WESTFIELD, N.Y. (WKBW) — Western New York's grape farmers are celebrating a bountiful harvest this year after last year's devastating frost wiped out half their crop, threatening the region's $6.6 billion grape industry.
In Westfield, the heart of grape country off Lake Erie, farmers like Carl Vilardo of Vilardo Vineyards are grateful for this year's abundant harvest. Vilardo, who has been harvesting grapes for 46 years, said the weather has been much better this season.
"It's been a good year," Vilardo said.
It was another story back on April 25, 2024, when an early morning frost struck. Temperatures dropped to 28 degrees between about 3:30 and 7 a.m., just as the buds on the vines were starting to form.
"It was only three hours' worth of weather at low temperatures," said Jennifer Phillips Russo, viticulture specialist for the Cornell Cooperative Extension. "That decimated 16,000 acres out of our 32,000 acres."
The financial impact was severe for farmers.
"Most of us have had to take out either mortgages or dig into savings accounts or whatever," Vilardo said. "You've got to have profits to stay in business."
This year brought no frost, and the grapes are plentiful.
Vilardo's mechanical harvester straddles the lines of grape vines and shakes the berries loose, a technology that originated in this region.
WATCH: Westfield's grape harvest bounces back after 2024 frost devastated crop
"This is the juice industry that you are witnessing," Phillips Russo said.
She noted that grape farmers in the area developed the first mechanical grape harvesters.
"Now they're worldwide, and it happened right here in Chautauqua County," she said.
Vilardo said they're just getting started with the harvest, marking their first week of daily picking. The Concord grapes aren't quite ready yet, but should be ready within a week.
"It's a very good crop so far; everything we've picked so far has done very well," Vilardo said.
The only thing farmers are hoping for now is rain, though Vilardo acknowledges that the weather remains beyond their control.
"One of the things you never change is Mother Nature," Vilardo said.
To celebrate the grape harvest, the Westfield Grape and Wine Festival is set to take place Friday and Saturday in downtown Westfield at 2 East Main Street, and at the Grape Discovery Center at 8305 West Main Street. Admission is free. Events include wine tasting, grape stomping, pie-eating contests, vendors, food and music.
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