Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo Thursday signed a bill that establishes a new license for farm cideries similar to the licenses already available to farm wineries, breweries and distilleries.
The legislation, which takes effect in 90 days, Â authorizes the establishment and licensure of farm cideries for the manufacture and sale of hard cider made exclusively from apples grown in New York. It excludes licensed cideries from the sales tax information return filing requirements. The law limits farm cider production to no more than 150,000 gallons annually.
Sara Grady, vice president of programming at Glynwood, an agricultural nonprofit in Cold Spring, in a press release said expanding the state”™s craft cider industry “will increase the visibility, profile, and profitability of New York orchards” and create “new opportunities for apple production, ultimately establishing cider as the signature beverage of New York state.”
The bill signing came on the eve of CiderWeek NY, which includes events throughout New York City and the Hudson Valley aimed at promoting the state”™s cideries. The promotion runs to Oct 27.
For more information on CiderWeek NY, visit http://www.ciderweekny.com.
