NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A5721B
SPONSOR: Goodell TITLE OF BILL: An act to amend the highway law, in relation to renam-
ing the "Chautauqua Wine Trail" to be the "Lake Erie Wine Country Trail"
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL: To rename the current "Chautauqua
Wine Trail" along US route 20 from exit 51 of 1-90 near Ripley to route
5 in Silver Creek as "Lake Erie Wine Trail"
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS: The bill would amend section 242-k
(1) of the highway law, by renaming all that portion of the state high-
way system constituting US route 20 from exit 61 of 1-90 near Ripley to
route 5 in Silver Creek as "Lake Erie Wine Trail."
JUSTIFICATION: This legislation has been requested by the Board of
the Lake Erie Wine Country in order to help promote wine country tourism
along the Lake Erie border. Currently, Lake Erie wine country includes
over 30,000 acres of vineyard stretching from Silver Creek, located in
Chautauqua County New York, to Harbor creek, Pennsylvania.
Lake Erie wine country offers small historic villages, lakes, unspoiled
woods and farmland, cozy inns, shops and unique restaurants. Grape Grow-
ers in Chautauqua County produce approximately 65-t6 of New York State's
total annual grape harvest including French-American hybrids such as
Vidal, Seyval, and Chancellor, and European vinifera varieties such as
Merlot, Chardonnay, and Riesling. Lake Erie wine country offers more
than 23 wineries along over 40 miles of stunning scenery amidst "Ameri-
ca's Grape Country."
The original Chautauqua Wine Trail was incorporated in 2000 With just a
handful of Chautauqua County wineries. In about 2005, the DBA name of
"Chautauqua-Lake Erie Wine Trail" was adopted to recognize that the
region and trail had grown and come to include Pennsylvania wineries. In
2010, the association adopted the DBA of "Lake Erie Wine Country" for
all of its promotional efforts, including website, mobile site, Face-
book, and printed materials. The southern shore of Lake Erie has along
grape growing and wine making heritage and therefore should be used in
the name of the wine trail to promote its character. This legislation
will help to attract additional traffic and tourism to the Lake Erie
region. The official name for the wine trail established in the bill
will help facilitate broader marketing and branding of this premier
wine-growing region.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: This is a new bill.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS: None.
EFFECTIVE DATE: This act shall take effect immediately.
