FINALLY! New Legislation Allows Out-of-State Wine Shipments

Wine lovers rejoice! Your favorite Finger Lakes Winery can now ship wine to your home--anywhere in the USA. The NY Legislature passed, and Governor Pataki signed into law, a ground-breaking bill that permits direct wine shipments in and out of New York State. Going into effect on August 13, 2005, this law should be a boon to Finger Lakes wine producers.

Miles Wine Cellars Is Built on a French Model

Doug Miles and his wife, Suzy Hays, continue the work started by Doug and his late father, Dr. William J. Miles. The two men met with the owner and winemaker of Chateaux Petrus of the Pomerol region of France. They decided that, because their land on the west side of Seneca lake resembled that of the French vineyard, Chateaux Petrus could serve as an excellent model in establishing a new winery.

Ex-California Computer Executives Make Award-Winning Wines

Amy and David Hoffman's start-up winery on Keuka Lake produced 1,700 cases of wine in 2003, 3,000 cases in 2004, and expects to produce 4,000 cases in 2005. They are emphasizing quality over quantity.

The Unknown Red: Best-Kept Secret of the Finger Lakes?

If you like Cabernet Franc, Merlot, or Sangiovese, chances are you'll savor Lemberger, a red Finger Lakes grape that, while scarce, has made red wines of outstanding quality. The grape originated in Austria-Hungary and is popular in southern Germany; and it adapts well to the cold winters and warm summers of the Finger Lakes region. Better Lembergers are medium-bodied, deep-colored with dark berries on the nose, and spice and pleasant tannins on the palate. Ready to drink when young, it rarely benefits from bottle aging. Fox Run Vineyards, Seneca Shores Wine Cellars, Goose Watch Winery, and Dr. Frank's Vinifera Wine Cellars are among the few wineries that bottle Lemberger wine.

A Chorus of Praise for Dr Frank's

The late Dr. Konstantin Frank was the first Finger Lakes winemaker to cultivate vitis vinifera grapes; forty years later, the Keuka Lake winery he founded has been ranked #1 of a list of top ten "Greatest Wine Producers" in the Atlantic Northeast by Tom Stevenson's "Wine Report 2005." Dr. Frank's 2003 Dry Riesling is featured on the Oct. 15 edition of "Simply Wine," a program on the Fine Living cable television network. This wine is also generously praised in the November 2004 issue of Bon Appetit magazine. Dr. Frank's 2001 Fleur de Pinot Noir also made the news for having the very highest level of resveratrol of all the wines in the world. Resveratrol is a substance naturally occurring in wine which has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease and certain types of cancer. Due to the humid summers in the Finger Lakes, pinot noirs made here have higher levels of resveratrol than wines made anywhere else.

Prices Rising on High-Quality Finger Lakes Wines

Chateau Lafayette Reneau has released an excellent 2001 Cabernet Sauvnignon priced at $50 a bottle, the most ever charged for a Finger Lakes table wine. Buyers from the Marriott on Times Square bought a few cases for their restaurant's wine list. More Finger Lakes wineries are adding higher-end wines, charging between $18-30 per bottle. Late harvest and ice wines, which require a large amount of grapes to make a small volume of wine, regularly exceed $30-40 for a half-bottle. Heron Hill offers its 2003 Riesling Ice for $100.

Dr Frank's Breaks Double-Gold Record

Dr Frank's Vinifera Wine Cellars earned three double golds at this year's Great Lakes Wine Competition, a record for a single winery. The medals were awarded for its 2001 Merlot, 2003 Dry Riesling, and 2003 Rkatsiteli. Other gold winners were Chateau Lafayette Reneau, Goose Watch Winery, Hosmer Winery, Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars, Lucas Vineyards, and Wagner Vineyards. The competition attracted 457 entries.