(RHP) - It has been a long winter for the Finger Lakes Wine region.

It got so bad that the Department of Agriculture is calling it an "agricultural disaster." The declaration will help grape growers in the upstate region get critical relief. Now they will be eligible for emergency loans and recovery aid funds from the U.S. Farm Service Agency. The designation primarily covers Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Oswego and Yates counties.  Franc since the 2009 vintage and Pescarmona said it the wine can be aged for up to a decade.