A Proposal for Renewed Growth of the Hudson Valley's Grape and Wine Industry
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
A Proposal For Renewed The Hudson Valley is be- coming more suburban- Growth of the Hudson ized and rapidly losing its farmland. This trend Valley’s Grape And Wine needs to be curtailed. A state senate task force Industry has developed a group of ideas that will help 1 State Senator William J. Larkin, Jr. spur development of the and J. Stephen Casscles2 grape and wine indus- 1Chairman of the Senate Task Force for Hudson Valley Fruit Growers try in the Hudson Valley. 2 Counsel to the Senate Task Force These include increased he New York State Senate Task Force current locations of existing wineries research and extension for Hudson Valley Fruit Growers col- point to the general area of suitable sites T lected ideas to expand the Hudson (Figure 1). Thus, the well-being of the local and identifying sites, Valley’s grape-growing and wine-making wine industry will be played out in about varieties and rootstocks industries. The ideas came from sugges- 20 of the Valley’s 120 towns. To promote tions submitted by growers, wine produc- viticulture, private and public policy-mak- where premium grapes ers, state agencies, local governments, ers must understand that commercially can be grown. Essential not-for-profit organizations, and other viable vineyards need to be located in interested parties. This paper presents a certain very limited portions of the Val- to the plan is preserving summary of the task force report, copies ley and that these scarce sites are coming sites that potentially could of which may be obtained on-line at www. under increasing suburban pressure to be senatorbilllarkin.com. converted to other uses. become exceptional vine- The production of fruit crops in the An overwhelming proportion (85.5%) yards for fruit production. Hudson Valley is concentrated on a few of the Valley’s fruit lands are devoted to selected sites. Commercial-quality fruit apples. However, some growers are begin- cultivation requires land that, based on its ning to diversify to other fruit crops that topography, is able to provide air drainage spread their risk of having higher potential plies. These support services are needed patterns that minimize the risk of early economic return per acre. Crops that are by both large and small growers and winter freezes, midwinter extreme freezes expected to increase in acreage include wineries alike to prosper. and spring frosts. It is also essential that grapes, currants, peaches, cherries, pears, Second, more must be done to encour- soil types allow good water drainage but raspberries, and strawberries. age the establishment of new small and retain moisture during the hot and dry Small farms are an important part of medium-sized vineyard operations and summer months. our fruit-growing industry’s structure. to expand those that already exist. While It is not by accident that the remain- In fact, nearly two out of three growers growers who operate farms of 25 acres or ing fruit farms in the Valley are located (63.5%) operate orchards that are less than less do not control a high percentage of on some of the best fruit-growing lands 25 acres. This includes 109 farms with un- the land devoted to fruit cultivation, they in the country. With heightened suburban der fi ve acres of orchard land and another are an important source of entrepreneurial pressure to convert farms to residential, 88 farms in the range of 5.0 to 24.9 acres. talent and skilled labor to expand their commercial, or industrial uses, it is very In light of the size distribution of farms own farm operations or the operations of important that these world-class grape- in the Valley, policy-makers should take a others. Assisting these growers will result producing sites remain as farms. In Napa two-pronged approach to encourage the in an increase in the total acreage that is Valley, California, in the Burgundy and expansion of vineyards. devoted to growing grapes. Bordeaux regions of France, or in the First, more needs to be done to help Unlike Long Island, portions of Cali- Rhineland region of Germany, new com- large commercial fruit growers to prosper. fornia, Washington State, and Australia, mercial expansion is not encouraged on This is critical because large commercial which have large parcels of land located premium vineyard lands; it is shifted to farms predominately control the acreage on vast fl at tracts, the Hudson Valley con- other lands within the region. The same that is under cultivation and the quantity sists of many small parcels of land located should be done in the Hudson Valley. of fruit produced. Without large commer- on relatively rugged terrain. Farms in the cial farm operations, there would be little former wine-producing areas tend to be Trends in Grape Cultivation and Wine left of the fruit-growing industry in the large, capital-intensive operations that Production in the Hudson Valley Valley. These farms support the industry rely heavily on mechanized equipment. by