Finger Lakes wine varietals for dummies

My wife and I will be heading to the Finger Lakes region this weekend for the Niagaracool events. Have had limited exposure to wines from this region. There is usually a Finger Lakes wine booth at the annual Ottawa Wine and Food Show, so I have tried some.

Just wondering what varietals are particularly successful in this region and what I should look out for. From my limited tastings, I have the sense that Riesling is quite successful.

Other input would be appreciated.

A lot of Chardonnay is grown, limited Gewurtz, some Cab Franc, which does pretty nice and some decent PN also. If you run across something labeled "New York State Cabernet Sauvignon" (not Finger Lakes) then more than likely the grapes were sourced from Long Island, and these can be quite nice. A few of the white hybrids, such as Vignoles and Traminette can be surprisingly nice, as well as the standards, Vidal and Seyval. The newest red hybrid, Noiret, is probably the best. I'll have a PA version at NiagaraCOOL. And then there's labrusca. I'm partial to late harvest Delaware, but I've had some impressive Catawba, Duchess and Diamond. You'll also find some excellent bubblies made in the Finger Lakes.

Wish I could join you Bruce.
Yes, Riesling does very well there. But for something a bit unusual (if not great) try the Konstantine Frank (sp?) Rkatsitelli (also sp?) which I have only seen there, despite the fact that it is the second most widely planted white wine grape in the world or something like that.

Wish I could join you Bruce.
Yes, Riesling does very well there. But for something a bit unusual (if not great) try the Konstantine Frank (sp?) Rkatsitelli (also sp?) which I have only seen there, despite the fact that it is the second most widely planted white wine grape in the world or something like that.

Wow, get out of my head OW!! When I was writing my post, I remembered that I had tried a Dr. Frank wine at the Ottawa Wine and Food Show, but all I could remember about the grape is that I was totally unable to pronounce it. You have nailed it.

I also remember that my wife and I enjoyed this wine. Will have to look for it on Saturday.

Thanks for reminding me.

Noticed Frank's Rkatsitelli at Northside in Ithaca the other day for the first time in quite a while. $26. Ouch!

Wow - there are so many varieties grown there -- I counted 47 different ones --see http://www.winelabels.org/arta2z.htm

I thought among the viniferas Lemberger was very succesful as a red, Rkatsitelli as a white.

For the hybrid red Baco Noir, Chambourcin and Rouge, and white Traminette, Melody , Ravat 51/Vignoles, and Verdelet Blanc.

Wish I could join you Bruce.
Yes, Riesling does very well there. But for something a bit unusual (if not great) try the Konstantine Frank (sp?) Rkatsitelli (also sp?) which I have only seen there, despite the fact that it is the second most widely planted white wine grape in the world or something like that.

Wow, get out of my head OW!! When I was writing my post, I remembered that I had tried a Dr. Frank wine at the Ottawa Wine and Food Show, but all I could remember about the grape is that I was totally unable to pronounce it. You have nailed it.

I also remember that my wife and I enjoyed this wine. Will have to look for it on Saturday.

Thanks for reminding me.

I plan on hearing from Bob Wojnar of Dr Frank today- I'll ask him if this wine can be shown to us.

...and Verdelet Blanc.

Back in the '70s, when I started making home made wine, Verdelet (Seibel 9110) was a widely planted grape, not just in the Finger Lakes, but also in Niagara County and across the border in the Niagara Peninsula. In fact, one of the larger Hammondsport wineries, Great Western, used to bottle a Niagara County Verdelet. I think it's all been torn out in Niagara County and replaced with cherry, apple and peach trees. I used to make this wine - light color, unique nose - very fragrant of flowers with good acidity. Nice to blend into bubblies also. I don't think I've had one in 25 years. A quick Google search only turns up Bully Hill as still making it.

Peter May is right-on with the Lemberger recommemdation. The good ones have some Cabernet Franc blended into them.

Fox Run and Anthony Road do a fine job with it.

Almost any producer offers Riesling, the most consistent and most glorious of all our local wines.

Rkatziteli is fantastic, but as Dan says, ouch; you can get two great Rieslings for the price.

Glenora Wine Cellars has a very nice Brut. Hermann Wiemer 2006 Dry Riesling and Glenora Dry Riesling are impressive. Look for Fox Run Cabernet Franc and others. Surprisingly, Dr. Konstantin Frank Pinot Noir is wonderful in the latest release (good color, nose and flavor and more full bodied than in past vintages.) I like some of the Vignole and Vidal Ice Wine. I just returned from the Finger Lakes and bought eleven bottles of wine total including some of the above-mentioned ones and a Cabernet Sauvignon "Port."

