Finger Lakes Wine

[larry07041]

Interesting article in the San Francisco Chronicle. They wrote about non-California wines and this is what they said about the Finger Lakes of NY:

"New York today is a hotbed of great wine. America's best Rieslings are grown around the Finger Lakes, and Long Island has Cabernet Franc and Merlot that can be inconsistent yet frequently compelling.

But the Finger Lakes provide a valuable moderating influence in upstate New York, crucially ameliorating the harsh winter conditions. The most exciting achievement here concerns the Rieslings. Finger Lakes producers such as Swedish Hill in Romulus ($11) and Fox Run in Penn Yan ($10), Lakewood in Watkins Glen ($11) and Standing Stone ($12), Red Newt ($12), Chateau Lafayette Reneau ($12 to $15), the last three all located in Hector, are making Rieslings with better balance and complexity than anything California has been able to consistently produce. And the winery that started it all, Dr. Konstantin Frank in Hammondsport, continues to make trendsetting Riesling ($12 to $25) as well as solid Gewurztraminer ($19) and Merlot ($20)."

[tjaehnigen]

IMO, the Finger Lakes and Long Island regions have a looong way to go. IMO, Virginia wines are only slightly ahead of NY wines.

[babyluck]

I just did a search and find it remarkable that no one's apparently ever mentioned Bully Hill in this forum (since "the beginning of time"). I know he's a black sheep & all, but c'mon, what's up with that?

[GordonCooks]

I just did a search and find it remarkable that no one's apparently ever mentioned Bully Hill in this forum (since "the beginning of time").  I know he's a black sheep & all, but c'mon, what's up with that?

I've had Bully Hill wines - some things are better left unsaid.

[GordonCooks]

Interesting article in the San Francisco Chronicle. They wrote about non-California wines and this is what they said about the Finger Lakes of NY:

"New York today is a hotbed of great wine. America's best Rieslings are grown around the Finger Lakes, and Long Island has Cabernet Franc and Merlot that can be inconsistent yet frequently compelling.

But the Finger Lakes provide a valuable moderating influence in upstate New York, crucially ameliorating the harsh winter conditions. The most exciting achievement here concerns the Rieslings. Finger Lakes producers such as Swedish Hill in Romulus ($11) and Fox Run in Penn Yan ($10), Lakewood in Watkins Glen ($11) and Standing Stone ($12), Red Newt ($12), Chateau Lafayette Reneau ($12 to $15), the last three all located in Hector, are making Rieslings with better balance and complexity than anything California has been able to consistently produce. And the winery that started it all, Dr. Konstantin Frank in Hammondsport, continues to make trendsetting Riesling ($12 to $25) as well as solid Gewurztraminer ($19) and Merlot ($20)."

Hermann Wiemer make some excellent alsatian style reislings.

[dscott]

IMO, the Finger Lakes and Long Island regions have a looong way to go. IMO, Virginia wines are only slightly ahead of NY wines.

Without an extended lecture, can you expand on your point? Perhaps a reference or two about better inexpensive American Rieslings?

[melkor]

August 3rd & 4th at copia there is the New York wine and food classic. 500 wines from NY state, a panel of 20 professional judges and 12 non-voting hacks (I'll be one of the hacks on the 3rd). I'll post a summary of what wines I like once my palate recovers.

There are some very good dessert wines made near niagara falls and some excellent rieslings made in the finger lakes.

[Mark Sommelier]

I just did a search and find it remarkable that no one's apparently ever mentioned Bully Hill in this forum (since "the beginning of time").  I know he's a black sheep & all, but c'mon, what's up with that?

I think that might be because Walter Taylor...umm.... died a few years ago.

[babyluck]

I just did a search and find it remarkable that no one's apparently ever mentioned Bully Hill in this forum (since "the beginning of time").  I know he's a black sheep & all, but c'mon, what's up with that?

I think that might be because Walter Taylor...umm.... died a few years ago.

Fine, he WAS a black sheep. I'm well aware of his demise, but what does that have to do with anything? The wine is still being produced.

