Hi All
Currently travelling through the Finger Lakes wine region of New York state, and although I had heard some positive feedback regarding their wines, wasn't quite anticipating the very high quality that I have encountered so far.
In short, here are some brief impressions of the area so far:-
- many of their Rieslings are world class and extremely under-rated (and under-priced!)
- the well made Merlots and Cab francs are very varietal displaying some of the best signature aromas that can make these wines a single-varietal pleasure
- Pinots, if you can find them (thanks Miles), are certainly quite good with some room for improvement, others are excellent.
- Cab sav was a huge surprise, wasn't expecting this varietal to ripen anywhere near enough to make an enjoyable wine. I was very pleasantly surprised.
- hence the last two points make it no surprise that the Meritage (Bordeaux) style would also work well in this region, however the synergy of these varietals working together makes this wine style a completely different beast altogether
- Have managed to try several native varieties of Vitis Lambrusca, and French-Lambrusca crosses/hybrids in an attempt to pin down the 'foxy' aroma eg: Cayuga, Vidal blanc, Seyval blanc, Catawba, Concord, Vignoles et al
- There are plonk producers and then there are serious wine producers (as is the case in most regions)
- Deer run rampant in this beautiful lakes area and can be a real hazard on the road, however you will almost never run into these 'critters' on a restaurant menu
It's off to Long Island tomorrow, then Canada, and Texas wine region after that, so time permitting, more quick notes to follow.
Regards
Glen
Finger Lakes, New York, USA
Hi Grant
Yes, some very noteworthy producers, however to be fair I didn't try all of them so will list a few off the top of my head:-
Keuka Lake
Dr Konstantin Frank Vinifera Vineyards
Ravines (the owner is also the Chief Winemaker for Dr Frank)
Heron Hill
McGregors
Seneca Lake
Fox Run
Anthony Road
Atwater
Glenora (has a large selection)
Fulkerson (for V. labrusca and quirky labels)
Cayuga Lake
Buttonwood
Sheldrake
Lucas
The interesting thing was that I came across a variety of faulty wines from various producers including TCA, soapiness, brett, oxidised and a very interesting one which was tainted by the Asian ladybug which reminded me of very strong formic acid mixed with ethyl acetate (I would like to know what the chemical behind this fault actually is!).
Also there is quite a significant vintage variation in such a climate, and it is relatively easy to spot the bad years, due usually to very diluted wines.
The ice wines that I tried were usually not very intense, lacking the quality of the Canadian, but I since discovered that most of these are frozen in the winery. Probably a labelling issue that needs to be addressed.
I highly recommend this area as a world class wine region and I would suggest discovering it before New York city does (said with tongue in cheek).
Yes, some very noteworthy producers, however to be fair I didn't try all of them so will list a few off the top of my head:-
Keuka Lake
Dr Konstantin Frank Vinifera Vineyards
Ravines (the owner is also the Chief Winemaker for Dr Frank)
Heron Hill
McGregors
Seneca Lake
Fox Run
Anthony Road
Atwater
Glenora (has a large selection)
Fulkerson (for V. labrusca and quirky labels)
Cayuga Lake
Buttonwood
Sheldrake
Lucas
The interesting thing was that I came across a variety of faulty wines from various producers including TCA, soapiness, brett, oxidised and a very interesting one which was tainted by the Asian ladybug which reminded me of very strong formic acid mixed with ethyl acetate (I would like to know what the chemical behind this fault actually is!).
Also there is quite a significant vintage variation in such a climate, and it is relatively easy to spot the bad years, due usually to very diluted wines.
The ice wines that I tried were usually not very intense, lacking the quality of the Canadian, but I since discovered that most of these are frozen in the winery. Probably a labelling issue that needs to be addressed.
I highly recommend this area as a world class wine region and I would suggest discovering it before New York city does (said with tongue in cheek).