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(Credit: Vera Chinese)

Move over Champagne, France, and Sonoma, California. New York State, with its superior wines, substantial industry growth and recently relaxed business regulations, has been named the “Wine Region of the Year” by Wine Enthusiast Magazine.

“The New York wine industry has made a remarkable comeback in the past 30 years in terms of the quality of wines, number of wineries, and economic impact,” Adam Strum, publisher and editor of Wine Enthusiast, said in a statement Tuesday. “All of those positive indicators have accelerated tremendously during the past four years, making New York State one of the most vibrant and promising wine regions in the world.”

The Empire State has added more than 100 farm wineries and 28 new wineries to its budding industry since 2010. In 2013, New York earned more than 700 medals at competitions across the world — a record year for the state.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo attributed the industry’s growth to reducing regulations on producers and marketing efforts through the Taste NY program, which includes the Taste North Fork event that comes to our area in November.

“From a riesling in the Finger Lakes to a sauvignon blanc or merlot on Long Island, New York produces some of the best wines in the world,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a statement Tuesday. “We’ve worked extremely hard over the past four years to partner with all sectors of our craft beverage industry to roll back archaic regulations, raise awareness of our vineyards and to be actual partners in the industry’s success. I congratulate all the dedicated New Yorkers who work in the wine industry on this substantial accomplishment.”

The state’s five diverse wine-growing regions—Long Island, the Finger Lakes, Lake Erie, the Niagara Escarpment and the Hudson River—contribute more than $4.8 billion annually to the state’s economy. New York has also become the third largest wine-producing state according to the Wine Institute boasting 1,631 vineyards and 353 wineries in 56 counties, according to the governor’s office.

“We’re thrilled to be recognized by Wine Enthusiast again,” Steven Bate, president of the Long Island Wine Council, said on Tuesday. “Last year, Long Island was chosen as one of the magazine’s top 10 wine destinations, so, this is just more recognition for all of our colleagues from around the state.”

The award will be presented at the Wine Star Awards gala dinner Jan. 26 at the New York Public Library.

Past winners of the magazine’s wine region of the year award include the Paso Robles, California; Ribera del Duero, Spain; and Prosecco, Italy.

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