What a great discovery, white wines from the Finger Lakes in New York State, especially now that a hot summer is on the way.
These wines were new to me, but thanks to a webinar organized by the International Food Wine and Travel Writers Association, I was able to taste three stellar examples and learn about a wine region that almost didn't happen.
Grapes were first planted in the Finger Lakes region in 1829, but these were for sacramental purposes. For years, growers planted only native grapes for sweet wines, figuring the area was too cold for European grape varietals.
The person who changed this was a penniless 52-year-old immigrant from Ukraine, Dr. Konstantin Frank, who arrived in New York Harbor in 1951. Speaking no English, Frank found work as a dishwasher in Manhattan. But back home, he had become an accomplished agricultural scientist and authority on wine grapes, producing his first wine at the age of 12.
Frank saw that vinifera grapes could grow in the Finger Lakes region, although others weren't convinced. In 1958, he bought 118 acres of land there and planted vinifera grapes. In 1962, he released the first wines from his Vinifera Wine Cellars.
Frank's story reflects vision, courage and invincibility. It's as fascinating as any novel. So I suggest getting a copy of the book "Finger Lakes Wine and the Legacy of Dr. Konstantin Frank" by Tom Russ. Click here for a link where you can order the book. It's essential for anyone seriously interested in the development of the American wine industry.
Now on to the three wines I tasted.
1.The first was the 2019 Dr. Konstantin Frank Rkatsiteli, made from what is reputed to be the world's first wine grape. I had encountered other Rkatsitelis at a Georgian wine tasting, but those were deep gold, unlike this pale wine.
The Frank Rkatsiteli is delightfully aromatic, presenting an orchardful of fruit flavors. It matched whatever I served with it, including an appetizer of sesame crackers spread with cream cheese and topped with eggplant caviar.
And grilled pork chops accompanied by green beans and a potato casserole (above). And steak tangy with lemon.
2. Next is the Weis Vineyards Dry Riesling 2019
Weis Vineyards was founded in 2017 by Hans Peter Weis, who specializes in traditional German style wines. Weis is from Zell in the Mosel Valley in Germany and was delighted to find in Finger Lakes soils and a climate like those of his homeland, conducive to producing beautiful Rieslings like this one.
The wine is dry and crisp, lively and citrusy. I served it first with Chinese broccoli beef (above), and it was a better match than a red wine would have been. Then I had it with a holiday turkey dinner. It even stood up to cranberry sauce. The acidity cut through the strong flavors.
3. If you've become bored with Chardonnay, try the 2017 Unoaked Cuvée Classique Chardonnay from Domaine LeSeurre. I served it to a Chardonnay hater who was amazed and delighted. The wine is very dry, with lots of bright acidity, citrus notes--lime and grapefruit--and a hint of pineapple.
Because it's unoaked, it has none of the mellow Chardonnay character that has been so popular. Instead, it's all fruit and crispness. The color is pale yellow, like straw.
I picked this wine for a dinner of smoked turkey breast, an artichoke-bacon frittata and fresh asparagus (above). The food was very good, but the wine got all the attention, which it deserved.
Céline and Sébastian LeSeurre opened their winery in 2013. Sébastian LeSeurre came from France's Champagne district and a family that had made wine for six generations. He himself studied Champagne-making there for six years.
They had intended to return to France, but the Finger Lakes won them over, thank heavens. Combining old and new techniques, they make oaked and barrel-select Chardonnays as well as the unoaked Chardonnay, and red wines too.
"We prefer to use our feelings to make wine," Sébastian LeSeurre says. But their feelings are based on years of experience and they know instinctively how to make wines as superlative as this Chardonnay.
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