Farm Type Guide
Grapes and Wine in New York
Concord and juice grapes along Lake Erie, wine grapes in the Finger Lakes, Hudson Valley, Long Island, and Niagara, and the farm wineries that buy them. What it costs, how long it takes, and the help available to veterans.
The Industry at a Glance
- Grape acreage has held about steady overall. New York had 39,216 acres of grapes on 1,392 farms in 2012, dropped to 33,142 acres on 1,175 farms in 2017, and was back to 39,728 acres on 1,409 farms in 2022, according to the USDA Census of Agriculture.
- Wineries have grown much faster than vineyards. Before the 1976 Farm Winery Act, New York had only 14 wineries in nine counties. The number of licensed wineries grew from 285 a decade ago to 513 in 2024.
- Most of the state's grapes are juice grapes. The Lake Erie region of New York and Pennsylvania has about 31,500 acres of vineyard on 582 farms, and 98.5% of it is American varieties like Concord and Niagara.
- Juice grape growers are under real pressure. In 2026, Refresco canceled Concord contracts with 126 growers covering 2,500 acres in New York and Pennsylvania, and an April frost in 2024 cost Concord vineyards in the New York part of the Lake Erie region about 60 percent of their crop.
New York has more wineries than ever, but the vineyards behind them, especially the family Concord farms on Lake Erie, are harder to keep going. If you’re a veteran interested in growing grapes or making wine, talk to us about joining the effort to keep New York’s vineyards farmed.
Where Grapes Grow in New York
- New York has seven recognized wine regions (AVAs): Lake Erie, Finger Lakes, Long Island, Hudson River Region, Upper Hudson, Niagara Escarpment, and Champlain Valley.
- The Lake Erie grape belt covers Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Erie, and Niagara counties in New York. Chautauqua County is the state's leading grape county, and a 2024 vineyard scan counted 17,653 acres in the Lake Erie region.
- The Finger Lakes is the heart of the wine grape side, with about 9,035 acres in the same scan.
- Long Island had about 1,987 acres of vineyard in the 2024 scan, the Niagara Escarpment about 219, and the Hudson River and Upper Hudson regions about 203 together.
Startup Costs and Time to First Crop
- A vineyard is a long investment. In Cornell's Finger Lakes vinifera study, cash costs for site preparation and the first three years came to $17,534 per acre, and the total to bring a planted acre to maturity, including land, machinery, and buildings, was $32,360. Those figures are from 2013, so expect higher costs today.
- The first small harvest comes in year three, about one ton per acre in Cornell's budget. A well-managed vineyard nearly reaches full yield by year four.
- Cornell found that payback periods for a new vinifera vineyard run more than ten years and can be much longer. Plan on another source of income while the vines come in.
- Juice grapes are often grown under contract to a processor, and as the 2026 Refresco cancellations showed, a lost contract can leave a grower without a buyer. Line up a market before you plant, whether that's a processor, a winery, or your own label.
Licenses for Making and Selling Wine
- To make and sell your own wine, most small New York producers use the State Liquor Authority's Farm Winery license. The initial application costs $525 for a 36-month license, and the winery must be located on a farm.
- A farm winery must use 75% New York grapes or other fruits in its wine, and can produce up to 250,000 gallons a year. The same license covers cider and mead made from New York apples or honey.
- Farm wineries can sell their own wine by the glass or bottle at the winery, as long as some food is available for on-premises drinking. They can also have up to five branch offices, and a marketing permit allows tastings and bottle sales off-site.
- You also need federal approval from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) before you start making wine. The application is filed online through Permits Online and there is no federal fee.
Organizations
- The New York Wine and Grape Foundation handles marketing, research, and advocacy for the state's grape and wine industry.
- The foundation also runs New York Sustainable Winegrowing, a certification program for vineyards and wineries that use environmentally sound practices, and the New York Wine Classic, the state’s annual wine competition. Growers and wineries can join as members.
- WineAmerica is the national winery trade association, with winery members in 45 states. It offers compliance guides such as wine label requirements, business tools, and industry economic data, and works on federal tax, labeling, and direct shipping rules.
- American Society for Enology and Viticulture Eastern Section is a professional society for grape growing and winemaking research in the eastern United States and Canada. It holds an annual conference where new research on eastern grapes and wine is presented, and it offers scholarships to graduate students in viticulture and enology.
Training and Help
- The Lake Erie Regional Grape Program is run by Cornell and Penn State extension staff and serves Concord and juice grape growers in Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Erie, and Niagara counties.
- The Finger Lakes Grape Program is Cornell Cooperative Extension's grape team for Ontario, Seneca, Schuyler, Steuben, Wayne, and Yates counties. Enrolled growers get vineyard consultations, newsletters, and discounted conference fees.
- In the Hudson Valley, Capital Region, and Champlain Valley, Cornell's Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture Program covers grapes along with fruit and vegetables. Elsewhere, start with your county Cornell Cooperative Extension office.
- Finger Lakes Community College offers an A.A.S. in Viticulture and Wine Technology at its Viticulture and Wine Center in Geneva, with a teaching vineyard and winery. SUNY Reconnect may help cover tuition.
Benefits for Veterans
- Federal crop insurance covers grapes in New York for weather, frost, freeze, disease, and wildlife losses. Vines must reach their fourth growing season (fifth for vinifera) before they're insurable, and veterans get extra premium savings.
- For young vines or crops without insurance, NAP may help. Veterans pay no service fee and get 50% off buy-up premiums.
- EQIP gives veterans priority and higher cost-share for conservation work like erosion control and drainage on vineyard ground.
- FSA microloans of up to $50,000 can help with trellis, equipment, or planting costs.
- Label your grapes, juice, or wine with the Homegrown By Heroes veteran brand.
How to Get Started
- Work a season in a vineyard or winery first. Harvest, pruning, and winter work will show you whether this is the life you want.
- Call the Cornell grape program for your region about your site. Slope, drainage, and frost risk matter more for grapes than almost any other crop.
- Find your buyer before you plant, whether that's a juice processor, a winery that buys grapes, or your own farm winery, and write a business plan that covers the years before the vines pay.
- Get a USDA farm number, file form CCC-860 (veteran certification), and set up NAP or crop insurance before you need it.
- Join the New York Wine and Grape Foundation network and local grower meetings to meet people already doing the work.
Sources: USDA NASS Census of Agriculture; New York Wine and Grape Foundation; NYS Liquor Authority; Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau; Cornell University Dyson School; Lake Erie Regional Grape Program; Finger Lakes Grape Program; Cornell Cooperative Extension; Finger Lakes Community College; USDA FSA and RMA.
