2025 Harvest Report – FLX Libations
by Phil Carstens, for FLX Libations
“As the final bins of fruit arrived on the crush pad this fall, it became clear that growers around the Finger Lakes had been given a rare gift: a second standout season in a row. The timing of this acknowledgement is important. Celebrating too soon runs the risk of upsetting the delicate balance of the entire operation, and recent memories of catastrophic weather events have made industry insiders a superstitious bunch. The perpetual knocking-on-wood and intentional phrasing of “cautious optimism” have become standard practice in the region to ward off retaliation from the wine gods in the form of flood, freeze, or plague of the dreaded Spotted Lanternfly. Whatever they’re doing seems to be working, because after a wet and questionable start, 2025 ended up being one of the strongest vintages in years.”
