FORESTVILLE, NY (August 16, 2011) - The fourth annual America's Grape Country Wine Festival proved to be everything former and first time attendees expected and more. This year's event was a success, leaving both the crowds and participating vendors satisfied and waiting ever so impatiently for next year to arrive.

            The festival took place on August 13 and 14 at the Chautauqua County Fairgrounds in Dunkirk, NY and featured 27 wineries and over two dozen crafters, food and agricultural vendors from across New York State. New to the festival this year was a headline concert featuring local celebrity Sean Patrick McGraw and Billboard Top 100 and Atlantic recording artist Uncle Kracker.

"We find America's Grape Country Wine festival refreshing as a marketing tool. It enhances our business by putting us out there in the public live and in person," said John Yerico, owner of Yerico Farms.  "We get to visit with people, see old friends, explain our products, make new customers and share a taste or two which is just what we are all about." Yerico Farms has participated as an agricultural vendor all four years of the festival and have become a staple of the event's farmer's market atmosphere and designation.

In addition to the tremendous offerings of the many craft, food and agricultural vendors, the hundreds of sample offerings by participating wineries kept festival attendees happily occupied. Numerous wine trails throughout the state were represented as wineries from as far as Scotchtown in the Hudson Valley and Alexandria Bay in the Thousand Islands sold their products by the bottle. The festival provides a great opportunity for attendees to try wines from different regions of the state. It also allows for participating wineries to gain valuable exposure in Western New York.

While the weather report looked intimidating for Sunday night's headline concert featuring Sean Patrick McGraw and Uncle Kracker, the rain cleared up by mid afternoon leaving a sense of relief and excitement in the air for hundreds of fans scheduled to attend the show. As a new addition to the festival, the concert was a huge success in the eyes of the crowd, performers and festival coordinators who could not have asked for a better turn out.

Promotional ticket winners were given access to the concert VIP tent, which was packed with wine donated from Glenora, Knapp Winery, Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards, Johnson Estate Winery, Eagle Crest Vineyards and Merritt Estate Winery. Food sponsors for the VIP tent included Yancey's Fancy Artisan Cheese, Desperados Barbecue and Catering Co., Inc. of Angola, NY, Subway of Dunkirk, NY and Tops Friendly Markets of Dunkirk, NY.

            "Yancey's Fancy was pleased to be involved in the AGC Wine Festival and Official Cheese of the VIP-Wine Cheese and Kracker tent," said Rita Greis, Senior Marketing Associate and Events Coordinator for Yancey's Fancy.  "As always the wine festival was a huge success, we were able to expand our customer base through being a sponsor of the event as a whole and got our company name out into new markets.  We are looking forward to what next year has to bring."

            The fourth annual America's Grape Country Wine Festival would not have been possible without the participation and support from its sponsors including ADK Merchant Services, Arthur R. Gren Co., Inc., Buffalo Spree Magazine, CCIDA, Cleveland Magazine, County of Chautauqua, Culligan Water of Fredonia, Dunkin Donuts, Entercom Buffalo, Lake Erie Living Magazine, Media One Group, Otherwisz.com, the Putnam and Record Insurance Agencies, Yancey's Fancy and Merritt Estate Winery.

Tickets for next year's festival are scheduled to become available starting at the end of September. For more information on the America's Grape Country Wine Festival or to purchase festival and concert tickets, please visit www.agcwinefestival.com or call 1-800-965-4834. You can also follow the America's Grape Country Wine Festival on Facebook and Twitter for constant updates.