You should definitely try the Rkatsiteli, but don't get your hopes up too high. I brought a bottle to the 04 MoCOOL as a "mystery bottle" and we drank most of it on the bus ride Bob H had arranged for us from the hotel to the picnic grounds. Joe Perry, as I recall, was the one on board that identified it. Robin wasn't on board, but later tasted it at the "other" table, and posted this note:

"Dr. Konstantin Frank 2003 Finger Lakes Rkatsiteli - I couldn't resist taking a taste of this well-known but rarely seen bottle, one of the few U.S. wines made from this Russian variety. Very pale, pours with a fizz, it's slightly sweet, tart, bearing some resemblance to Portuguese Vinho Verde. Unfortuantely, it smells better than it tastes, simple and one-dimensional, with a pungent twang in the finish."

Unless the newer vintages are better - 06 should be out soon if it isn't already - it isn't worth the $24 except as a wine to broaden your experiences, or as an oddity. But if it is available at the NiagaraCOOL tour of wineries, you won't have to.

You should definitely try the Rkatsiteli, but don't get your hopes up too high. I brought a bottle to the 04 MoCOOL as a "mystery bottle" and we drank most of it on the bus ride Bob H had arranged for us from the hotel to the picnic grounds. Joe Perry, as I recall, was the one on board that identified it. Robin wasn't on board, but later tasted it at the "other" table, and posted this note:

"Dr. Konstantin Frank 2003 Finger Lakes Rkatsiteli - I couldn't resist taking a taste of this well-known but rarely seen bottle, one of the few U.S. wines made from this Russian variety. Very pale, pours with a fizz, it's slightly sweet, tart, bearing some resemblance to Portuguese Vinho Verde. Unfortuantely, it smells better than it tastes, simple and one-dimensional, with a pungent twang in the finish."

Unless the newer vintages are better - 06 should be out soon if it isn't already - it isn't worth the $24 except as a wine to broaden your experiences, or as an oddity. But if it is available at the NiagaraCOOL tour of wineries, you won't have to.

In some varieties '06 is problematic. Lots of rain and low temps last year. Harvest weather was the true indicator--some made it to the good weather; others did not.

The good news: Riesling hardly ever suffers as much as other crops...

We always come back with a mixed box of Rieslings, though with food with prefer the slightly off dry ones such as Glenora's Riesling, and Weimer's Semi-sweet. These are in the 1.9-2.4 RS arena. Like JC we are partial to the FL Vidal Ice Wines, though to be honast we do not have a lot of experience with those from Ontario.

Bruce,

I think folks have covered the topic pretty well, but a few additional thoughts:

In addition to Vignoles and Vidal Blanc, a lot of wineries use Cayuga in their house white blend. Not necessarily a grape to look for, but it should be mentioned. The Ravines house white used to be all (or close to all) Cayuga, and very nice QPR. In 2006 it's Cayuga and Vignoles.

The Dr. Frank 2006 Rkatsitelli is out, and has been for a couple of months. I tried it at the winery a month ago, and based on Robin's note, it's better than the 2003. Still not good QPR, though. McGregor (up the hill from Ravines) also makes Rkatsiteli (though Frank's is better IMO), as well as wines from other eastern European grapes such as Saperavi.

Dr. Frank and Anthony Road make Pinot Gris, and I think Lakewood just released their first. I liked the 2005 basic Anthony Road, though it needed six months in the bottle. I wasn't as fond of their sweeter premium version.

Experimentation with new grapes continues. Ravines has a 2006 Sauvignon Blanc made from grapes grown on Seneca Lake. With luck they'll pour it on Saturday.

As for what to look for, are you looking for recommendations for wineries to visit, what to look for in stores, or just general information? If you provide more specifics, I'd be happy to fill in what I know.

As for what to look for, are you looking for recommendations for wineries to visit, what to look for in stores, or just general information? If you provide more specifics, I'd be happy to fill in what I know.

Thanks Steve, and others, for your help. I am just looking for general info. My wife and I will be going down on Friday and staying overnight in Hammondsport, so there is a chance that we may hit a winery or two later on Friday. I had assumed I would pick up a couple of bottles of something nice to take home at either Ravine's or Dr. Frank.

Steve said:

The Ravines house white used to be all (or close to all) Cayuga, and very nice QPR. In 2006 it's Cayuga and Vignoles."

Interesting because Howie hit on that same blend.

