Wine: Forget the medals, taste the wine By Mark Criden You may have already heard that New York State is threatening to join the twenty-first century by allowing its wines to be delivered to consumers in other parts of the country. Because this will undoubtedly lead to sales in retail shops coast-to-coast, I wondered, as I circumnavigated Keuka Lake this summer, which local winemakers were prepared to play in the big leagues? All Finger Lakes wineries, of course, believe they’re ready for prime time. Check out their tasting rooms, festooned floor to ceiling with medals and ribbons from wine competitions. "Bronze at the 1999 Altamount Rolling Stones Invitational." "Double Gold at the 2001 Kent State County Shoot-Out." The sheer volume of such hosannas is breathtaking. And ultimately meaningless. If everyone can—and everyone does, I assure you—win medals, then medals have only a tenuous connection to quality. They’re like the encomiums handed to schoolchildren to reinforce self esteem. What they also reinforce is the legitimacy of the well-lubricated purchasing frenzy in which you find yourself in the tasting room. So, instead of being dazzled by medals, I hunted for distinction, for in wine—as in life—the highest duty is to be sui generis. The following wineries, all making impressive juice while following their own paths, should thrive in the Darwinian marketplace. Heron Hill Winery If any Keuka venture smacks of the Napa Valley, it’s Heron Hill. While many nearby enterprises rely on hype over substance, John Ingle has put together an operation where the glitz matches beautifully with the quality of the wine. Everything about Heron Hill underscores the confidence Ingle has in his team and their wines. Sure the towering views, the fancy gift shop, and the full schedule of visitor-friendly events (check them out at heronhill.com) are impressive, but Ingle and his talented winemaker Tom Laszlo know that great wines are made primarily in the vineyards: Ingle on Canandaigua Lake and Heron Hill on Keuka, both tended according to nature-friendly practices. Especially delicious were the 2002 Rieslings including the rich, peachy Ingle Vineyard Johannisberg, the delightful, bone dry 25th Anniversary Reserve, and the honeyed Late Harvest. Their 2002 Ingle Vineyard Chardonnay was also a winner. Chateau Renaissance A visit here feels like stepping into coastal Normandy, which is not surprising since proprietor Patrice Demay traces his family and winemaking roots to France’s Loire valley. While Demay produces a full range of table wines, your greatest bang will come with his sparkling wines, all made using the expensive methode champenoise process. Bubblies are produced using both traditional grape varieties—I especially like the lemon-icy DemiSec—as well as other fruits: pears, peaches, raspberries, cranberries, and blackberries. The latter may seem child-like, but their deliciousness is impossible to deny. Peach Sparkle dosed with a shot of the Demay’s raspberry wine—think Peach Melba in a glass—is a pretty wonderful drink on a hot summer’s afternoon. McGregor Vineyard & Winery Founded in 1971, this Dundee farm may be the most naturale winery on Keuka Lake. Shaggy, steep vineyards reflect the McGregor’s back-to-the-earth approach; the family eschews chemical vineyard treatments whenever possible. But don’t let the laid-back look lull you into believing their winemaking practices are lazy; the McGregors turn out serious, adventurous wines that deserve every consumer’s attention. Especially impressive were the 2003 Semi-dry Riesling, the crisp and aromatic 2002 Muscat Ottonel, 2002 Gewürztraminer, and, believe it or not, the 2001 Pinot Noir Reserve. The latter, a wine I would have never picked blind as Pinot Noir, was dark, rich, and intense, a winemaking tour de force. McGregor also makes fascinating wines from Eastern European varietals. Rooster Hill Vineyards Many winelovers fantasize about giving up their nine-to-five gigs and starting a winery. In most cases, fantasy beats reality hands down. Not for native Western New Yorkers Amy and David Hoffman, who relocated from corporate lives in Southern California to the eastern shore of Keuka in 1999 in search of the simpler life. Amy and David are not, however, clueless city folks like Paris and Nicole. When a dilapidated nearby vineyard came up for sale, they bought the property and began planning the next great Finger Lakes winery. The Hoffmans are off to a tremendous start. They’ve installed state of the art equipment to insure the highest standards of care for their grapes. They’ve replanted their vineyards, now named Savina and Catherine for Amy’s great-grandmother and great aunt. The new plantings don’t yet yield fruit, so they’ve purchased grapes to hone their burgeoning winemaking talent. And what talent. Especially remarkable were a 2003 Dry Riesling that sang with notes of lemon, lime, white pepper, and minerals, a symphony for only twelve bucks and the excellent, impossible to spit 2003 Semisweet Riesling. Their 2002 Reds showed real skill, but given that the better Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon were from Long Island grapes, they did little to cure me of my Finger Lakes Red Wine Agnosticism. Hunt Country Vineyards By the time I finished my day at Art and Joyce Hunt’s winery, my taste buds were fairly well pulverized, and I doubted my ability to honestly assess the more subtle wines in their stable. That this seventh generation family farm takes a serious approach to its craft was obvious, though, and the dessert wines I tasted—especially their luscious, honey and apricot 2002 Vidal Ice Wine—aroused my tired palate. Dr. Konstantin Frank’s Vinifera Wine Cellars and Chateau Frank Wash down a fistful of amphetamines with a thermos of espresso and you might keep up with Willy Frank, force majeure of the Finger Lakes. If you’re unfamiliar with his storied enterprise, here’s the Cliffs Notes version: Konstantin Frank arrived in America in 1951 and wasted little time becoming the enfant terrible of the New York wine industry. Convinced that European fine wine grapes—as opposed to lowlier native fruit—could thrive in central New York, he founded his winery in 1962 and planted dozens of varietals. By 1985, having proved that he could grow wonderful grapes (though not sell much wine) he died, leaving the operation to his son Willy. For his pioneering work, Konstantin was inducted into the Wine Spectator Hall of Fame in 2001. Willy and his son Fred run things today. Vineyards are lovingly tended, with organic practices used as much as possible. All this care and history translates into some very fine wines. Frank’s knockout, minerally, slatey, citrusy, unbelievably delicious 2003 Dry Riesling is the best Riesling I have ever tasted from the United States. Rieslings from California only wish they tasted like this. Other standouts include the 2002 Semi-dry Riesling, 2002 Chardonnay and the Rkatsiteli (see sidebar.) Chateau Frank, the sister operation, produces classic French-style sparkling wines, which Willy calls "Champagne," no doubt to torque the French. The wines are very good, on a par with the best nonvintage Champagnes, with which they are competitively priced. Willy has proof that his bubbly beats much snazzier juice, like vintage Bollinger. There’s no self-esteem problem here. Mark Criden, a non-profit executive, is the former chair of the Buffalo Branch of the IWFS. You can reach him at mcriden@yahoo.com. Back to the Table of Contents Back to Top