A downturn in the grape market due to oversupply and sagging demand is testing the survival of some Niagara County growers, according to Mike Schweitzer, president of the Niagara Wine Trail and Bella Rose Vineyard & Winery in Lewiston.

“I know farmers that are just leaving it on their fields this year,” Schweitzer said of grape crops. “It costs too much to pick for it to not have anywhere to go. The price of glass for bottles, corks, and the staff to make the wine — it costs more than it makes in the end.”

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