Senator Chuck Schumer made a stop at a winery in Geneva on Monday to call attention to the problem some winery owners are facing because of the bitterly cold weather we've had this winter.
Schumer spoke to reporters at Three Brothers Winery to call on the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide quick relief to vineyards who do suffer major crop damage from this season's frigid temperatures.
Hans Walter-Peterson is viticulture Extension Specialist with Cornell. He says the damage to wineries in this area will likely vary depending where they are, and also what types of grapes they are growing.
"So things like Concord and Catawba that come from American species, that evolved here are used to this kind of cold and have experienced a lot less damage than Chardonnay and Gewürztraminer and Riesling which are not as adapted to here. "
A co-owner of Three Brothers Winery Dave Mansfield, tells us the cold did quite a bit of damage to the buds on his vines. He is just hoping there is not more significant damage to the vines themselves.