As for what to look for, are you looking for recommendations for wineries to visit, what to look for in stores, or just general information? If you provide more specifics, I'd be happy to fill in what I know.

Thanks Steve, and others, for your help. I am just looking for general info. My wife and I will be going down on Friday and staying overnight in Hammondsport, so there is a chance that we may hit a winery or two later on Friday. I had assumed I would pick up a couple of bottles of something nice to take home at either Ravine's or Dr. Frank.

Good grief, you will be six miles from my home, but I will be in Syracuse, with Robin, judging NY wine for the state fair...

Will you be around on Sunday?

Good grief, you will be six miles from my home, but I will be in Syracuse, with Robin, judging NY wine for the state fair...

Will you be around on Sunday?

On Sunday, my wife and I will be in beautiful, downtown North Tonawanda for the picnic. We will be spending the night there and then leaving for home on Monday morning (stopping at factory outlet stores, shoe shops and other such places that attract my wife's attention )

My wife and I will be going down on Friday and staying overnight in Hammondsport, so there is a chance that we may hit a winery or two later on Friday. I had assumed I would pick up a couple of bottles of something nice to take home at either Ravine's or Dr. Frank.

Depending on when you arrive, you might want to make the drive over to the west side of Seneca and visit places like Herman Wiemer, Anthony Road, Fox Run, and Glenora. Or you could visit Keuka wineries such as Heron Hill - the architecture there is not to be missed.

If you're up for things other than wine, I've always enjoyed taking a hike up Watkins Glen (south end of Seneca lake). If you're interested in things mechanical, the Glen Curtiss Museum just south of Hammondsport is worth a visit. I still can't believe the "motorcycle" on which Curtiss went 137 mph...

Verdelet is an interesting rarity; there is none that I know of in Ontario today, at least certainly not marketed as a varietal wine. Appellation America, in addition to duly noting the vinifera orientation of the contemporary wine scene, also writes that the grape's cold hardiness was sub-par:

Verdelet (aka. Seibel 9110): A white French-America hybrid cultivar mostly grown in the New York State's Finger Lakes Region, Ontario's Niagara Peninsula, and British Columbia's Okanagan Valley. The variety's limited use today stems from its cold hardiness being less reliable than other suitable hybrids, and from the widespread shift to V. vinifera varieties, particularly in British Columbia where it once was one of the staple varieties for that province’s wine industry.

I am intrigued by the rare, historical hybrids that used to be grown in New York, or that still are but anonymously for industrial/non-estate-type wines (a practice I greatly dislike). Vergennes is an intriguing rare white labrusca hybrid that we tried at last year's NiagaraCool. Frankly, with quality vinifera-oriented winemaking having firmly taken place, it is my belief that those same vineyard practices and cellar practices (e.g. site selection, crop control, adequate ripeness, cool fermentations) should be applied without exception to these old-line varieties; I'm sure that many of them would be duly rediscovered because, finally, someone actually bothered to grow and treat them with respect and thereby show what the fruit is really capable of.

I believe Bully Hill still produces Verdelet.

Steve said:

The Ravines house white used to be all (or close to all) Cayuga, and very nice QPR. In 2006 it's Cayuga and Vignoles."

Interesting because Howie hit on that same blend.

Several years ago I made this blend and bought Vignoles juice with the intention of making the blend. However, the Cayuga element was also high acid in '06, so I blended in some lower acid Vidal and am simply calling it "Dry White". It still has quite a bit of acidity, in a food-friendly sort of way. I don't like going to extremes to control high acid.

However, the Cayuga element was also high acid in '06, so I blended in some lower acid Vidal and am simply calling it "Dry White". It still has quite a bit of acidity, in a food-friendly sort of way. I don't like going to extremes to control high acid.

I have often mused about acidity variation with vintages, and if I had the space for it what I would probably do is to plant two white varieties that have significantly different ripening windows: e.g. Seyval, which ripens mid-September in Ontario (alongside Niagara pretty much) and Vidal, which is a late ripener here (mid October). In a poor vintage, one could up the quantity of the mellower white and make a better balanced wine overall without having to resort to residual sugar.

That said, I've been amazed at the quality of the Ontario whites from '06 that I've tried thus far. It is as if the poor vintage conditions didn't affect the wines that negatively, and they all seem to have plenty of fine acidic verve.

I forgot to add that, obviously, working with varieties that have different ripening windows will pretty much necessitate separate fermentations and blending afterwards. I am quite partial to making blends via co-fermentation of different varieties together; I believe such wines will be integrated right from youth. But then, the ability to compensate for vintage inadequacies may be smaller than in the scenario described above.