Winery Grapevines Grow Under Hot NYS Finger Lakes Sunshine Stock Image

Cayuga and Seneca Lakes each have their own American Viticultural Areas completely contained within the Finger Lakes AVA. The Finger Lakes AVA includes 11,000 acres of vineyards and is the largest wine-producing region in New York State. The Finger Lakes AVA wine region is often compared to the German wine regions along the Rhine river. Viticulturists in the Finger Lakes region grow a wide variety of grapes besides Riesling, including other European Vitis vinifera grapes, native American grapes, as well as French-American hybrid varieties. The deep lakes in the region help to moderate the local microclimate. Seneca “Place of the Stone”, and Cayuga “Boat Landing” with the latter two also recognized as separate viticultural areas due to their unique grape-growing conditions. Seneca Lake region shown.