The Finger Lakes

It's been ten years since the release of Jancis Robinson's acclaimed American Wine book.  That much anticipated tome justifiably covered the established west coast industry, as you would expect, but also surveyed the rest of the country.  In the book she acknowledged what wasn't exactly a secret - The Finger Lakes appellation in upper New York State deserves its due as one of our finest wine venues.

The very first vinifera wine grapes to be planted in America arrived in New York in 1647 courtesy of some well meaning Dutch colonists who, of course, knew nothing of the appetite of the American phylloxera aphid.  That short lived experiment set New York winemaking back almost two hundred years, essentially conceding the industry to America's native labrusca grapes.  French-American hybrids followed in the 1950's before America's tastes finally shifted to finer wines.

What makes the Finger Lakes AVA (American Viticultural Area) so desirable?  It has the cooler continental climate wine grapes love and gravelly (fast-draining), nutrient-poor slate soils that force a taproot deeper for sustenance.  Trace elements of this and that then find their way into the fruit yielding a clean, fresh, minerally wine with high acidity.  These are white wines in particular we are talking about and by this description you know they would be delightful if enjoyed by themselves.  But that acidity is also perfect at mealtime for cutting through fatty meats and fishes and standing up to spicy cuisine.    

The Finger Lakes fine white wine claim to fame is the versatile Riesling grape which may be made into wine styles from very dry to strictly-for-dessert.  The typical flavor profile may include some combination of green apple, citrus and stone fruit flavors accompanying a floral component along with the acidity and minerality mentioned above.  

Riesling is one of a handful of noble wine grapes and the coolness of the Finger Lakes growing conditions are ideal for it.  Forty years ago in what may have been my first blind tasting, we tasted five Rieslings from distinct locales across the country.  Surprisingly I correctly identified each with the Finger Lakes wine being memorable for its soft round mouthfeel.