The Finger Lakes Wine Country. But the region is also famous for its red varieties such as Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc and Merlot, as well as other popular white varieties such as Chardonnay and Pinot Gris. It is said that when it comes to growing a good wine, the magic is in the terroir. The Finger Lakes wine region is known for its wide selection of Riesling and Chardonnay wines.
Vitis Vinifera grapes are abundant in the upstate New York region and are usually made into dry or semi-dry wines. The Finger Lakes is best known for so-called cold-climate wines, those made with grapes that can withstand long, cold winters. The top variety is Riesling, a wine grape (classic European) that produces both sweet and dry wines, as well as an excellent iced wine. Other notable varieties of Finger Lakes are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc.
The Finger Lakes is a world-class wine producing region that specializes in aromatic white varieties such as Riesling and Gewurztraminer. The region is also having exciting success with cold-climate reds such as Cabernet Franc and Pinot Noir. The terroir of Finger Lakes is special due to the microclimate created by the lakes: extreme cold is avoided in winter and warm and windy days during summer help the grapes ripen. Lakes serve as a natural system of regulating air temperature: the constant water temperature of the lakes helps prevent extreme changes in air temperature in the surrounding hillside vineyards.
This allows grapes to have a longer growing season and mitigates early frost exposure. I am often wary of exaggeration when it comes to famous alcohol producers, since most of the time their products depend on the brand to sell more bottles than the quality of their products. In Finger Lakes, the most famous winery is without a doubt Dr. Konstantin Frank, one of the creators of first-class wines in the region and one of the most awarded vineyards in the state.
It looks like the stage would be set for disaster here, as many below-average vineyards follow this model, but Dr. Konstantin Frank is a notable exception, since professionalism and order are present above all else in this tasting model. As far as wine was concerned, almost all of the ten we tasted were delicious, a rarity in the Finger Lakes, and their Gewurztraminer (one of my favorite varietals) was undoubtedly our favorite of this type in the Finger Lakes thanks to its powerful aroma and flavor profile to match, something that many other vineyards did not deliver. Dr.
Konstantin Frank is located at 9749 Middle Road, on the west side of Lake Keuka, near Hammondsport. A friend of ours told us that a stop at Keuka Lake Vineyards is mandatory on the lake, and it wasn't long after arriving at this small tasting room that we understood why. Keuka Lake Vineyards is located at 8882 County Route 76 in Hammondsport. When we first heard about Hermann J.
Wiemer, the stories were always about Riesling. If you're looking for premium Riesling in Finger Lakes, Hermann J. Wiemer has a long history of delivery. The reputation of this one lives up to expectations, since the Rieslings were in fact the star of the show, so much so that we were left with two bottles, one of Semi-dry Riesling and one of Chardonnay.
I was fully prepared to expand the rankings for this one, which was the best Riesling we tasted throughout our visit, but there was one vineyard we visited at the end of our trip that surpassed even this regional favorite. Hermann J Wiemer is located at 3962 NY-14 on the west side of Seneca Lake in Dundee. If you're looking for a winery that has a variety of reds and dry whites that will please just about any palate, Anthony Road on the western slope of Seneca Lake should be on your radar. Anthony Road is located at 1020 Anthony Road in Penn Yan.
For all travel writers, there comes a time when you arrive at a place so incredible and so relatively unheard of that you're not sure if you should reveal it to the world. This isn't because the destination or attraction doesn't deserve attention, but rather because you want to keep that hidden gem for yourself. When it comes to wine in Finger Lakes, Boundary Breaks is just that. The reason Boundary Breaks is so special to us comes from the fact that this vineyard is one of the newest in the region.
They just started selling wine a few years ago and don't even have a tasting room yet (although the new addition was recently opened soon). Our tasting was organized by appointment only at the owner's house, and during our visit we were able to sample five of the wines they produce, all Riesling. Boundary Breaks is located at 1568 Porter Cove Road in Lodi on the east side of Seneca Lake. If you want new-world wines with an old-world influence, you can't miss visiting Damiani wineries in Finger Lakes.
Damiani Wine Cellars is located at 4704 NY-414 on the east side of Seneca Lake in Burdett. You can take a guided tour and tasting, or take a large group to the tasting room of your winery for a wine flight. In the past we also stayed in Ithaca, but it's quite difficult to get to Lake Keuka from there. Frank Vineyards on Lake Keuka, this winery founded by German immigrant Hermann Wiemer was one of the first to exclusively cultivate classic European wine grapes, such as Riesling, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
While you can find some more conventional wines to spread on this one, you'll do well to research winery blends such as Sole e Terra (made up of Pinot Noir, Lemberger and Saperavi) and Meritage (Cab Sauv, Cab Franc and Merlot), as they have an intense flavor profile that is quite unexpected for Finger Lakes wineries. In recent years, there has been a sharp increase in microbreweries and distilleries opening in Finger Lakes. You can explore the Finger Lakes wine varieties when you travel the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail, the Seneca Lake Wine Trail, or the Keuka Lake Wine Route. But while the West Coast developed its wine industry with European grape varieties (Vitis vinifera), Finger Lakes growers have traditionally used Native American grape varieties, mainly Concord, a Vitis labrusca.
Unlike California, Finger Lakes winemakers couldn't grow Vitis vinifera in harsh winters. We have visited it several times over the years and only now are we making a dent in tasting all the wines it has available. While the Finger Lakes wineries are one of the area's top attractions, it's not the only reason to visit this charming romantic getaway destination. This grape comes from the country of Georgia and is gaining popularity in Finger Lakes as an ideal place for cultivation.
When it comes to wine at Finger Lakes, all visitors will end up coming out saying that some vineyards were missed, and although we've already visited it several times over the years, that's still our case. Rich in history, full of beauty and inspired by a family passion for hospitality, Geneva On The Lake is an exceptional place to escape while enjoying a wine tasting in the area. . .