[babyluck]

I just did a search and find it remarkable that no one's apparently ever mentioned Bully Hill in this forum (since "the beginning of time").  I know he's a black sheep & all, but c'mon, what's up with that?

I've had Bully Hill wines - some things are better left unsaid.

My reaction to that totally depends on whether Love My Goat was one of them. The whites are for shit.

[tjaehnigen]

IMO, the Finger Lakes and Long Island regions have a looong way to go. IMO, Virginia wines are only slightly ahead of NY wines.

Without an extended lecture, can you expand on your point? Perhaps a reference or two about better inexpensive American Rieslings?

I prefer the Rieslings from the WA state region, Eroica from the Chat Ste Michelle project with Dr. Loosen comes to mind. But I wasn't sure we were just talking about Rieslings. I am no expert on Finger Lakes and LI wines, but, from what I have tasted, I have not been impressed. My home state, MD, has wine that is even more bleah tasting.

[Suzanne F]

My reaction to that totally depends on whether Love My Goat was one of them.

Goats Do Roam, no?

There are some terrific whites coming out of the North Fork of Long Island from Paumanok and Schneider, and some of the wineries are starting to work on Cabernet Franc. Ternhaven, based in what used to be a gas station in Greenport (hey, before that, the owner made the wines in his bathtub on the Upper West Side, but the neighbors complained too much about the infestation of fruit flies) makes a "claret" that's mostly Merlot (he says, "Hey, Petrus is mostly Merlot") and while it's no Petrus, it's damn good.

In other words: HEY YOU GUYS, COME TO NEW YORK AND ACTUALLY TASTE WHAT'S AVAILABLE.

[docsconz]

There are some very good dessert wines made near niagara falls and some excellent rieslings made in the finger lakes.

The dessert wines, in particular the ice wines from the Niagara Peninsula in Ontario are often superb. While I think Inniskillin is over-rated I love Thirty Bench Their Reisling Ice Wine is outstanding.

[tjaehnigen]

One thing that you can count on is me tasting wine wherever I go that has wineries. Those places are like magnets.

[Craig Camp]

America's best Rieslings are grown around the Finger Lakes.

Who in the world wrote that?

I think a few folks in Washington state may disagree.

[GordonCooks]

Many NY winemakers will tell you that 75% or more of their wins is sold with 100 miles of the winery. Basically, you must produce some super light or super sweet wines to satisfy the rural community and stay profitable. You can also find quite a few talented wine-makers that will also make small case allotments of a special "reserve" bottling of a particularly good grape. The quality of NY wines is increasing as new wineries open, tourism increases, and the customer base increases. The NY climate is good for certain grapes and the wineries that are able to utilize those grapes make the best wines. NY Wines I actually buy when visiting the winery? Hermann J. Weimer, Fox Run, Glenora, Prejean, Red Newt, Dr Konstantin Frank, Hosmer…you can find a bottle or two you will like. Most of the others are just not my taste. I’ve never had a NY wine that I’ve said “WOW” but we’re attending a Fox Run winemaker’s dinner and by chef/buddy promised me that the winemaker has some old vine reserve pinot noir that will knock my socks off.

[tjaehnigen]

NY state would be smart to allow these wineries to direct ship to customers abroad in other states and thus become reciprocal. Too bad they only see the potential loss of tax money as the only possible offset to that. They don't think NY based retailers, etailers and so on will set up shop to sell stuff to customers in other states (and thus make more money for the state coffers in the form of increased sales (and thus taxes))?

[dscott]

One thing that you can count on is me tasting wine wherever I go that has wineries. Those places are like magnets.

Well, tjaehnigen, then you should plan a vacation in the Finger Lakes if you haven't done so before. The wine may not be at the top of your list in terms of quality but the wineries (read: tastings) are plentiful and the Lakes are beautiful.

