New York is one of the oldest and largest wine producing states within the U.S. and vies for the lead in quality cool-climate wine production.
New York wineries began experimenting with native, hybrid and vinifera grapes in the mid-1800s, and New York currently ranks among the top five states with regards to the amount of wine produced. New York wineries, similar to Virginia wineries, tend to produce wines that stylistically fall somewhere between big, bold, high-extraction new-world wines and old-world style wines that tend to have lower alcohol content, higher acid levels and more herbaceous and other non-fruit flavors.
New York wineries are primarily located on Long Island, in the Hudson Valley, along the Niagara Escarpment, and in the Finger Lakes region.
Tours typically last from 30 to 60 minutes per tour and they are well worth your time to check out the different ones. Each one has their own flavors, beauty, and charm to experience.
What is even more awesome is that most wineries offer free samples of their wines when you go through a tour as well. Some do more formal tasting events as well. The tours are extremely interesting and fun to do too. They aren't just there to sample the wine that you're looking forward to but are actually very informative and you get to meet a lot of like-minded people usually that are also doing the tour. It's always nice to a fellow wine lover! - Be sure to call ahead if you are planning on doing a tour at one of the wineries or vineyards though to check on availability since many of them get very busy during season.
