Did you know that every state in the U.S. produces wine? It’s true. According to WorldPopulation.com’s Wine Production by State 2022, the top three states for wine production are California which produces nearly 85% of the country’s wine, followed by Washington State, with 5.053% and New York, with 3.468%. Clearly, California is the hub of the country’s wine industry, but who would’ve thought that New York would come in third, above Oregon even?

Pour New York

There are three main winemaking regions in New York: the Finger Lakes, Long Island, and the Hudson Valley. As a New Yorker, you’d think that bottles from Long Island wine country, only a one to two hour drive away, would frequently appear on my table. Yet I’ll admit that’s not the case. Up until recently, it had been years since I’d consumed a glass of Long Island wine. If a New York wine crossed my lips, most likely it came from the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York, whose wines I had always found to be fresher and livelier than their Long Island siblings.

Yet recently I was sent an array of Long Island wines to sample, and I have to say, I was impressed. It seems that Long Island, a relatively new wine appellation, is quickly get a footing on what works best in its unique terroir—not bad for a mere 50 years of wine growing. In comparison, the French region of Burgundy has had nearly 700 years to get things right!