New York's most extensive vineyards are planted along Lake Erie in the Chatauqua region of New York. The majority of these vineyards are planted to Concord grapes, which are used primarily for juice, but also for some wine coolers and for the familiar Kosher wines. Some native varieties like Catawba, Niagara and Delaware are used in the production of sweet, pungent, grapey wines. Here, as well as in the Finger Lakes, French-American hybrid grapes such as Seyval Blanc and Vignoles were created by French viticulturalists during the 19th century phyloxera epidemic. Their goal was to combine the superior taste characteristics of vinifera with the cold hardiness and disease-resistance of the native species.
 

Lake Erie is one of the largest inland seas in North America, providing insulation for fragile vineyards against early frosts and harsh winters in western New York. Because it is the most significant of the Great Lakes in protecting the vineyards of western New York from the extreme winter temperatures generated by arctic air masses that hover over Lakes Superior and Huron, the Lake Erie AVA was established in 1983. More than 19,000 acres of grapes are planted on vineyards that stretch across the Allegheny Plateau, making it the largest grape-growing region in New York. However, there are just eight wineries because most of the grapes planted in the region are destined for grape juice and table grapes. The majority of the wineries in this region are clustered on the fertile plain that stretches from the southeastern end of Chatauqua country north to Lake Ontario. The prime vineyard sites are bordered by the Niagara River on the west, Lake Ontario to the north and the Niagara escarpment on the south.