canandaigua, NY, in the Finger Lakes, where the wine industry gathered at Hotel Canandaigua for the most significant New York grape and wine industry educational event. Founded in 2014 by Anna Katharine Mansfield, Hans Walter-Peterson, and Chris Gerling from the Cornell
Image courtesy of Millbrook Vineyards & Winery. It’s fitting that Millbrook Vineyards & Winery is set to unveil their first-ever bottle of sparkling wine this year: after 40 years of making wine in the Empire State, it is time for a huge celebration! Recognizing milestones is as ancient as human culture itself, and an essential way to celebrate achievements and energize individuals or communities for the future. Today, we are
Sustainability is not a one-size-fits-all concept in most industries. In the wine world, a cookie-cutter checklist of musts for a winery or vineyard to be considered sustainable simply doesn’t work. Our wineries in New York have different sustainability challenges than wineries in California. Even within New York vineyards may have different sustainability challenges depending on the growing region. There are a lot of variables. Matthew Spaccarelli—who won the 2023 John
Anthony Road Wine Company courtesy of Rima Brindamour. When we talk about sustainable wine, we usually talk about vineyard practices. And while farming with care is a large part of the story, there is also more to it. In 1987, the United Nations Brundtland Commission defined sustainability as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” In other words, sustainability
The winter of 2025 was not for the faint of heart: Central New York saw 25+ feet of snow, and the polar vortex plunged much of the state into frigid temperatures on-and-off from December through February. Which is all to say, everyone—even the snow obsessives among us—is eager to greet spring this spring. There are few better ways to do it than in wine country, where spring is a time
Image courtesy of Adirondack Winery. A Winery Built from the Ground Up Nestled in the picturesque Lake George area of New York, Adirondack Winery has been pushing the boundaries of New York winemaking since its founding in 2008. This winery has become known for its creative approach to winemaking, producing over 35 wines that range from traditional varietals to fruit-infused selections. Owners Sasha and Michael Pardy built the business from
Celebrate New York’s largest wine region with special tastings, exclusive experiences, and more. If you’ve ever wondered when the best time to visit a winery in the Finger Lakes is, the best answer is, “any time.” Each season has its charms. But, if you’re thinking about visiting the region in August, it’s certainly an exciting time to do so. The vines are lush and full. Verasion, when the grapes start
The Finger Lakes Wine Alliance, in partnership with the Wine Trails of Keuka, Seneca and Cayuga Lakes, Finger Lakes Wine Country, and the New York Wine and Grape Foundation, invite you to celebrate the third annual FINGER LAKES WINE MONTH starting TODAY! The organizations continue to partner together, leading the recognition and celebration of the unforgettable Finger Lakes wine region. Throughout August, wineries will offer specialty tastings and unique experiences,
The Finger Lakes Wine Alliance, in partnership with the Wine Trails of Keuka, Seneca and Cayuga Lakes, Finger Lakes Wine Country, and the New York Wine and Grape Foundation, invite you to celebrate the second annual FINGER LAKES WINE MONTH starting TODAY! Through specialty tastings and unique experiences, anniversary parties, wine dinners and more, the organizations have partnered together to remind the world how great the Finger Lakes wine region
As we reflect on a tumultuous period full of unprecedented unknowns, one thing remained steadfast – our commitment to each other. New York wine is nothing without the passionate and pioneering people who make it. They share a commitment to craft and community with a warm, welcoming spirit that makes the wines even better. This week we shine a spotlight on the winery members of the Seneca Lake Wine Trail
I’ve always liked rocks. As a child growing up on Long Island, I had a rock “garden” in the backyard, and trips to the mall were highlighted by a visit to the store Natural Wonders where I’d spend my pocket money on a new gem stone for my collection that was kept in a secret hiding spot in my bedroom. When Fluorite came home with me? Big day. I remember being a very self satisfied eleven year old for knowing the difference between igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks before it was taught in science class. I like the thrill of the “hunt” for the right rock. Maybe I was just overly influenced by the adventures of Indiana Jones? Stones were my long lost artifacts.
Kick-off 2021 with a self-guided wine tasting tour through Hudson Valley wine country. The Shawangunk Wine Trail’s Hudson Valley Wine Tasting Passport is the perfect choice for local and regional wine enthusiasts to enjoy a variety of the finest wines produced in the Hudson River region and to discover new favorite’s along the way!
Experience! The Finger Lakes®, based out of Ithaca NY, in the heart of the Finger Lakes region, today announced that it has been recognized as a Top 10 winner for Best Wine Tour Company in the United States.
Grape growing and limited wine production on Long Island dates back to the late 1600’s, but the first commercial vineyards on Long Island were planted in the early 1970s under the stewardship of Alex and Louisa Hargrave. Their work lured investors, grape growers, and accomplished and promising winemakers to the region. Today, the region is home to more than 60 wineries and a number of satellite wineries/stores and is considered