“SENECA LAKE ” BECOMES AN OFFICIAL AMERICAN VITICULTURAL AREA (AVA)

The special designation of “ Seneca Lake ” as an American Viticultural Area will be official on September 2, 2003 according to the Federal Tax and Trade Bureau, formerly known as the BATF. The announcement, made in the Federal Register of July 3rd, delighted winery owner Beverly Stamp of Lakewood Vineyards, who initiated and worked tirelessly on the highly detailed application since 1996 on behalf of the Seneca Lake Winery Association.

Also called an “appellation of origin,” the AVA designation recognizes the unique grape growing characteristics of a specific geographic area surrounding Seneca Lake . Its boundaries include portions of Schuyler, Yates, Seneca and Ontario counties. The special attributes of the region include soil types, climate, elevation and proximity to this deepest of the Finger Lakes . With a length reaching 35 miles and a depth of over 600 feet, Seneca Lake ’s heat storing capacity directly affects the surrounding climate providing a more moderate temperature change during the critical months in early spring and autumn. The use of the appellation of “ Seneca Lake ” on a wine label is designed to inform consumers of the unique style and origin of different wines. It also indicates that at least 85% of the grapes in the wine come from within that specific geographic region.

In support of the application, Representative Amo Houghton of New York ’s 31st Congressional District made comment that “this unique area’s recognition by the ATF would perfectly complement an existing regional framework of tourism, research and economic development, and promotion of the Seneca Lake identity and all it represents. This would be of great benefit to consumers who seek products that allow them [to] capture, in a bottle, the essence of places and regions that enthrall them.”

Seneca Lake can lay claim to the region’s first farm winery- Glenora Wine Cellars established in 1977 after the passage of the Farm Winery Act in New York State in 1976. It is also the home of the highly successful Seneca Lake Winery Association, also known as Seneca Lake Wine Trail, which represents and promotes 25 of the wineries within the new American Viticultural Area.