Aubertine: Wine And Grape Foundation Key To Growing Industry

Senator opposes proposals to eliminate funding for the "voice of our state's wine industry"

WATERTOWN (January 16, 2009)—State Senate Agriculture Chairman Darrel J. Aubertine said today that eliminating all funding to the New York Wine and Grape Foundation in the 2009-10 Budget would be a mistake, considering the value gained by the state's investment in the foundation for more than two decades.

"Since the foundation was formed, we've seen a dramatic increase in wine production throughout New York State making it third largest producer of wines among the 50 states," Sen. Aubertine said. "Just 30 years ago, we had 20 wineries statewide and now three wineries in Jefferson County alone are drawing close to 60,000 people a year. The Finger Lakes Region has become known for its wines. From vineyards to wineries, this is a growing industry and we can give the foundation credit for much of that."

In a letter to Gov. David A. Paterson, Sen. Aubertine points out that the foundation has been the voice of our state's wine industry, which has grown to about 250 wineries and 1,400 vineyards producing more than 200 million bottles of wine annually, according to our state Department of Agriculture & Markets. That growth has made the wine industry an attraction for millions of tourists and contributes between $3 billion and $6 billion per year to our economy, according to several studies. The state's investment last year was $2.8 million.

"The state's investment in the foundation is a small percentage of the economic benefit this industry provides," Sen. Aubertine said. "We are going to have a lot of tough decisions to make in forming this year's budget, but this is an investment in agriculture and tourism which has paid off for our state. We have some tremendous quality wines being produced year after year and the foundation has been instrumental in getting the word out to consumers."

He added in his letter, that throughout the state, this industry supports many other local businesses, including restaurants, hotels and more. From agriculture to tourism, this industry has become an integral part of the economy in Upstate New York and it would be a mistake to cut off funding for foundation that has given us a tremendous return on our investment by promoting and assisting the wineries and vineyards across the state.