providing suffi cient demand for local However, farms located in the Valley are Quality fruit is produced on very ancillary businesses that sell fertilizers, smaller farming operations that rely heav- specifi c sites in the Hudson Valley. The crop protectants, tractors, and winery sup- ily on hand labor and may consist of sev- 12 NEW YORK STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY Key to Wineries 1 Elk Hill Winery, Berne 2 Windham Vineyards, Windham 3 Alison Wines & Vineyards, Red Hook 4 El Paso Winery, Ulster Park 5 Hudson Valley Draft Cider, Staatsburg 6 Clinton Vineyards, Inc., Clinton Corners 7 Millbrook Vineyards & Winery, Millbrook 8 Cascade Mountain Winery & Restaurant, Amenia 9 West Park Wine Cellars, West Park 10 Oak Summit Vineyard, Millbrook 11 Rivendell Winery, New Paltz 12 Whitecliff Vineyard & Winery, Gardiner 13 Adair Vineyards, New Paltz 14 The Regent Champagne Cellars, Highland 15 Brimstone Hill Vineyard, Pine Bush 16 Baldwin Vineyards, Pine Bush 17 Magnanini Winery, Inc., Wallkill 18 Royal Kedem Wine Corporation, Marlboro 19 Stoutridge Vineyards, Marlboro 20 Windsor Vineyards, Marlboro 21 Benmarl Winery & Vineyard, Marlboro 22 Pazdar Winery, Middletown 23 Brotherhood – America’s Oldest Winery, Ltd, Washingtonville 24 Palaia Vineyards, Highland Mills 25 North Salem Vineyard, Inc., North Salem 26 Castle Spirits (Shloime’s Slivotz, Inc.), Monroe 27 Warwick Valley Winery Co., Inc., Warwick 28 Demarest Hill Winery, Warwick 29 Applewood Winery, Warwick 30 Silver Stream Vineyard, Monroe 31 Prospero Winery, Pleasantville Area of Detail Figure 1. Wineries in the Hudson Valley Region eral small parcels of land that are scattered 2. The Dutchess County Wine Route and other residential, commercial, and indus- throughout several towns. Therefore, any Shawangunk Wine Trail have spon- trial uses to satisfy suburban development wine industry that develops in the Valley sored more activities and events, which pressure is a signifi cant threat to the future is going to look more like vineyard and has increased wine sales and tourism. of this important industry. However, local winery operations in France or Germany 3. Most of the reduction in acreage for growers have at least fi ve advantages that and not like those in California, Washing- fruits other than apples has stabilized will enable them to operate vineyards ton State, or Australia. since 1996. While apple acreage contin- profi tably in spite of increasing suburban The local wine industry is beginning ues to decrease at about the same rate as development pressures: to awaken, and is evidenced by three in- it has since 1980, growers are replacing 1. The industry is well-positioned to take dicators: some abandoned apple orchards with advantage of its proximity to large 1. There are now 36 wineries located in other fruits such as grapes, currants, markets and agri-tourism possibilities the Hudson Valley, as the region is de- peaches, cherries, pears, strawberries, to sell its products. fi ned by the New York Wine & Grape and raspberries. 2. The Valley has the soils, topography, Foundation (31 of these are shown on The three indicators above il- and climate needed to produce top- the map in Figure 1). In the last 7 years, lustrate that the Valley’s wine industry is quality wine, distillates, and cassis that at least 10 new wineries have been es- beginning to awaken and adjust to new can command superior prices in the tablished. In 2004, over 315,000 people market conditions. Further, it is beginning marketplace. visited these wineries. As the number of to substitute certain currently unprofi table 3. The Valley has many skilled growers wineries and their production contin- grape varieties for others that have higher who are ready, willing, and able to react ues to increase, the demand for locally profi t margins. The increasing demand to quickly to accommodate to changes in produced grapes should grow. convert existing orchards and vineyards to the marketplace. NEW YORK FRUIT QUARTERLY • VOLUME 14 NUMBER 4 • 2006 13 4. While the perception is that potential (Larkin)/A. 9539-A (Magee) provides (DelMonte), which would lower vineyard sites are both scarce and for a 75% income and franchise tax the minimum age for hunting from expensive in the Valley, that is com- credit for the cost of grape plant mate- 16 years to 14 years. paratively not the case. When matched rial purchased to plant or replant a new c. Offering Bounties to Encourage against Napa or Sonoma Counties in vineyard. Senate Bill 6705 (Morahan)/ Deer Harvesting/Commercial California, land prices in the Hudson A. 11233 (Magee) grants to growers a Sale of Hunted Venison — In the Valley are quite reasonable. In Cali- 25% income or franchise tax credit for southwestern portion of the United fornia, prime vineyard sites can cost the cost of capital investments such States, local game is commonly between $60,000 and $150,000 per acre, as tractors, sprayers, or equipment to offered in restaurants and is part while in the Valley, prices range from operate a fruit cooler or packing house.