Save
Did you know New York is the US’s third largest wine-producing state by volume after California and Washington, producing 3% of the country’s wine? It also has the country’s oldest continually operating winery.
With this in mind, check out Wine Folly’s simple guide to New York grape varieties (below). You'll see that there are three "primary species" grown there: European (vitis Vinifera), American (vitis Labrusca and vitis Rupestris) and hybrids; however 80% of vineyard land is given over to vitis Labrusca – juice grapes. European varieties include Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Riesling.
The five main New York wine producing regions are Lake Erie, Niagara Escarpment, Finger Lakes, the Hudson Valley and Long Island, and each has distinct climatic characteristics. For example, Finger Lakes, known for its Rieslings, suffers particularly harsh winters, while Long Island has hot summers, but is buffered by a cool wind off the Atlantic, resulting in ideal conditions for Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc. Read more about New York wines here.
Get to know your New York wines – they could soon be on the global map.
Talking of maps, here are three: to the wine regions of France, Italy and Spain.
Chef Eric Ripert's guide to wine and cheese pairing
