This week we are celebrating the "Grape State of New York." The wine industry in the Empire State is booming, so we are featuring wine related stories all week leading up to a one hour special this weekend. We start in Western New York, where Katie Gibas shares more about a discovery center that is a great place to learn about grapes and the wine industry.
If you’re looking for a little bit of a getaway for wine tasting and learning about wine making, the Grape Discovery Center in Chautauqua County is the official visitor center for the Lake Erie Concord Grape Belt, which was designated as a New York State Heritage site in 2006.
“We’ve got a good story to tell here and a very interesting history," said Lake Erie Wine Country Executive Director Julie Ellis.
“This is the largest and oldest Concord grape growing region in the world. And we want to educate local school groups, retirement communities, any group or organization that wants to come in, we’re here to inform them about the importance of the grape industry and the wineries in the region as we want it to continue to grow,” said Christina McKane, the Grape Discovery Center manager.
The Grape Discovery Center in Westfield was built two years ago.
“This place was conceived many, many years ago and it took a lot of hard work and dedication to get people here. It’s an anchor business and it happens to be right in the middle of our wine trail, which is over 50 miles long. To celebrate the Concord grape and the history of our region and why grapes can even grow here where it’s so cold, and to purchase wines and great gifts, it’s a beautiful anchor we want everyone to visit,” Ellis said.
It includes a retail shop, wine tasting bar and exhibit room, which details the history of grape growing in the area.
“We have a Mastodon bone in there that was found in a grape vineyard nearby. And after some research, I did find out that mastodons did like to eat grapes,” McKane said. "It goes through a lot of the old Welch’s advertising, bottling grape juice. Welch’s processing plants are here. They were originally here. Their headquarters moved to Concord, Massachusetts. They do own about 50 percent of the Concord grapes that are grown here, so they're all contracted out.”
There are also several interactive displays for people of all ages.
“Agra-tourism is big and people want to have an experience when they visit a wine region. They want to learn something. They want to take part in something. This creates that for them,” said Ellis.
The Grape Discovery Center is open seven days a week. Admission is free. But donations are accepted.