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NO VEMBER NEWS thaca, N.Y.—The Finger Lakes Wine Center in Ithaca has closed, marking the latest struggle for such brick- and-mortar wine hubs. Other pro- posed wine centers have been delayed or abandoned, and at least part of the cause has been the weak economy. According to the Ithaca Journal, and confirmed by board vice president Fred Bonn, who is also director of the Ithaca- Tompkins Convention and Visitors Bureau, the closing of the Finger Lakes Wine Center is a "pause" for reorganization. The center opened in November 2010. Bonn said in order to secure a liquor license the center had to open before for a fundraising campaign to pay for construction costs could be completed. The added construction costs outstripped the center's operating budget. Copia in Napa, Calif., was the most notable wine center failure. Founded with more than $80 million in loans and donations, the large, modern building now sits empty with its signs only recently removed. Its mortgage holder, ACA, has hired Keith Rogal to try to develop a plan to recover at least part of its approximately $75 million in loans; the building and adjacent property are reportedly worth about $25 million. Rogal has opened the facility for rentals of its auditorium and is seeking an operator for its restaurant, but otherwise, plans remain up in the air. At the time Copia closed, proponents of a wine and food center in Santa Rosa, the largest city in Sonoma County, seemingly abandoned those plans. In Prosser, Wash., the Walter Clore Wine and Culinary Center plans 15,000 square feet of building and grounds that will offer indoor and outdoor venues for programs, conferences, meetings, business and social gatherings and events. The center claims 90% of its funding is committed and just approved construction. The proposed Texas Center for Wine and Culinary Arts Inc. has received a challenge grant of $1.2 million from the Don L. and Julie Holden Foundation to purchase property for the center. A 3-acre site in downtown Fredericksburg, Texas, is under contract within walking distance of WINES & VINES NOVEMBER 2012 19 Finger Lakes Wine Center Closes I Similar projects around country delayed or abandoned 500 hotel rooms. The total cost is expected to be about $10 million. "Opening date is dependent on fundraising," said director Ernie Loeffler. One wine center that has worked out well is the New York Wine & Culinary Center in Canandaigua, N.Y., though it has undergone some tweaking. It not only includes attractions for visitors but also houses the offices of the New York Wine & Grape Foundation, which created the center with Constellation Brands, Rochester Institute of Technology (hospitality program) and Wegmans food markets. million facility is supported, The $7.5 in part, by grants and Board vice president Fred Bonn tells the Ithaca Journal that the Finger Lakes Wine Center is taking a "pause" for reorganization. MALA_Dir11.qxp 11/29/10 4:07 PM Page 1 winesandvines.com Learn more: Search keywords "Lake inquiries." contributions from agriculture, culinary and wine businesses as well as state and federal governments. —Paul Franson