The Renaissance of the Finger Lakes Wine Region now on full display

Wineries of northern Europe take heed. 

Like so many of those alien wildflowers that blossom everywhere along the highways of America, the Riesling seed has blown ashore and taken hold.  More to the point, the Finger Lakes Region of upstate New York discovered an affinity for the Riesling grape, a while back, adopted it and nurtured the relationship into a full-blown generational succession that is producing some of the finest wines, anywhere, drawn of that varietal.   The Gewürztraminer is no slouch either.  

"Finger Lakes Wine Country's unique combination of soil composition and lake influence allows for the growing of the classical European varietals, such as Riesling, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Franc," says Morgen McLaughlin, president, of the Finger Lakes Wine Country Tourism Marketing Association.  "The region produces some of the best Riesling in the United States and arguably in the world."

We had come to check that out. 

For a century-plus, this region was one of the most productive wine areas in the U.S., but its varietals were of the continent's vitis labrusca species, and had a reputation as heavy or overly flavored wines that could not hold a candle to the nuanced tastes of Europe's vitis vinifera, that species which splits into the chardonnays, cabernets, merlots, et al, so increasingly popular today among Americans (and people the world over). 

Enter Dr. Konstantin Frank, 1951, ex of the Ukraine, an expert on viticulture, who was not content with what he viewed as the contented mediocrity of the labrusca-based culture.  Convinced that the moderating effects of the Finger Lakes would help counter below-zero winters and near-100 degree summers, especially for the varietals of his German forebears, he experimented by grafting varietals with short growing cycles or late-maturing fruit onto native rootstock and, viola, an industry was transformed. 

Dr. Frank passed away in 1985 at the age of 86; his successor, son Willy, died in 2006. Their descendants now oversee a vineyard rising from the shores of Keuka Lake near Hammondsport; the site was selected for the way the sun drenches the vines as it rises over the eastern hills.  With vines now nearly 50 years old, whose roots have now dug deep down to the slate foundations of the hillside, the winery produces not only magnificent Riesling and Gewürztraminer, but also some varietals unfamiliar to those of us attuned to California wines.  Among these are a smooth red Lemberger and a citrus-y, spicy white Rkatsiteli.  A clay vessel containing the latter varietal is said to have been found on Mount Ararat and dated to 3000 BC, making it arguably the oldest example of wine ever recorded. 

If Dr. Frank drove the sea change in what vineyards would become in the Finger Lakes,  The Pleasant Valley Wine Company (better know for its Great Western champagne and wines) is the region's connection to its history.  While embracing elements of the vinifera revolution, Pleasant Valley was not prepared to totally abandon a successful past, in which it had established a large coterie of admirers. 

Located near the village of Hammondsport, Pleasant Valley is the oldest winery in the region. Established in 1860, it was designated U.S. Bonded Winery No. 1 and its eight remarkable stone buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  We took a tour of the buildings with the company's president, Mike Doyle, and were awed by the sheer magnitude of the operation, most impressive because so many of the buildings - some with wings burrowed into the hillsides - were built so many years ago.  On the other hand, the winery also boasts some of the most modern wine-making apparatus, including gigantic stainless steel tanks that were so tall a stone wall had to be knocked out to get then into place.  Movement of wines from giant tanks, throughout the complex, can be accomplished easily through a central manifold control panel with dozens of large spigots.