Finger Lakes, N.Y. - Finger Lakes wineries would like to be able to sell their wines in China, where Ice Wine is so popular that a bottle can sell for as much as $200.
But there’s a problem.
Cheap Chinese fakes, mislabeled or counterfeited--prevent Finger Lakes Ice Wines from getting their foot in the door. Senator Charles Schumer is concerned that the Chinese fakes are infiltrating the US wine market.
Schumer is urging the federal government to pressure China to crack down on the counterfeit wines so Finger Lakes wineries can compete. Along with the director of the NY Wine and Grape Foundation, Seneca County officials and representatives from wineries on the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail, Schumer will work in Ovid Thursday to further the project.
Canadian ice winemakers have already seen their business slow due to the counterfeiting of their product, according to Schumer’s office.