[GordonCooks]

NY state would be smart to allow these wineries to direct ship to customers abroad in other states and thus become reciprocal. Too bad they only see the potential loss of tax money as the only possible offset to that. They don't think NY based retailers, etailers and so on will set up shop to sell stuff to customers in other states (and thus make more money for the state coffers in the form of increased sales (and thus taxes))?

Personally, I think it would be a double edge sword - I, myself, would probably be less inclined to buy a NY product if I could buy superior Washington State, Alsatian, Napa,etc and have it shipped to my doorstep.

[tjaehnigen]

I think NY would make more money in taxes by allowing their NY retailers/etc sellt heir wines by phone/fax/web/etc to customers outside of NY, something that would likely happen if they became reciprocal, IMO. Plus, some of thos NY wineries could ship their stuff to people who sampled stuff at tastings but didn';t want to buy a case of this or that because it was too cumbersome (but would love to ship a case of whatever back home).

[Bux]

NY state would be smart to allow these wineries to direct ship to customers abroad in other states and thus become reciprocal. Too bad they only see the potential loss of tax money as the only possible offset to that. They don't think NY based retailers, etailers and so on will set up shop to sell stuff to customers in other states (and thus make more money for the state coffers in the form of increased sales (and thus taxes))?

I don't know about smart, but it would be the right thing to do.

[babyluck]

My reaction to that totally depends on whether Love My Goat was one of them.

Goats Do Roam, no?

What??

Anyway, my point about Love My Goat is that it's an untraditional red that isn't trying to be something it's not. The other Finger Lakes wines I've had are definitely no competition in their categories, so what's the point? (Besides supporting local business.)

I'm no wine expert, but I am gifted with exceptionally good taste. I encourage anyone who hasn't tried it to do so with an open mind.

BTW, near me the brand has gotten extremely difficult to find because of shelf-life and stability issues. The retailers found it very popular but not worth the hassle, I guess.

[larry07041]

America's best Rieslings are grown around the Finger Lakes.

Who in the world wrote that?

I think a few folks in Washington state may disagree.

The article (part of a report on wineries outside California) was written by Doug Frost, and published in the San Francisco Chronicle on Thursday, July 24, 2003. Washington State does produce good Rieslings and of course they may disagree, but this was one person's opinion and if you haven't been to the Finger Lakes recently or tasted some of the good producers' products, you might wish to sample them.

There are several problems with the image of the Finger Lakes wines, and one of them is that there is so much crap being produced there, that frequently the good producers don't get a chance to get their products sampled. A taste or two of the poor quality wines that are available in abundance can turn people off from trying others.

If you have several French wines that you don't like, you would say these are French wines I don't like. But a few tastes of New York wines that you don't like will eliminate the entire category from consideration.

And because the good wines are not produced in quantity, it is hard to find them outside the Finger Lakes. Some wine shops will ship, and one of the best selections is Northside in Ithaca, NY.

Incidentally, several years ago, the Los Angeles Times published an article on Finger Lakes Rieslings and they pretty much said the same thing as this San Francisco Chronicle piece.

Wiemer, Fox Run, Dr. Frank, Red Newt, Standing Stone, Shalestone, Silver Thread, Atwater Estates, Lafayette-Renau, Hosmer all produce excellent wines including a remarkably supple and lush Cabernet Sauvignon from Atwater.

[GordonCooks]

I'm no wine expert, but I am gifted with exceptionally good taste.    I encourage anyone who hasn't tried it to do so with an open mind. 

Can you name some of your other favorite wines ?

[Craig Camp]

If you have several French wines that you don't like, you would say these are French wines I don't like. But a few tastes of New York wines that you don't like will eliminate the entire category from consideration.

To compare the Finger Lakes to France is well ...

My first trip to taste in the Finger Lakes was in 1977 and I had the please to spend an entire day with Dr. Frank. I did not have enough cash with me to buy wine so he gave me two cases and told me to send a check when I got home. I have been back over ten times since then.

Yes there are occasionally very good rieslings that are produced there, but world class ones are the exception not the rule.

You say one of the problems with finger lakes wines is that there is a lot of crap being made there. In this regard they can join every winemaking region on the planet.