Finger Lakes Wine Region

New York State’s Finger Lakes region has a lot to offer wine lovers. Here one finds picturesque bodies of water, an assortment of cool-climate grape varieties and around 150 wineries. It also boasts a convenient location within easy driving distance of New York City, Buffalo, Cleveland, Hartford, Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C.—as well as Montreal and Toronto over the border in Canada. In other words, it’s a great place to visit. The area boasts three official American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) and four long (finger-like) lakes, each of which lend distinct characteristics to local bottlings.

History of the Finger Lakes

It’s easy to say that grape growing and wine production—activities that have been happening in the Finger Lakes region for nearly 200 years—are blessed endeavors, given the success of the area’s wineries. Perhaps the devotional origins of the industry have given it a bit of divine assistance.

In 1829, Reverend William Bostwick, who maintained a rectory garden in Hammondsport, was the first person to plant wine grapes in the region. And while the first bonded winery in the entire United States, Pleasant Valley Wine, sprouted up in 1860, soon after, in 1872, Bernard McQuaid, the first Bishop of Rochester, founded O-Neh-Da Vineyard to make sacramental wine for church services.

Wineries need supplies, so a master cooper, Walter Taylor, set up shop in Hammondsport in 1880 before raising money to buy his own vineyard and then founding the Taylor Wine Company in 1882. A few years later, in 1888, Widmer’s Wine Cellars opened in nearby Naples.

After recovering from Prohibition and two world wars, winemakers got busy in the area again. Canandaigua Industries started up in 1945, but it was in the 1950s that the Finger Lakes of today was born. That’s when viticulturist Dr. Konstantin Frank immigrated to the United States from Ukraine by way of Austria and Germany and began planting vinifera varieties while working as a consultant for Gold Seal. A decade later, he founded Vinifera Wine Cellars, which became known for its Riesling. Vitis vinifera remained in the spotlight throughout the 1970s and 1980s as new vineyards and wineries, including those from Hermann J. Wiemer and Charles Fournier, began planting more European varieties.

Frank wasn’t the only one looking for innovative approaches. In 1964, the first French-American hybrid varietal wines, including still popular Cornell University-developed Cayuga White, were introduced by the Taylor subsidiary Great Western.

Wine trails were established in the region, with the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail opening in 1983 and the Keuka Lake Wine Trail following two years later. Then came the Seneca Lake Wine Trail in 1986, and finally the Canandaigua Wine Trail in 1995.

The Finger Lakes wine region earned its AVA status in 1982. Six years later, Cayuga Lake received its own designation, followed by Seneca Lake in 2003.

To this day, the connection between wine and religion persists as the country’s most famous kosher wine, Manischewitz, is produced in Canandaigua.

Geography and Climate of the Finger Lakes

As its name suggests, the bodies of water heavily influence the AVAs’ climate and geology. The long and deep freshwater lakes were carved out by glacial movement two million years ago—movements that left limestone, shale, gravel and silt in their wakes. The lakes provide a tempering effect on the nearby terrain, reducing the effects of cold temperatures in the winter, adding warmth, extending the growing season in the fall and keeping spring temperatures cool enough to inhibit early growth that could be susceptible to late bouts of frost.

The Cayuga Lake AVA subregion is earmarked by high elevations of up to 800 feet and steep slopes with shale soils. The Seneca Lake AVA is lower in elevation (around 450 feet) and just over 35 miles long.

Grapes of the Finger Lakes

Despite there being a very, very long list of grapes that are grown in the region, a few varieties have made a name for themselves as standouts. Riesling has long been the star, but Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Gewürztraminer, Merlot and Pinot Gris also grab some well-deserved time in the spotlight.

Along with the well-known European varieties, some vineyards in the Finger Lakes are also growing hybrids, heritage and native grape varieties including Concord, Catawba, Cayuga White, Elvira, Isabella, Leon Millot, Traminette and Vignoles.

Wine Production in the Finger Lakes

Almost 11,000 acres of land are planted with vines, resulting in 54,600 tons of grapes yearly. Roughly 150 wineries operate in the AVA. New York state is third behind California and Washington in total volume of wine produced. According to the Cayuga Museum of History and Art, the Finger Lakes accounts for 30% of the state’s grape tonnage and wine production and is home to 30% of its wineries.

Classification of Wine in the Finger Lakes

This AVA produces wines at very different ends of the sweetness and style spectrums, from ice wine to sparklers and a wide range in between.

Sparkling wines had long been produced in New York State, but it was Konstantine’s son Willie Frank who introduced the idea deploying the méthode Champenoise and using French grapes, not native grapes or hybrids. His first release, which came from a plot of land next to their home they named Chateau Frank, in 1985 opened the door for other wineries in the AVA to follow.

Great Western Vineyards released the area’s first ice wine—a Vidal Blanc—in 1981. Now, a number of varieties are harvested for ice wine, including Cabernet Franc and (of course) Riesling. Ice wine comes from grapes that are frozen on the vine and then picked, whereas “iced wine” or “dessert wine” are made from grapes that are picked, then put into freezers before being used.

Famous Wines of the Finger Lakes

In 1867, a sparkling Catawba from Pleasant Valley Wine won honorable mention at the Exposition Universelle in Paris, then in 1873, Pleasant Valley’s Great Western Champagne won a gold medal in Vienna.  More than a century later, in 1998, both Dr. Konstantin Frank and Fox Run Vineyards won gold medals for their semi-dry Rieslings at Strasbourg’s Rieslings of the World Competition in Alsace, France. In recent years, a slew of high-quality wineries have debuted in the area, as well, including Anthony Road, Ravines, Red Newt, Kemmeter, Torrey Ridge, Boundary Breaks, Lamoureaux Landing, Lakewood Vineyards and Inspire Moore Winery & Vineyard.

Fun Facts About the Finger Lakes

• In addition to wine, the region offers a plethora of adult beverage options on the  Finger Lakes Craft Beer Trail and the Rochester/Finger Lakes Craft Beverage Trail, the latter of which has stops for cider, spirits and beer (as well as wine).
• While the bucolic region has a long history with adult beverages, it was also an important historical area for American Civil Rights. The Women’s Rights Movement started in Seneca Falls in 1848 with the first Women’s Rights Convention before spreading across the country. Visitors to the area can explore the National Susan B. Anthony Museum & House in Rochester, a 35-minute drive from Canandaigua.